Tim, great shots. Work at DIA?

cointyro

New Member
I see you work at DIA, presumably as a ramper for Frontier. Got any good stories for us? How do you like the job? How do you keep warm?

- Dan
 
Yeah, I have been working out there since January. I always thought Frontier was a pretty neat and up and coming airline but at the same time i also thought they were just another one of those LCC (low cost carriers). Well after going through the training for a few weeks and then actually starting the job i was pretty impresssed. They seemed to actually care about the employees and it was pretty nice. Then last month I went on a flight from DEN to TPA on one of our new A-319s and i was BLOWN AWAY!!! I couldnt believe how nice the flying experience was. I knew we had a pretty cool airline but I had no idea it was this good. In the past I usually flew on UA (first class) and NW but on my Frontier flight, I could actually fit in the seats (I'm about 6'5") and I was comfortable, the flight attendants were really reallly nice (they did know i was an employee), the food was straight up delicious, and in every seat we have a TV with Direct TV. It was by far the nicest flight I have ever been on!

We dont have first class on our planes but the way i figure it, the only thing that makes us a LCC is that we have to keep our prices low to compete with the big gorilla (UA) that seems to nearly give their tickets away. Our seats are far more comfortable than sitting in the back on any other airline I have ever flown and when compared to UA F-class, I dont really see a big difference. Ever since that flight I took to TPA I have looked at Frontier in a whole new way. Basically we are doing the exact same thinig that Jetblue is doing in NY except we are doing it out of DEN.

As for some cool ramp stories. A few weeks ago we had some Lions in a cage to transport, they were ferocious little things and they were just cubs!

Ummm we had a guy that almost got sucked in to the engine. He was wing walking and then proceeded to just walk right toward the No1 engine. We all thought he was going to turn into a sloppy joe but then the pilot saw him at the last second and stopped the plane. I guess it was a deer in the headlights kinda thing?

I love the job though, its great to be working around the planes that i hope to fly someday. Plus its the perfect part time job to have as i fly in the mornings before going into work at night. Another great thing is that i get paid to work out. Throwing 150 40-60 lb bags gets the juices flowing!

Living in DEN we have had some cold nights but Frontier gave us these suits or overalls that keep you warm and toasty. We had a few nights in a row down in the single digits with a ton of wind and it was no big deal. actually the only time i have been cold out there so far was one night last week when it was about 40 degrees and i forgot my jacket! Weather is not a factor as long as you are prepared.

I think we are in a good position and if i had a bunch of $$ I would totally go out and buy some F9 stock as it has to go up soon. I think we are around $5/share. Whoever buys it now may be rich by the fall.

Anymore questions, just shoot!
Tim
 
hmm, I am gonna look into Frontier for the places I am going this summer, I always head up to Portland to visit family and then sometimes out to Denver to visit friends. Thanks for the info! Also, I want to know what a guy was doin walking on the wing with the engines on?
confused.gif
He got really lucky there.
 
haha no the wing walker is the guy that stands out by the wingtip and holds up some wands and sorta protects the wing from hitting anything. he isnt supposed to touch the wing, just warn the marshaler if it is about to contact anything. It can save an airline alot of money if the wing walker does his job right!

the PDX-DEN flts are using A-319s so go for it! you will have an awesome trip for sure! And as far as i know the cheapest prices come straight from the F9 webpage so visit www.frontierairlines.com

have a good one, Tim Samples
 
Tim, were you at DIA today when the B-1 bomber came in? I was working outside right in the flight path to DIA, it was pretty cool.
 
wow sweet, I cant imagine why a B1 would be visiting DIA? are you sure it wasnt going to Buckley for a refueling stop? That is fairly common and their approaches are pretty similar out there over E470?

either way, i missed it! darm woulda been a sweet shot the way the wx was today.

I did manage to shoot the B-2, the F18 super hornet and a F16 up at Air show colorado last summer. The B-2 was a huge surprise and it turned out OK too!

Rumor is that we may be getting some F-16s out at DIA this summer while they repave the runways out at buckley? we shall see.

Tim
 
I don't think it was going into Buckley. I currently work right in the approach path for DIA, on the left side was an Airbus going into DIA.
 
It could have been, I am just hoping they didnt let "worldwide" do the below wing work for that thing. Those guys are the kings of fudging it.

I wonder if the pilots had to get wanded by the TSA? I could see those idiots not letting them get off the plane cause the pilots are armed and there are bombs are the plane. I'm sure it was a grand waste of taxpayer money.
 
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