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Frontier, United eliminating more jobs, departures

By Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 21, 2008 at 9:05 p.m.

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Denver's two largest airlines will cut an additional 130 local jobs in coming months as part of previously announced plans to counter high fuel costs.

Frontier Airlines - the second-largest carrier at Denver International Airport - plans to slash 113 positions on Sept. 9, according to a letter it sent to state officials.

That comes on top of 456 local positions the Denver-based carrier has said it will cut this fall, bringing its total to 569.

Frontier also is reducing jobs in some other cities, including 37 in Las Cruces, N.M., company spokesman Steve Snyder said.

United Airlines - Denver's largest carrier - plans to eliminate another 17 pilot positions at DIA in September and scrap 14 more daily departures in November.

The carrier detailed the additional job cuts in a letter to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. It revealed information about the capacity reduction in a message to employees.

The two airlines, which hold a combined 75 percent of the market at DIA, recently announced plans to cut flights and jobs but did not initially provide details.

Frontier filed for Chapter 11 in April and is trying to secure financing to emerge from bankruptcy.

The carrier intends to reduce mainline capacity by 17 percent and ground seven planes. It has said those efforts also will include a "proportional reduction" in jobs.

The 586 local layoffs it has revealed so far account for 12 percent of the company's 4,788 workers in Colorado.

"I do not know if this is the last of them or not," Snyder said on Monday.

The first group of layoffs involves flight attendants, mechanics, customer service agents and other employees who work at DIA.

The second group "encompasses the rest of the organization," Snyder said, and includes workers in reservations, training, customer service, human resources, safety and accounting.

United's move to eliminate 17 pilot jobs at DIA comes as the carrier cuts 150 local positions this month.

It also will reduce the number of daily flights it operates between Denver and 14 cities, including big markets such as Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles and smaller towns such as Vail, Montrose and Fargo, N.D.

Additionally, United plans to end its one daily departure from the Mile High City to Charlotte, N.C.

The reductions - effective in November - bring United's planned daily flight cuts this fall in Denver to 43.

United said it will have 370 daily departures at DIA in November, an 11 percent drop from the same month in 2007.

The moves are part of United's plans to trim about 14 percent of its capacity by the fourth quarter.

United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said the company has announced most of the reductions planned for this year.

The Chicago-based airline, however, has yet to reveal details of additional cuts for next year.

walshc@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2744

More cutbacks at United, Frontier

* The city's two largest airlines have announced plans to eliminate jobs and scale back flights:

* United Airlines: Has told state officials it will cut 167 local jobs, most of which it implemented earlier this month. Also has plans to end 33 departures at DIA by the end of the year, contributing to an 11 percent slide in capacity in November compared with the same month last year.

* Frontier Airlines: Has told state offficials it will cut 586 local jobs in several phases of layoffs this fall. Also plans to reduce capacity by 17 percent, eliminate several dozen positions in other states, ground seven planes and delay future aircraft deliveries.

Comments

  • July 22, 2008

    1:07 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    SteveM writes:

    This is a sad, sad, sad state of affairs made only worse by the encroachment and companion announcements that Southwest, the Rocky Mountain New reader's choice poll least favorite airline locally, it planning to ramp up service here. Why we are allowing a Texas-based airline to railroad our homegrown local airline out of existence who knows? It's plum crazy. How man local jobs does the Wal-Mart® of the Skies employ locally? How much to they give to the community?

    Remember the ABC program a while back (Always Buy Colorado)? Time to put that into effect with air travel. Always Buy Colorado / aka Always fly Frontier or Lynx.

  • July 22, 2008

    6:50 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    gr8fun4me writes:

    I like Frontier but now they cut back on the flights I need. I will try to use them as much as I can though.

  • July 22, 2008

    7:38 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    sunflower writes:

    The slowing economy combined with the meteoric rise in crude oil amount to what is the 'Perfect Storm' for the airline industry. The carnage will be widespread, no airline is immune to it, not even Southwest.

  • July 22, 2008

    9:21 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    bph writes:

    The City of Denver nailed the coffin shut on Frontier by rolling out the red carpet for Southwest to come in. So much for the home town support.

  • July 29, 2008

    9:47 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    rezdawg8 writes:

    This city, and the airport specifically, have always shown their true colors when it comes to money. Never be surprised at what this city does to support locally owned businesses and the local work force in lew of larger revenue! And what's up with worrying about those 17 pilots? Don't the other 133 employees mean anything to Mr. Walsh in this article?