Frontier Airlines

http://www.frontierairlines.com/

Types of Travelers

Business Travlers

3/5

Good airline for flying to smaller cities and a good alternative for larger destinations in West and Midwest

Family Traveler

3/5

Standard family-oriented services

Backpacker
Adventure Traveler

4/5

Seasonal flights to adventure destinations

Student
Budget Traveler

4/5

Reasonable fares

Elderly
Disabled Traveler

3/5

Standard accessibility

Long Term Traveler

3/5

Good national reach

Novice Traveler

3/5

Reasonably user-friendly airline

Introduction

Frontier Airlines was founded in the mid-1990s. Despite recent financial troubles, the airline is still in operation and has renewed its lease of gates at Denver International Airport, its main hub, until 2020. The airline flies mainly to airports in the West and Midwest. However, it does offer regular service to destinations in New England and the Southeastern US as well. It also offers seasonal service to Alaska, Costa Rica, Mexico and Colorado.

The airline has a low cost model. It competes with low-cost carriers like JetBlue and Southwest but usually scores lower than them when it comes to customer satisfaction. Still, Frontier has a decent on-time percentage and comparable on-board services. Midwest Airlines will merge with Frontier in 2011 and both will operate under the Frontier brand.

Ratings

Important Factors 3/5

Average Delay

Cancelled Flights
(average per month)

Customer Satisfaction Rating

2/5 by JD Power and Associates

Types of Aircraft

Airbus A318, A319, A320

General 3/5

Number of Domestic Flights (Daily)

Number of International Flights (Daily)

n/a

Size of Fleet

Major Airports and Destinations Served

Denver International, Milwaukee Mitchell International, Kansas City, NY LaGuardia, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Detroit

Location of Hub

Denver, Milwaukee, Kansas City

Countries Served

US, Costa Rica, Mexico

Number of Routes

From Denver to the Midwest and West, From Milwaukee to East and Southeast.

Most Popular Routes

n/a

In-Flight 4/5

Which Routes offer Meal Service?

Meals and snacks available for purchase on flights ($5-$10)

Food Quality

3/5

In-flight Menu

Salads, sandwiches and snacks, complimentary beverages (non-alcoholic)

Average Leg Room

32-33 inches

Types of In-flight Entertainment

Magazine and DirecTV service on all Airbus flights (screen in seatback)

Baggage 2/5

Baggage Fees

$20

Number of Bags Allowed

Weight Limits and Restrictions

50 lbs

Web Site 3/5

Online Check-in

Very good

Web Site Usability

Fair

Special Needs 3/5

Handicap Accessibility

Standard accessibility on Airbus flights

Pets

$75 one-way

Special Offers /Partners 3/5

Airline Alliance Membership

None

Hotel Partners

Midwest Airlines

Competing Airlines

Southwest, JetBlue, WestJet, AirTran

Strengths

Good reach to less-served destinations
Great seasonal service to vacation destinations
Good in-flight entertainment options

Weaknesses

Baggage fees
History of financial troubles and poor public image
Not as much value, overall, as other low-cost-carriers

Frequent Flier Program and Airport Lounges

Frontier’s Early Returns program claims that fliers can begin using their miles after they reach 25,000 miles and can reach elite status after only 15,000 miles. Members of Midwest Airline’s frequent flier club, which is owned by the same company as Frontier, can transfer their miles to Frontier when the two airlines merge in 2011.

Conclusion

Frontier Airlines has struggled with its image and its finances over the past few years. It has not scored well on user-survey-generated ratings. Still, the airline is a useful one for certain niche fliers. It offers good fares and regular, seasonal service to ski destinations in the Rockies, hiking destinations in Alaska and vacation spots in Costa Rica and Mexico. For fliers who are heading to one of these destinations, Frontier can be a very useful airline with plenty of value.