Looks like a major Frontier fiasco...

Hobobiker

Hobobiker

Line Up and Wait
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Kids and Ex have been stuck at O'Hare since 6am yesterday. First a tail swap, then delay after delay. Guess the Denver storm delayed their flights everywhere else and backed things up. Customers are seriously ticked off because they see all the other airlines lifting off, but not theirs. Stories of people sleeping in the customer service lines, and I'm seeing some pretty 'colorful' and 'imaginative' texts and tweets.

Yikes!
 
I am not sure that is a "major Frontier fiasco", sounds more like "airline travelling during the holidays thru Chicago when bad weather happens". That pretty much happens every year.

I would bet, the reason they chose to be on Frontier was somebody save $40/ticket on airfare.

And, the same $40 savings will have them buy Frontier tickets next time they travel...
 
JoseCuervo said:
I am not sure that is a "major Frontier fiasco", sounds more like "airline travelling during the holidays thru Chicago when bad weather happens". That pretty much happens every year.

I would bet, the reason they chose to be on Frontier was somebody save $40/ticket on airfare.

And, the same $40 savings will have them buy Frontier tickets next time they travel...
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No, what you're defining was what was going on at all the other airlines/gates - which is expected. What THEY experienced, regardless of whatever savings it might have got them, is already enticing comments about never flying Frontier again...
 
It's really a Denver problem, not a Frontier problem. Neighbors tried to leave Houston for their holiday ski trip and after a "United" cancellation due to the Denver weather, they have confirmed seats in 4 or 5 days. Frontier may be worse due to low frequencies, but it's not all on them this time.
 
Frontier is actually a decent airline. I concur with RSLeeds in that it's a Denver problem. My cousin flies with Trans States and had to reposition her E145 to GJT due to Wx in DEN on Saturday. It's caused mass cancellations and delays across the board. It's not just Frontier.
 
As best as I can tell:

- We had a storm.

- Airline schedules and hub and spoke don't play nicely with ground delays for deicing and what not.

Nothing really new here.
 
Everyone says they'll never fly xxx again.

Until they fly xxx again. Frontier had a hiccup. Everyone does from time to time.
 
Gotta love holiday travel....

Yep, spent a few more nights than I ever wanted to on the floor of a terminal.

I once had to travel, jumpseat, on Christmas Eve from Anchorage to Minneapolis. The flight left ANC around 1am, and there was only 11 people on the flight.
 
Last I knew, Frontier used contract maintenance at ORD and they were not very good. That could be part of the issue.
 
Southwest was having problems Saturday afternoon at SFO. The flight into Denver was very delayed (ended up being about 4 hours) but the bad part was that it was an incremental delay. At first they told passengers that their connections were good. Then some of them weren't. Then most flights out of Denver going east were cancelled, so passengers needed to rebook out of SFO. The airplane was supposed to be full, but it ended up about 2/3 full because the only passengers left on board were the ones going to Denver as their destination. Even worse, the passengers who had to rebook ended up with their bags flying away without them.
 
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Ryanb said:
Frontier is actually a decent airline. It's not just Frontier.
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Really? From what I read, and my experiences, they are barely above Spirit and Allegient and well behind everyone else. In other words, they sux. I took two rides in one - my first and my last a couple years back. Yes, they were that bad. Glad you have better luck. #frontiersucks
 
GLMS_NC said:
Really? From what I read, and my experiences, they are barely above Spirit and Allegient and well behind everyone else. In other words, they sux. I took two rides in one - my first and my last a couple years back. Yes, they were that bad. Glad you have better luck. #frontiersucks
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Yeah, I've felt like Frontier is one of the better budget carriers, myself. Never have had any issues with the few times I've flown Allegiant either. It's just like rolling the dice I suppose.
 
Local news tonight mentioned a labor dispute somewhere didn't help, but I missed the specifics. Baggage union I think walked out when the overtime went insane during the storm. If I heard it correctly. Didn't turn the boob tube up in time.

But did catch the next part. In "solidarity" with whatever union that was, ALPA wrote a nice letter attempting to destroy the airline, basically hinting that they've cost cut all the way to being unsafe.

Brilliant. Going to "help" their members right into furloughs with that kind of press. Wonder if the usual statement writers are on holiday break and then backup PR person had to write something for them. Wow.
 
United pretty much completely melted down from Friday until late Sunday. Snow in Denver, snow in Chicago and a runoff on Sunday Morning, winds and ice at Newark. The ENTIRE flow directed at the two remaining hubs, IAD and Houston. Recovery wasn't really done until this afternoon. Welcome to the holidays.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Last I knew, Frontier used contract maintenance at ORD and they were not very good. That could be part of the issue.
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EVERYBODY uses contract line maintenance at the outstations now, and has for almost two decades. Works fine most of the time, until you get multiple broken airplanes at the same time, and only one or two mechs to go around. MUCH cheaper to fly in mechs for a heavy problem, than it is to keeps mech on staff that do nothing much of the time.
 
FlyingElvii said:
EVERYBODY uses contract line maintenance at the outstations now, and has for almost two decades. Works fine most of the time, until you get multiple broken airplanes at the same time, and only one or two mechs to go around. MUCH cheaper to fly in mechs for a heavy problem, than it is to keeps mech on staff that do nothing much of the time.
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How about trying to tell me something that I don't know already. I am well aware of the widespread use of both contract companies and contract employees in aviation maintenance. I have worked for and managed that type of operation. My point was that their mx provider at ORD is not very good. They suffer from a lack of good mechanic talent and more unfortunately competent leadership.
 
