Frontier Airlines is facing public relations and financial challenges after a nurse, traveling on its flights, tested positive for Ebola on Oct. 13 and 14.
The airline took extraordinary measures, including extensive cleaning of two jets. It also contacted upwards of 800 people who might have been in and around the flights from Cleveland and Dallas. Flight crews have been put on leave for 21 days.
The jet was taken out of service and David Siegel, CEO of the airline, told CNN Saturday he flew in the aircraft for several hours after it was cleaned to demonstrate it was safe. He admitted the airline had paid a financial price, but stopped short of criticizing the government’s action.
The nurse had treated Thomas Duncan in Dallas. Duncan later died from the disease. The Centers for Disease Control has been criticized for telling the nurse it was OK to travel. She exhibited no signs of the disease during the flight, although the president of Frontier stated that the disease may have been further along that first thought.
Ebola can be contracted from direct contact through bodily fluids, but odds of passengers contracting the illness are low.
The airline, which serves New Castle Airport, was criticized in some quarters for taking the measures. However, critics also understood why the carrier would need to take such steps, given the issues of its size (four dozen planes) and the near panic, in some quarters, over the disease.
In a related development, CNN reported a cruise ship in the Caribbean was returning to Galveston, Texas to drop off a health care worker who also treated Duncan.
Frontier has been undergoing a major restructuring that included flights from Cleveland, Trenton and other cities. Service from New Castle Airport is being reduced. The airline has been experiencing a bumpy ride in terms of customer complaints, in converting to ultra-low fare service that includes added charges for luggage and other services.
However, it has also seen an increase in net income during the first half of this year.
While Frontier, now owned by Indigo Partners, does not have publicly traded stock, shares in other airlines have recovered from previous concerns over Ebola. That included Delta Airlines, which has flights into portions of Africa.
Should Frontier earnings continue to recover, a stock offering is likely, given the massive capital needs of airlines.
