Frontier Airlines EarlyReturns - OMA-MKE Flight Delayed Due To Drunk Pilot

http://www.ketv.com/news/30472967/detail.html

Wasn't arrested, "in the hands of Frontier Now"

I'm going to guess a term, and loss of FAA whatever the FAA can take away from them.

The plane with 29 passengers and three crew members on board left just before 8 a.m.

Read more: http://www.ketv.com/news/30472967/detail.html#ixzz1mZA7tT8C

That's the real concern

That's the real concern

Read the story. They brought in a replacement pilot, not wait for the original one to "sober up".

Read the story. They brought in a replacement pilot, not wait for the original one to "sober up".

I think the real concern was that there were only 29 passengers on board.

I think the real concern was that there were only 29 passengers on board.

Oops, my bad. 29 is not good.

Great...something Frontier does not need right now.

29 actually isn't too bad for that 6:00am OMA-MKE flight. Here's why:

(1) It is mostly local traffic and very few connections.
It is scheduled to arrive too late to connect to anything except Columbus, Newark and Nashville. (DC too, but there's OMA-DCA nonstop.)

(2) Today's total of 29 likely was only local traffic.
This flight arrived a few hours later than scheduled, so all connections were broken. What connections there were in markets like OMA-EWR were probably rebooked on other airlines in Omaha.

I know this flight had more than 29 people originally booked, but I don't know how many may have been no-shows versus how many were booked on other carriers (like OMA-ORD-CMH) to their final destination.

These point-to-point RJ markets generally don't run load factors nearly as high as mainline. What makes them sink or swim is high enough fare levels coupled with decent local traffic. Connecting traffic fills seats but doesn't bring in the revenue local traffic does.


Here's an illustration to this point.

Six months ago, Skywest shared the local OMA-MKE market with Frontier, and they kept average fares low. There were a lot more connections via MKE, but those connecting fares in markets like OMA-MKE-LGA had to be split between both segments.

Six months ago, a flight booked to 90% (45 pax) might have looked like this:

15 local passengers @ $105 = $1575
30 conx passengers @ $56 = $1680
total revenue........................$3255

I got to $56 for connecting passengers by using an average fare of $140 in markets like OMA-LGA and allocating 40% to the shorter OMA-MKE and 60% to the longer MKE-LGA.

Today there were 29 people onboard this flight, and they were likely locals. Skywest is gone, and fares are somewhat higher. Currently the lowest advance purcase fares are $119-$130 depending on day, with last-minute fares at $231. I'll pick an average of $135 for this illustration.

29 local passengers @ $135 = $3915
total revenue........................$3915

In this illustration, today's flight with only 29 passengers onboard would have brought in 20% more revenue than the same plane with 45 passengers onboard six months ago.

Latest from TMJ. Usual rush to the airport get the passengers to comment story...

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/139439853.html

Latest from TMJ. Usual rush to the airport get the passengers to comment story...

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/139439853.html

Thanks for posting the link. They didn't get the right type of plane, among other things. I'd be curious where "most of those passengers were connecting" were going to (maybe CMH, BNA and EWR?). And I like how the delay was repeatedly described as "up to three hours". Umm...it's not that hard to figure out the delay was. Flight info on Frontierairlines.com shows 2:04 as the delay. Of course WTMJ is owned by the same media company that owns the newspaper which rounds 446 up to 500.
:-)

Thanks for the illustration Knope. Hadn't really thought it alway through and I blindly assumed it was a E-90. I didn't realize it was a E-45. All of a sudden a load factor of 56 seems much more reasonable plus anyone that was rescheduled.

No probl on the E190 vs E145. CNN doesn't have the right picture either:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/16/travel/suspected-drunk-pilot/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Great...something Frontier does not need right now.

Yeah, they have find a new pilot. This is unacceptable for drunk pilot behavior. He could go to jail. He will be terminated his job. He can't flying on commercial airplanes for the life. He could lose his FAA license.

Latest from TMJ. Usual rush to the airport get the passengers to comment story...

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/139439853.html

I've completely given upon TMJ4's "journalism". They handled a recent local car accident with zero compassion. I'm not surprised that these news vultures would circle waiting for reactions from arriving pax.

Yeah, they have find a new pilot. This is unacceptable for drunk pilot behavior. He could go to jail. He will be terminated his job. He can't flying on commercial airplanes for the life. He could lose his FAA license.

Yeah, but evidently Frontier pilots have a habit of being drunk and Frontier ends up negotiating with the pilot's union about it. This isn't the first instance of a drunk Frontier pilot.

http://www.coloradoconnection.com/news/story.aspx?id=418267#.Tz48r7Qaveo

http://www.koaa.com/news/fired-drunk-pilot-reaches-settlement/

The pilot's union wanted that drunk pilot to be reinstated. Can you believe it? Their pilots actually think it's ok to drink and fly, and if you get caught just a slap on the wrist and you should be let back in to fly again! Every Frontier pilot who remains a member of that union supports this kind of thinking.

Something seriously wrong with this airline and their pilots.

The two links you posted both refer to the same alcohol use incident in September of 2008 by a Frontier pilot.

(a) Yesterday's incident was not a Frontier pilot but a Chautauqua pilot, an airline contracted to fly a handful of small aircraft which are operated under the Frontier Express banner. Sold as the same brand, but completely different pilots groups.

(b) Currently the same holding company (Republic Holdings) owns both Frontier and Chautauqua, though they are fully separate certificates and workgroups. But back in 2008 when the other incidient took place, there was no relationship or ownership link between Chautauqua and Frontier.

(c) Even if both had been within the same airline and pilot group, an episode in September 2008 and a second episode in February 2012 do not exactly constitue a "habit".


I'm not saying incidents like this are not serious, but it's way out of line to paint this as proof of "something seriously wrong with this airline and their pilots".

Yeah, but evidently Frontier pilots have a habit of being drunk and Frontier ends up negotiating with the pilot's union about it. This isn't the first instance of a drunk Frontier pilot.


Bit of a loaded statement.

Do a google search for any airline and drunk pilot and you'll find something.

The scary part is that we only hear about the pilots that are caught.

Bit of a loaded statement.

Do a google search for any airline and drunk pilot and you'll find something.

What better than a loaded statement about a loaded pilot. :D
Seriously, though, one must keep things in perspective to properly characterize the severity of the problem.