JoseCuervo said:
I am not sure that is a "major Frontier fiasco", sounds more like "airline travelling during the holidays thru Chicago when bad weather happens". That pretty much happens every year.

I would bet, the reason they chose to be on Frontier was somebody save $40/ticket on airfare.

And, the same $40 savings will have them buy Frontier tickets next time they travel...
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LOL. As if paying $40 more per ticket gives that alternate airline command over the weather or its consequences.

First time I got stuck in Denver was in 1979 when Stapleton was shut down due to a blizzard. Been nailed more times transiting through that airport than anywhere else in the world. If the snow doesn't get you in winter the thunderstorms get you in summer. Having biz class tickets made no difference.
 
Hmmmm.........airlines seem to be more apt to cancel flights for wx related events now.......I WONDER WHY ?

Careful what you wish for people !
 
GRG55 said:
LOL. As if paying $40 more per ticket gives that alternate airline command over the weather or its consequences.

First time I got stuck in Denver was in 1979 when Stapleton was shut down due to a blizzard. Been nailed more times transiting through that airport than anywhere else in the world. If the snow doesn't get you in winter the thunderstorms get you in summer. Having biz class tickets made no difference.
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Try reading again....

OP has faux outrage against Frontier, as if bad weather in Chicago was a "fiasco" caused by Frontier, then attempted to degrade Frontier.

And, I pointed out that the pax likely chose Frontier solely based on a savings, and, likely will do so again in the future.
 
JoseCuervo said:
Try reading again....

OP has faux outrage against Frontier, as if bad weather in Chicago was a "fiasco" caused by Frontier, then attempted to degrade Frontier.

And, I pointed out that the pax likely chose Frontier solely based on a savings, and, likely will do so again in the future.
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The OP said nothing about the WX in Chicago. He mentioned the WX in Denver and that all the other airlines at ORD were running normal. You brought up traveling through Chicago when bad wx happens. Chicago was running normal operations without delays. They were even running visual approaches at the time the wx was so nice. While crappy winter wx can cause bad delays in Chicago (or anywhere else you try to bring 290+ planes in and out of a small area per hour), the Chicago wx had nothing to do with the OPs kids delays.
 
FlyingElvii said:
United pretty much completely melted down from Friday until late Sunday. Snow in Denver, snow in Chicago and a runoff on Sunday Morning, winds and ice at Newark. The ENTIRE flow directed at the two remaining hubs, IAD and Houston. Recovery wasn't really done until this afternoon. Welcome to the holidays.
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Very true...I had two flights canceled out of ORD this weekend. Luckily the Amtrak got me home relatively on time.
 
Everskyward said:
Southwest was having problems Saturday afternoon at SFO. The flight into Denver was very delayed (ended up being about 4 hours) but the bad part was that it was an incremental delay. At first they told passengers that their connections were good. Then some of them weren't. Then most flights out of Denver going east were cancelled, so passengers needed to rebook out of SFO. The airplane was supposed to be full, but it ended up about 2/3 full because the only passengers left on board were the ones going to Denver as their destination. Even worse, the passengers who had to rebook ended up with their bags flying away without them.
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Hate it when they won't tell you what's going on. Spent 15 hours at SEATAC being told we'd board in thirty minutes. Turned out a plane ran off the runway at Stapleton and they new it. Could have gone back to SILs place.
 
ejensen said:
Hate it when they won't tell you what's going on. Spent 15 hours at SEATAC being told we'd board in thirty minutes. Turned out a plane ran off the runway at Stapleton and they new it. Could have gone back to SILs place.
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Stapleton eh? How long ago was that! ;-)
 
ejensen said:
Hate it when they won't tell you what's going on. Spent 15 hours at SEATAC being told we'd board in thirty minutes. Turned out a plane ran off the runway at Stapleton and they new it. Could have gone back to SILs place.
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I was sitting in a jet at Albuquerque waiting to go the Houston. We were told that we were holding for weather. Looking out the window, all I could see was a few small cottony puff puff fair weather cumulus clouds with a lot of blue sky. I knew the weather was below mins in Houston, but I could hear some passengers wonder about the weather outside and if it was safe to fly. I mentioned to the FA that they might tell the passengers that the weather we are waiting for is in Houston....
 
I got stuck during Chicago's meltdown last year. I tried to get out the night before but scheduling wouldn't budge. I got a kick out of them adding flights to my schedule after my canceled deadhead out of Chicago. After the fifth call stating I'm stuck in Chicago I can't work the XYZ flight in Houston they finally got the point. :rolleyes:

Your lucky if the right hand even knows what its doing much less what the left is doing.
 
Zeldman said:
I was sitting in a jet at Albuquerque waiting to go the Houston. We were told that we were holding for weather. Looking out the window, all I could see was a few small cottony puff puff fair weather cumulus clouds with a lot of blue sky. I knew the weather was below mins in Houston, but I could hear some passengers wonder about the weather outside and if it was safe to fly. I mentioned to the FA that they might tell the passengers that the weather we are waiting for is in Houston....
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Or the weather is en-route and they start complaining that it's clear in Houston.

Why is XYZ taking off?
Oh that's going to Dallas? Why aren't we leaving like them?
It's just rain arn't your pilots? I drive in the rain!

My favorite!
Why are we sitting on the ground for wind? I see birds flying around!
 
Funniest I've heard while I was waiting for my DH to BUF. Weather was really crappy, bad visibility and snow. Gate agent makes an announcement saying planes are delayed because they have to shoot visual approaches instead of ATC using their radar:confused:
 
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