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Do you feel safe flying Frontier?

This letter has not been edited

Russell Brunecz, Aurora

Published October 11, 2008 at 6 p.m.

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What’s it gonna take for the press of this country to cover the story of Frontier Airlines? Does the flying public feel so safe as to allow the maintenance of their commercial aircraft to be performed overseas that they turn a blind eye?

This has already happened with United Airlines, my former employer. I’m currently employed with Denver’s favorite Airline, Frontier. However, we aircraft mechanics too are about to be outsourced to El Salvador. In fact, there is an aircraft already there with maintenance being performed on it by foreigners, nose number 919.

One must understand that the requirements for an aircraft mechanic in the U.S. is that they be Federally licensed by the FAA. But, to perform maintenance overseas one does not need that license. Do you feel safe flying with you wife, child and family? I don’t, as an A&P mechanic. But, Sean Menke, CEO of Frontier Airlines who came to discuss the current contract negotiations with the aircraft mechanics represented, by the Teamsters Union, commented when asked a question by a member “...was there a plan “B” by the company should the Teamsters win out in their law suit with Frontier in the bankruptcy court regarding, Frontier’s position of outsourcing the aircraft mechanic’s jobs overseas. Mr. Menke’s response was, “No, I do not have a plan “B” and I chose my career path and you chose yours.”

Do you feel safe flying on these airplanes? I don’t and will not until commercial aircraft are, once again maintained by licensed FAA aircraft mechanics within the borders of this country.

Comments

  • October 12, 2008

    1:09 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    clyde writes:

    It s u c k s having your union price you out of the market, doesn't it? Thanks to NAFTA, you are in direct competition with everyone in the third world that is willing to work for less than you are. Unless it requires a warm body to actually hand the burger over the counter, our government has taxed the worker into oblivion.

  • October 12, 2008

    8:01 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Shadow writes:

    What a wonderful barganing chip unions have become. Forceing corporations to out source the work they do.

    This being said how many times did we read or listen to news stories on how our supposedly better trained and more skilled airline mechanics were failing to do their job on inspections of said equipment. Maybe there is more then unions forceing corporations to out source. Maybewe have too many people who expect to be paid an extremely high wage for nothing?

  • October 12, 2008

    8:26 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Acemon writes:

    Russell,

    Do you fear driving your car to work? The statistics show you're far more likely to be injured or killed on the highway, especially with the poorly trained and distracted drivers around you. Stay at home and lay flat on the floor because that's the only way to prevent falling down and hurting yourself.

    The union isn't always looking out for your best interests. Look to your leaders and ask how much they earn and what kind of insurance they have. I'll bet it's far better than yours. Do members get to do any collective bargaining regarding the leadership of your union? Who guards your guardians?

  • October 12, 2008

    3:45 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    mrfxx writes:

    Shadow writes:
    What a wonderful barganing chip unions have become. Forceing corporations to out source the work they do.

    This being said how many times did we read or listen to news stories on how our supposedly better trained and more skilled airline mechanics were failing to do their job on inspections of said equipment. Maybe there is more then unions forceing corporations to out source. Maybewe have too many people who expect to be paid an extremely high wage for nothing?

    Guess what Shadow - the IT industry has never had unions - and our jobs are being offshored at records rates so upper management can continue to get multimillion dollar bonuses. I can speak to the quality of offshore support - which is often WEEKS of experience compared to the DECADES of experience being flushed down the toilet - IT IS LOUSY. A change ticket being approved states that the problem is with a system board, and the ticket type is clearly marked HARDWARE - the analyst from Argentina states she doesn't understand - and asks if it is SOFTWARE. The Indians hang up in the middle of "SWAT" calls (where a mission critical server is down) because their shift is up - and Indian labor laws state they don't even have to hang around long enough to do a "warm handoff" to bring a replacement up to speed on the problem. Big Oil management over the decades convinced the "Big 3 Automakers" that fuel efficient vehicles were a passing fancy and US drivers would always want gas hogs - which is as directly responsible for the problems those automakers are experiencing (while foreign automakers are building plants here and paying union wages). So - keep buying off on the business whine that it's all the unions' own fault - and wait to see what happens to your own pay (assuming of course that you are not part of the corporate greed problem) - and watch the lack of innovation and the US's coming inability to dig itself out of the hole it put itself into (or don't you see a direct link between better products and a country that encourages "thinking outside the box" having those jobs be sent to countries which at best discourage that kind of thinking and at worst punish it).

  • October 12, 2008

    10:33 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    erduace writes:

    frontier and airtran merger....the best way,,,thank you..erduace.

  • October 13, 2008

    7:24 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    SanctuaryCity writes:

    The real question should be, do you feel safe if the demo party gets in?
    The country will be bankrupt just like california, ask pelosi

  • October 13, 2008

    9:32 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Acemon writes:

    tiero,

    Do you feel good about the republicans who already bankrupted our great country? I sure don't.

  • October 13, 2008

    10:32 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    primafacie writes:

    Just checked the lastest figures on jets falling out of the sky. Since 1967, Frontier has exactly ... zero.

  • October 13, 2008

    6:31 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    AirMech writes:

    Alot of airlines have been outsourcing their airframe heavy maintenance for years including Soutwest, America West, JetBlue etc. So try telling your sob story to the 1000's of individuals who will probably be on the streets due to our financial banking crisis. The aircraft flying our skies are the safest in the world. Bar none. So quit trying to scare the general public. Besides Frontier will probably will be gone within a couple of months anyway. So freshen up the resume.

  • October 15, 2008

    3:18 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    RB writes:

    Just wait....

    Your job will be outsourced by greedy your CEO too!

  • October 17, 2008

    3:22 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    RB writes:

    AirMech: FYI, Southwest performs it's aircraft maintenance right here in the states. Don't tell me that I am whining as, my job is outsourced. Soon, your job will be outsourced too! You need only wait for it to happen to you while, your family starves. I'll do fine as, I can utilize my experience to move into another career. As far as the safety of the airlines, it used to be that they were safer than driving your car. Just waitn ny friend because, soon they will not be when, only one falls from the sky and kills over 100 civilians. Then, you'll be singing a different song pal.