Southwest Airlines also took part in the court-supervised auction.
Dallas-based Southwest bid $170 million for Frontier, but only on the condition that pilots’ unions for Southwest and Frontier agree on how to merge their ranks. That agreement didn’t materialize, Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz said.
“We were unwilling to take that requirement out of the proposal,” Mainz said. “As far as we’re concerned, we’re out of the process.”
Had Southwest won and taken over Frontier’s operation, Dayton International Airport ultimately could have benefited with expanded flight offerings by Southwest, airline industry consultant Michael Boyd has said.
Republic spokesman Carlo Bertolini said it’s too early to say what Republic’s purchase of Frontier will mean for each airport with Frontier flights.
“But the intent behind our plans is not simply that the Frontier and Midwest brands survive, but thrive, and we will be looking for sustainable growth opportunities where it makes sense throughout the networks,” Bertolini wrote in an e-mail.
Dayton International Airport spokeswoman Linda Hughes said the airport looks forward to working with Republic.
“We didn’t really have a preference one way or another,” Hughes said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7457 or bsutherly@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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