Frontier’s Introductory Fares to New Destinations Crash Reservations System

On Tuesday, Frontier announced new service to Philadelphia, Miami and Chicago, but $15 introductory fares overshadowed the news and caused the airline’s reservation system to crash for several hours.

To create a buzz about a return to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), new service to Miami International Airport (MIA) and expanded flights to O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Frontier Airlines announced special one-day only fares would be available on Tuesday.

The fares, which started as low as $14.99 each way, generated a large amount excitement. Frontier’s reservation site crashed under heavy traffic for several hours following the announcement.

Less than three hours after publicizing the introductory fares on social media, the airline posted the following to Twitter and Facebook:

We are currently experiencing technical issues on the website & have long reservation hold times. We are working to resolve the issue, please check back later.

Travelers trying to book flights on the airline’s website received an apology and slightly more detailed explanation:

We are sorry the site is currently busy. The site is busy because there are a large number of users at this time.

The inability to make reservations online was compounded by the fact that Frontier charges a $10 fee for booking tickets over the phone. In this situation, however, it didn’t really matter; callers trying to book flights on the phone through the airline’s reservation department were greeted with the following automated message:

We are currently experiencing technical difficulties. Please call back or visit flyfrontier.com. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The good news for Frontier is that the hundreds of social media comments posted in response to the announcement of the new routes and introductory fares indicate a good deal of enthusiasm about the new flights. The bad news, however, is that following the collapse of the airline’s reservation system, those comments skewed decidedly negative.

[Photo: Foter]