Frontier Airlines EarlyReturns - Wife opines Frontier's Stretch seating/service "better than United First Class"

Interesting assessment from Mrs. SFO this afternoon on our SFO-DEN flight. And this from a very jaded frequent SQ/CX/LH First flyer. E++ 38" pitch leather seats and with an open middle seat as we both had today, is indeed more comfortable than United 757 First seats. Friendly FAs. Free drink and snacks for Summit member (and companions). Free DirecTV. No meals? BFD. Based on what UA served a few weeks ago on our SFO-DEN flights, I'd rather buy in the terminal and bring on board anyway. Add in a refundable fare that was cheaper than UA's non-refundable fare, "wing and a prayer" UDUs, and the new DEN Admirals Club near F9 gates, we won't be flying UA any more than we did when we lived in SFO.

Welcome to Denver, SFO777!

I guess you'll get a lot of opportunity to fly F9 now. A few of my co-workers like them because it 'gets them to their car quicker'..... to me, that's an interesting way to pick an airline, but to each their own.

And you really shouldn't complain about that rubber chicken so much. You only had it ONCE. By the time we met up, I had had it on 3 of my previous 4 flights that weekend!

Welcome to the f9 forum! I must agree and think that STRETCH with classic plus/summit benefits is one of the best values in the industry.

Welcome to Denver, SFO777!
I guess you'll get a lot of opportunity to fly F9 now. A few of my co-workers like them because it 'gets them to their car quicker'..... to me, that's an interesting way to pick an airline, but to each their own.

Thanks hobo13. We are so glad to be out of California and now in Denver. Nice to meet you and the family on that UA flight a few weeks ago.

Welcome to the f9 forum! I must agree and think that STRETCH with classic plus/summit benefits is one of the best values in the industry.

Thank MikefromMKE. Looking forward to more F9 flights.

Hi SFO777, Middle seats open make all the difference however it is not the norm. The crew is always friendly however if you get the middle seat it is really not worth it as you have no shoulder room. I wish F9 put a curtain and made the first 4 rows just a little more like business class. Free alcohol but not free snack. In any case much better than Southwest.

Hi SFO777, Middle seats open make all the difference however it is not the norm. The crew is always friendly however if you get the middle seat it is really not worth it as you have no shoulder room. I wish F9 put a curtain and made the first 4 rows just a little more like business class. Free alcohol but not free snack. In any case much better than Southwest.

You beat me to the punch on the middle seat comment. I'm not a small person (6'3" / 225#) and I'm comfortable in a conventional seat on Frontier except the whole arm rest thing. If the middle seat is empty and I have full use of the arm rest it's great....stretch or not. If I'm jockeying for arm rest, or more likely letting the middle person have the arm rest, the wider seat of true first class is great. I don't usually mind the shoulder room of 3x3 although I understand how that could be a bit thin. I do feel like I notice the extra inch on Airbus aircraft versus Boeing, and that helps.

A colleague of mine is a 1K on United, and he says that his recent Frontier flight was far superior to anything he's received on UA recently. United seems to be going out of its way to anger its most loyal customers.

One thing I'll miss, moving from DEN-area to AUS-area, is F9. The extra inch of seat width is all I need (I'm a thin six feet), but I notice when I'm in an aircraft with narrower seats (looking at you, Boeing). I don't always upgrade to STRETCH, but when I do, I sincerely appreciate the extra legroom it provides as well (though I've been perfectly fine with normal F9 seat pitch in the past).

For what it's worth, these opinions hold even if there's someone sitting next to me. I dislike middle seats as much as the next guy, but I've usually been able to grab a window upon booking, so I have all the space I need.

Free drink and snacks for Summit member (and companions).

I don't believe this is a published benefit, nor has it been my experience over the last few years. But the best advantages are as a Summit member you can confirm the stretch seating on booking, and that it is easy to qualify for Summit at 25k miles or 30 segments.

I don't believe this is a published benefit, nor has it been my experience over the last few years. But the best advantages are as a Summit member you can confirm the stretch seating on booking, and that it is easy to qualify for Summit at 25k miles or 30 segments.

Summit definitely gets free drinks (even premium except for the pricier wines). No free snacks other than the goldfish (formerly cookie) however.

F9 has a good product and the free drink is all I need. At the times I am hungry their bob is not bad and I prefer it compared to the F options on UA.
Also the free ticket change (only fare difference) as a Summit is a big plus and has saved me a lot over the recent years.
Also I like it that you can get the whole family into Stretch when we fly on vacation.
I have Summit on F9 and I am still GS on UA. So my upgrades on UA still clear but I never liked their domestic food.
Main advantage with UA is that their miles are worth way more and you get more (100% bonus rather then 50%) for the same distance. For F9 my redemption value is less then 1 cent per mile (usually to Mexico for a quick winter break from Colorado).

