Flight Attendants Give Their Support to Spirit-Frontier Merger

In the wake of JetBlue Airways’ hostile takeover bid of Spirit Airlines, the powerful Association of Flight Attendants-CWA union just gave the original Spirit-Frontier merger a big bargaining chip.

The union, which represents flight attendants at both Spirit and Frontier, said yesterday it would back the planned merger between the carriers that was announced back in February before JetBlue tried to intercede.

The endorsement, as reported by CNBC, assures that at least one hurdle that regulators will look at it will be cleared.

“We support the necessary regulatory approvals that will improve competition, increase consumer options and experience, and maintain and grow good union jobs,” Sara Nelson, AFA’s president, said in a union announcement.

Nelson was just re-elected to a third four-year term as the international president of a union that carries a lot of weight in the aviation industry.

The AFA said it has an agreement with Frontier that will prohibit any furloughs of flight attendants during the merger, a key concession.

JetBlue’s flight attendants are represented by the Transport Workers Union, which has yet to comment on a potential JetBlue takeover of Spirit.