GETTING STARTED
Your first year at Frontier comes with a lot of new systems, acronyms, bidding rules and contract language. This guide pulls the most useful starting points into one place so you can spend less time hunting for information and more time understanding how the operation works.
Independent pilot reference. This page is not a substitute for the CBA, company manuals, FAA regulations or current ALPA guidance. When something matters operationally or contractually, verify it against the current official source. Last reviewed October 2026.
If you are brand new, these are the areas worth learning first.
Use FFT as a practical reference, but learn where the controlling source lives. Contract questions belong in the current CBA and ALPA resources. Operational questions belong in current company manuals and systems.
Get familiar with the PBS calendar, FLICA, award dates, Daily Open Time and the sequence of events that leads from bidding to a finished schedule.
Many new pilots spend time on reserve. Learn your RDP window, call-out expectations, FIFO concepts, aggressive reserve and the difference between short-call and long-call reserve before your first reserve block.
Do not assume every pay item will always post exactly as expected. Learn how guarantee, pay credit, premium flying, per diem and retirement contributions fit together, then review your pay report each month.
A new hire does not need to memorize the contract, but you should know how to find help quickly.
Frontier pilots are represented by ALPA. Your local representatives and ALPA committees can help with scheduling, contract interpretation, grievances, safety concerns and other pilot issues.
For a contract or representation question, use the union’s established reporting and assistance channels rather than relying on cockpit rumor. Keep screenshots, times and details when a scheduling or pay issue is involved.
Start with the sections you will touch most often: compensation, scheduling, reserve, vacation, sick leave, deadhead, retirement and grievance procedures. You do not need to read the entire CBA in one sitting.
If something does not look right, ask the question. A scheduling assignment, pay item or reserve sequence can be reviewed without turning it into a confrontation. Document first, verify the rule, then escalate through the proper channel when needed.
Reserve becomes much easier once you understand what Scheduling is actually looking at.
Frontier uses multiple reserve duty periods. The currently published reference windows are A 03:00–13:30, B 08:00–18:30, C 12:00–22:30, D 17:00–00:00 and E 19:00–02:00, all in local domicile time. Verify the current monthly bid package because procedures and release limits can change.
Within comparable reserve buckets, assignment order can depend on FIFO and availability. The practical takeaway: know where you stand, understand why your position changes after flying, and ask for clarification if an assignment appears out of sequence.
Fixed-day-off reserve lines and long-call rules operate differently from normal short-call reserve. Pay attention to report time, conversion to short call, required rest and final-day release rules before bidding them.
Aggressive Reserve can be useful if you want additional flying. Awards are handled through the applicable process and come with eligibility and pay rules. Treat an awarded trip as an assignment, not an option you can casually decline.
Reserve days and RDPs may be traded or swapped within the rules, and some drops require Scheduling approval. Always look at the effect on guarantee and minimum consecutive reserve-day requirements before making a change.
FFT already has a deeper reserve reference plus an RSV/FAR 117 calculator for day-to-day planning.
These are the numbers and concepts new pilots usually ask about first.
The current FFT reference is a 75-hour monthly guarantee for both lineholders and reserve pilots, subject to the applicable CBA language and adjustments.
FFT currently lists pay above 82 hours at 125% and premium pay at 150% where applicable. The exact qualifying event matters, so verify the contract language rather than treating every extra hour the same.
The current reference includes a minimum of 12 days off per month. Rest, duty and flight-time limitations are governed by both the CBA and FAA rules, so always use the controlling source when legality is involved.
Deadhead, positive-space travel, commuting and jumpseat rules are separate subjects. Learn the company process early so a positioning or commuting day does not become an unnecessary headache.
FFT currently lists a 15% company direct retirement contribution. Review the current benefits materials for eligibility, vesting and plan details.
When CrewPay or a pay report shows a code you do not recognize, use the searchable FFT reference before guessing what it means.
These are the tools that become part of daily life pretty quickly.
Used for monthly schedule bidding and award-related work. Learn how conditions, stacking and bid logic affect the result you get.
Used for open-time activity and a variety of trades, drops, pickups, reserve actions, vacation functions and other scheduling transactions.
Use the crew portal and related tools to view assignments, schedule information, pay reports and other day-to-day items tied to your record.
Company links, manuals, notices and operational material live across the company ecosystem. Bookmark the tools you use most instead of searching from scratch every time.
FFT keeps the common pilot systems and reference links together so you have a fast launch point.
Use the FFT Crew Room for pilot-to-pilot discussion, but verify anything operational or contractual before acting on it.
A few habits will save you time, money and frustration.
Do not just look at days off. Check trip construction, report times, training, reserve blocks and anything unusual immediately after an award posts.
Compare what you flew, what you credited and what actually posted. Small errors are easier to resolve when you catch them early.
Save bid screenshots, assignment changes, FLICA confirmations, pay records and relevant messages when something could later become a scheduling, pay or grievance question.
Use the company and union reporting systems when a fatigue or safety issue exists. Do not substitute peer pressure for a legitimate safety decision.
If you do not understand a reserve assignment, pay code, PBS result or scheduling rule, ask before the situation becomes time-critical. That is what reps, mentors and reference tools are for.
Airline operations become much easier once the acronyms stop sounding like alphabet soup.