Frontier grew work force 15% in 2007

By Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published February 21, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

Text size

More Airlines & Aerospace

Frontier Airlines led its peers in employee growth last year, increasing its work force by more than 15 percent, according to federal data released Wednesday.

The Denver-based carrier added nearly 700 positions in 2007, although it cut about 100 jobs at the end of the year to offset higher fuel costs and other expenses.

Several regional airlines, which typically fly routes for larger carriers, added workers at a faster pace, percentagewise. But Frontier grew faster than any of its large competitors by that measure, the U.S. Transportation Department said.

Industry employment grew 3.7 percent in December compared with the same period a year earlier. It marked the 11th consecutive month that payrolls grew, breaking free from a long string of decreases following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

United Airlines, Denver's largest carrier, posted a 0.2 percent increase in full-time and full- time equivalent employees. That's still down, however, nearly 11 percent from 2003.

American Airlines ranked as the largest carrier, employing 20,000 more workers than No. 2 United.

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News