A Whole Different Animal

Not many would have predicted it, but Frontier Airlines will retain its brand under Republic Airways. And if the cost of doing business in Denver wasn't so prohibitive, Republic might have been planning a headquarters relocation by now. Denver still wins--saving its hometown airline and vital competitor in keeping the cost of an airline ticket low out of Denver International Airport.

With Southwest's final bid at $170 million over Republic's bid of $108 million, the winner seemed obvious. But after seniority negotiations between Frontier and Southwest pilot unions broke down and Republic forgave Frontier's $150 million debt the scales tipped in Republic's favor. Menke's message to employees was consistent from the beginning, and in the prescient words from an insider: "...having the highest bid doesn't guarantee that a bidder will win."

For a glimpse into sacrifices Frontier employees and leadership made starting in April 2008 when the company filed for bankruptcy, read "Flying critters off threatened list."

Frontier's Future

It's hard to accept the fact that Denver could lose its hometown air carrier. Now that Southwest airlines has entered the fray with a higher bid than Republic, it's looking more and more like this will be the case. Tom Clark, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce's executive vice president, lays out the strengths Republic and Southwest bring to the Denver market in his "Cone of Silence" blog. The upside for consumers is, experts are predicting airfares out of Denver International Airport will stay low--DIA currently has the lowest prices in the nation.

And in the midst of all this jockeying among Denver's largest airline competitors, travelers are complaining less than they did a year ago, according to a DOT report released yesterday.

Frontier to Remain Frontier

Last week, Frontier announced that Republic Airways has agreed to pay almost $109 million for the equity in Frontier Holdings, which includes Frontier Airlines and Lynx Aviation. Today, Frontier spokesman Steve Snyder said that the Denver-based air carrier will continue operating as Frontier Airlines. Word from inside Frontier is, "I'm thinking it's a good thing. They don't fly [Airbus] 318s, 319s or 320s, so I don't think they'll fire all of us and sell the planes for parts. Also, their employees aren't trained on these aircraft so I think the in-flight crews are safe. Time will tell..."

Time will tell indeed. Whether Republic Airways keeps the Frontier headquarters in Denver or moves it to Indianapolis is the big question. Frontier's future may be up in the air, but at least it's still flying.

Clear Pass Privileges No More

Clear Pass holders will no longer enjoy bypassing the snaking security lines at airports. A brief announcement is all that is left on the Clear Pass Web site.

For an annual fee of $199, a background check and fingerprint scan, travelers were issued a pass card that allowed them access to the Clear lanes at 21 participating airports in the United States. All Clear lanes have been closed and word is still out on whether members' annual fees will be refunded.

If you blinked, you probably missed the announcement, but here's the Denver Post's article: http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_12668799.

Denver's Hometown Airline

As an airline that is actually turning a profit, Frontier is in a class of its own and is in a good position to emerge form bankruptcy. Yesterday, Frontier announced that Republic Airways Holdings has offered to purchase Frontier Holdings, which includes Frontier Airlines and Lynx Aviation, for slightly less than $109 million. Stay tuned for word from inside Frontier Airlines as the story develops. As it stands, the proposal hearing is scheduled for July 13. If the deal goes through, should Frontier still be called Denver's low-cost carrier? (Republic Airways is based in Indianapolis, Ind.)

Lost Passengers, Death and Fees on Fees. Oh my!

It hasn't been a pretty week for the airline industry. First as the height of UM (unaccompanied minor) season kicks off, Continental sends two girls to the wrong destinations, http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_LOST_GIRLS_CONTINENTAL?SITE=RIPAW&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT.

Unfortunately for Continental, when it rains it pours. During a trans-Atlantic flight on Thursday, Captain Craig Lenell passed away mid-flight, much to the surprise of passengers on board who only learned of the death upon arrival in Newark, NJ, http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_WHEN_PILOTS_DIE?SITE=RIPAW&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT.

And finally, United announced they are adding fees to their bag-check fees, http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_12651689. On top of the $15 fee to check a bag, if you pay at the airport, you'll be charged an additional $5. So, what is that, a bag check fee-fee? Nice job with the Saturday morning announcement too...hardly anyone will notice, I'm sure.

IATA: Airline Revenues Will Tank

Even with crude oil at $56 a barrel, the forecast for the airline industry is grim. According to the International Air Transportation Association, airlines around the globe stand to lose $9 billion collectively this year. That's nearly double the estimate just three months ago.

In lighter news, more air carriers are opening the cabin to four-legged patrons. Southwest Airlines recently announced that they will allow pets on board for a $75 fee if the owner is also on board. No unaccompanied pet program is in place currently.

And when the airline industry is hemorrhaging money it's hard to believe a pet-only airline would actually take off. The brave souls behind Pet Airways, the only pet-only air carrier, are giving it a go.

At any rate, Petflight.com is a good place to start if you need to make arrangements to fly with your pet.

Make the Leap Frontier

With a name like Frontier Airlines, you'd expect the company to be on the leading edge of the industry. Quite a firestorm has kicked off due to their absence from social media networks. After one bad experience, entrepreneur and social media guru Andrew Hyde took things into his own hands. He created a Twitter account (@frontierair) and started monitoring and responding to Frontier customers' comments. He was clear from the beginning that @frontierair was a fan account, not managed by anyone at Frontier. Things came to a head and Andrew offered to turn the account over to Frontier's communications department so they could take up the torch and communicate directly with their customers. Shockingly, Frontier refused. Here's the beginning of the story: http://andrewhyde.net/bad-move-frontier-airlines-sean-menke/, the middle: http://andrewhyde.net/frontier-airlines-customer-service/, nearing the end: http://www.prsacoloradoblog.org/?p=428, and what story would be complete without the final word: http://andrewhyde.net/frontier-airlines-customer-service/. And the buzz is spreading: http://econsultancy.com/blog/3975-frontier-fail-customer-service-choices-in-the-more-important-with-the-internet.

Although it took 10,000 page views of Andrew's post before Frontier was moved to respond, it behooves them to reconsider their "no interacting with customers outside of the already existing @frontiersale and @frontierstorm" policy.