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Frontier Airlines to Return to Full Service Saturday

Dépèche transmise le 22 juillet 2011 par Business Wire

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Frontier Airlines has announced that it expects to return to normal operations, with a full flight schedule by Saturday, July 23.

“This storm was unlike anything the company has ever experienced”

Frontier saw 18 of its Airbus aircraft damaged last week when a hail storm hit Denver International Airport – the airline’s hometown airport. The damaged aircraft were removed from service for repair, leading to multiple flight cancellations in the days that followed.

“This storm was unlike anything the company has ever experienced,” said Chief Operating Officer Wayne Heller. “But thousands of employees at Frontier and other Republic Airways subsidiaries came together and worked literally around the clock to return Frontier to normal operations.” Frontier is a wholly owned subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:RJET).

Teams of Frontier and Republic employees assessed the damage to aircraft and immediately began making repairs. “Our maintenance teams were able to return several of the damaged aircraft to service within days of the storm,” Heller said, “while at the same time continuing to outline repairs that would be made at our in-house and contract maintenance facilities. Their tireless efforts have continued without a break since last Thursday and are the single most important factor in returning our Airbus fleet to full operational status in such a short period of time.”

Heller praised other employee groups as well. “While this was something we had no control over, it nonetheless was a major inconvenience for our customers during the busiest travel time of the year,” he said. “Our reservations agents in Denver and Milwaukee and customer service teams at airport ticket and service counters throughout Frontier’s network helped reaccommodate hundreds of our guests on other Frontier flights or, when that was not possible, on other carriers. Our schedulers spent long hours developing balanced flight schedules to best utilize our undamaged fleet and worked to contract aircraft from other carriers to reduce cancellations. Additionally, our ground support teams did outstanding work to keep our guests and their luggage together. It truly was one of the best examples of an entire team working in concert together to achieve a common goal.

“We want to thank our customers for their patience and understanding during what we know was a difficult time for them,” Heller concluded. “We are truly honored by the loyalty and support our customers have given Frontier over the years and especially during this past week.”

About Frontier Airlines

Frontier Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RJET), an airline holding company that also owns Chautauqua Airlines, Republic Airlines and Shuttle America. Currently in its 18^th year of operations, Frontier employs more than 5,500 aviation professionals and operates more than 500 daily flights from its hubs at Denver International Airport, Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport and Kansas City International Airport. Frontier offers service to more than 80 destinations in the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica.

For in-depth information on Frontier Airlines and to book tickets, visit FrontierAirlines.com.