Frontier Airlines Flight Attendants Vote 99.6% to Authorize Strike

DENVER (September 18, 2024) – Frontier Airlines Flight Attendants, under the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), have overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike. The vote saw a 99.6% approval with a 92.7% participation rate. This move follows Frontier management's refusal to negotiate the consequences of their new business model.

Jennifer Sala, AFA Frontier President, highlighted the challenges faced by the attendants due to the new "out-and-back" model. “Frontier Flight Attendants are struggling to earn a living because of management’s new ‘out-and-back’ model. The impact of this change has turned our lives and our paychecks upside down,” she stated. “The harm is real and happening right now. We’re ready to do whatever it takes to bring management to the table.”

Recently, Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle boasted about the cost savings from these operational changes, emphasizing the "significant amount" the airline is saving. However, these savings come at a cost to the Flight Attendants, a matter the management needs to address immediately.

Sara Nelson, AFA International President, criticized the airline's approach: “Frontier management is putting their ‘cost savings’ plan on Flight Attendants’ backs. It’s a gross example of corporate greed that devalues the contributions of these Flight Attendants to the airline and creates incredible instability for the people who make Frontier fly.” She urged Frontier to negotiate, considering the impact of their new business model.

With the 99.6% strike authorization, the union has the power to set a strike deadline if necessary. AFA's trademarked strategy, CHAOS™ (Create Havoc Around Our System™), allows for flexible strike actions, affecting either the entire system or a single flight without prior notice to management or passengers. Currently, no strike date has been set.

The strike vote involved 4,000 Flight Attendants, open from August 20, 2024, to September 18, 2024. The union had filed for federal mediation with the National Mediation Board (NMB) in May, after notifying management in April that the "turn" plan was a dispute under the Railway Labor Act, separate from regular contract negotiations.

The new business model's impact significantly affects the working conditions of over 4,000 Flight Attendants, in ways not covered by the existing collective bargaining agreement.

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The Association of Flight Attendants is the Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for over 79 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. 55,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.