Would love to see STRETCH as a separate class. Like many airlines do. It will also bring the value up . Put a bulkhead and a curtain.

Would love to see STRETCH as a separate class. Like many airlines do. It will also bring the value up . Put a bulkhead and a curtain.
Not sure that's a good idea because they might eliminate then the free selection for Summit members. Also on most of my recent flights it was pretty clear that a lot of people ended up in Stretch by virtue of no other seat being free (usually the middles).

Would love to see STRETCH as a separate class. Like many airlines do. It will also bring the value up. Put a bulkhead and a curtain.

+1
Maybe keep the middle seat open and call it Business Class like in Europe. I'd sure pay more for a guaranteed empty middle seat. May give us the option to buy an empty seat, like Spanish LCC Vueling does (we paid $35 or $40 extra for a bulkhead with no one in the middle seat for 2 hour BCN-RAK). Most of those middles are filled with regular pax that wind up getting free Stretch seats anyway.

Dear SFO,

1. You are a Rock Star^ (please keep those GREAT trip reports* coming).
2. Since YOU said this, I just might have to fly Frontier now!

^To become a God you would have to drink 7 bottles of Dom like our good buddy reported on his HJK trip (-;
*The JFK>YVR is still my favorite (-:

Summit definitely gets free drinks (even premium except for the pricier wines). No free snacks other than the goldfish (formerly cookie) however.

I should have been more clear, I was referring to where the OP mentioned free drinks for a Summit's companion. That has never been included to my knowledge.

I should have been more clear, I was referring to where the OP mentioned free drinks for a Summit's companion. That has never been included to my knowledge.

I've gotten free premium drinks for my companion before, but she was on a companion ticket both times, so not sure if that helped.

I've gotten free premium drinks for my companion before, but she was on a companion ticket both times, so not sure if that helped.

FWIW, we were on the same PNR. To clarify, snack was just the Goldfish.
Post was originally written for the UA forum (where Goldfish would be a snack, possibly even a meal :D) but was apparently deemed too incendiary to be there.

Dear SFO,

1. You are a Rock Star^ (please keep those GREAT trip reports* coming).
2. Since YOU said this, I just might have to fly Frontier now!

^To become a God you would have to drink 7 bottles of Dom like our good buddy reported on his HJK trip (-;
*The JFK>YVR is still my favorite (-:

I am blushing this morning.:o
You are too kind ICFUS.
Thanks and yes, give F9 a try.

Both times I flew in "stretch" there was somebody in the middle (Frontier gave it to an economy customer).

Frontier ought to block the middle seat and not give it away for free.

Both times I flew in "stretch" there was somebody in the middle (Frontier gave it to an economy customer).

Frontier ought to block the middle seat and not give it away for free.
I don't think they give it away for free. Most of my recent flights had somebody in the Stretch seats when the back was packed. Last flight there were 2 free seats in Stretch (middles) and 0 in the back.

I don't think they give it away for free. Most of my recent flights had somebody in the Stretch seats when the back was packed. Last flight there were 2 free seats in Stretch (middles) and 0 in the back.

Yes, I believe they do. Economy pax won't get the free drink or tv but if economy is over-booked and stretch is not they will assign stretch seats including middle to economy pax.

Yes, I believe they do. Economy pax won't get the free drink or tv but if economy is over-booked and stretch is not they will assign stretch seats including middle to economy pax.
Right, thats what I tried to stay, they don't just give away Stretch for free but will fill it with passengers when the back is full.
Even airlines with first class will bump passengers to the next cabin if they need a seat in the back. I fly connecting flights in Europe in LH C and they block the middle but the ticket costs way more and the only things you get is a free middle and better food.
I prefer Stretch to stay free for Summits but doubt if they guarantee a free middle that they would keep it free for Summits. I think Stretch compares more to E+ on United.

I think Stretch compares more to E+ on United.

It is 2-4" better than E+

It is 2-4" better than E+
I thought its more in the range of 0-2" ? I don't fly UA much in economy and the last time I ended up on a UA 757 and it felt pretty similar.

Here is a reference for United showing between 34" and 36".

http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Economy_Plus_(UA)

Frontier seems to be 36" but the web site claims up to 36" (not sure which plane is below).

I thought its more in the range of 0-2" ? I don't fly UA much in economy and the last time I ended up on a UA 757 and it felt pretty similar.
Here is a reference for United showing between 34" and 36".
http://www.flyerguide.com/wiki/index.php/Economy_Plus_(UA)
Frontier seems to be 36" but the web site claims up to 36" (not sure which plane is below).

Row 2 on the F9 319 seemed more than 36". It is at least 3" better UA 320 E+ on the one time I was on that in the last year.