Frontier pilots overwhelmingly OK contract with average 53% pay increase

Frontier Airlines pilots have approved a new contract nearly three years after starting negotiations. The Air Line Pilots Association said 77% of pilots for the Denver-based discount carrier backed the deal in a vote that ended Thursday. The union says the new contract, which will take effect Wednesday, will provide an average 53% pay increase. Frontier pilots have been working under a contract changed in 2011 to keep the airline out of bankruptcy. Negotiations began in March 2016 and soon turned into mediation overseen by federal officials. Pilots voted to authorise a strike in 2017. However, federal law makes it difficult for airline workers to strike so pilots staged demonstrations, including sending a "strike bus" to cities in Frontier's network, to raise awareness about their cause. “We are pleased to have reached this agreement with our pilots and believe it gives them best-in-class salary and benefits while also ensuring Frontier’s continued growth,” Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle said. <br/>