N674UW
Nov 17, 03, 1:27 pm
Hello...
I just returned from a weekend visiting my parents in Florida on relatively short notice...F9 gave me the best fare and convenience from DEN-FLL so I decided to give them a shot...I was amazed...with F9 being a low-fare carrier, my expectations were low, and my knowledge of their service/amenities was limited mostly to the DirectTV on the A319's
Heres a short summary (please don't move to TR forum, this is not intended to be a TR, rather a commentary on F9):
F9 381 from DEN-FLL, 11/14
Check-in: Check-in staff were friendly and helpful...were able to accomodate my request for a window seat, got 1F!
Gate area: Just like every othergate area at DEN, spacious with ample seating...
Boarding process: Unlike many of the major carriers, the boarding process was very orderly, with people only coming when their row was called and the gate agents doing a good job of enforcing those who tried to sneak ahead...could've been a bit faster though...only boarded 2-3 rows at a time...being in row 1 I got a little antsy...Once onboard f/a and FO (may have been the Captain, I forgot) was there to greet people...on board the overheads above row 1 were filled, I had to go back to about row 6 or 7 to find space for my carry-on (not F9's fault)
Aircraft/Seats: A319 N908FR...very clean, modern interior...seats were the best Y seats Ive ever sat on in the US...very wide, I could actually see the green fabric on both sides of my legs (I have a normal-sized body) adjustable winged headrest, easy to see PTV...legroom more than sufficient for my 6' frame...recline was average though...
Crew: Overall very friendly and personable, also helpful to others throughout the flight
In-flight service: This is where F9 far exceeded my expections...I was expecting at most a bag of peanuts and a drink, instead the f/a's came around first with a beverage service (whole can), followed by a bag of Sun Chips, and then...a choice of either a Thai Chicken Roll or Greek Beef Roll...REAL FOOD! I was shocked...I chose the Thai Chicken, but alas, it had cheese on it, which meant I couldn't eat it as Im allergic to cheese, so I gave it to my seatmate in 1E who was a non-rev and thus was going to be served last...alas, when I was sleeping my neighbor in 1E told the f/a about my food issue and so when I got up to use the lav about 40 minutes later the f/a offered me a PB&J, which was a nice touch (I didnt take it cause, well frankly I dont like PB&J)
IFE: Having experienced DirecTV on jetBlue earlier in the year, I knew exactly what to expect here as the two systems are identical, except F9 still charges $5 for the service, which is extremely reasonable on a 3 hr. 20 minute flight...I am one who gets bored easily while flying and thus I think inflight DirecTV is the greatest thing since sliced bread, although my one main grudge (as with B6) was that the airshow map had too many ads and the stats (mph/alt) seemed to be too wobbly to be accurate...and speeds should be in knots on a plane, not mph (just my PPL side acting up there, sorry), and also the headphones (same as B6's again) are very awkward to use, and I had some trouble getting them to stay on...since it was single pronged I used my own headphones on the return...
Overall this was a fantastic flight, one that surely will not be forgotten, now onto the return...
F9 383, from FLL-DEN, 11/16
Check-in: Got to FLL about an hour before departure, and the F9 line was empty...asked for a window seat again, but was told that there were none available and all that was left was middles...or an aisle that didnt recline...I figured I'd take my chance with the middle...agents very friendly about the process again...
Gate area: This was my first time flying out of the B gates at FLL, and again, gate area was open and spacious with ample seating (I am used to PHL which on a good day has seating for maybe half the pax on any given flight), one thing that bugs me about FLL is the lack of good concessions though...I guess it has to do with the terminal layout there...
Boarding process: Well executed by the ground staff, and went by very efficiently...although I did notice in line that the gate agent taking boarding passes was going "Hi, how are you doing?" to everyone as they handed over their BP's, but when he came to me he didnt say anything except a muttered "Thanks"...not something Im going to lose sleep over, but it was a little vexing...again both the f/a and Captain were greeting passengers, and I made my way to 13B...there a miracle happened...a woman was already there and she said that she and her partner had 13A and C, and would I mind taking the aisle so they could sit together? Of course not!!!!!!!!! Thus I got out of my middle seat dilemma with no problem whatsoever.
Aircraft/Seats: A319 N923FR...apparently this aircraft was delivered to F9 just 8 days previously which made it literally brand-new...the newest aircraft Ive flown to date...in terms of non-bulkhead seats, pitch was comfortable, (what is the pitch on F9- I'm guessing 31"-32" or so?) and the rest of the seat features were the same as the bulkhead, except that the PTV adjusted to allow for recline of the seat in front...
Crew: This crew was amazing to say the least...constantly in the aisle asking if anyone needed anything, never pulling a disappearing act...very helpful as well...amazing!
In-flight service: Still amazing...first a beverage service (whole can), followed by a "light snack"...this was a wrapping of various items including the following: bag of Raisins, bag of Cheez-its, a Rice Krispie Treat, package of small salamis, and a small roll, reminiscent of a small bagel without the hole, and a packet of mustard (which was very hard to open without creating a minor mess), and a plastic knife...I was able to make a salami/mustard sandwich but the rest didnt appeal to me...was still amazed though that there was food, given the hour (t/o was about 9:30 PM)...after the snack was cleaned up, the f/a's came by and asked each person who was awake if they'd like another drink, and then all throughout the rest of the flight the f/a's patrolled the aisles equipped with water bottles and cups for those who so desired...superb!
IFE: Same as outbound, except for some reason only 16 channels were available...also I used my own set of headphones for this to remedy the issue previously mentioned...was able to watch the Cowboys get spanked by the Pats on ESPN, which also made me happy as I'm an Eagles fan...but thats another story...
One thing that puzzled me though was that on both flights, during the preflight announcement, the f/a's said something to this extent:
"Due to increased security regulations, only one person may be waiting in the forward galley to use the forward lavatory. If you wish to use this lav, please wait at the aisle by your seat"...both flights had that announcement, which I had never heard before...is this an F9 specific thing or another brilliant TSA mandate??? My last flight prior to this, on US in early October, had no such announcement...
Anyways, in summary, the return flight was actually better than the first, and I thought that was going to be hard to do...I had already signed up for EarlyReturns at a CU football game and won 7500 miles at a promotion there, so this flight put me over the 10,000 mile mark after only 2 segments...since I will probably be flying the DEN-FLL route often, and F9 has definitely earned my business I think I will probably make Ascent next year, and I cant wait to see what that holds in store...
Thanks Frontier for a phenomenal experience!!!
N674UW
I just returned from a weekend visiting my parents in Florida on relatively short notice...F9 gave me the best fare and convenience from DEN-FLL so I decided to give them a shot...I was amazed...with F9 being a low-fare carrier, my expectations were low, and my knowledge of their service/amenities was limited mostly to the DirectTV on the A319's
Heres a short summary (please don't move to TR forum, this is not intended to be a TR, rather a commentary on F9):
F9 381 from DEN-FLL, 11/14
Check-in: Check-in staff were friendly and helpful...were able to accomodate my request for a window seat, got 1F!
Gate area: Just like every othergate area at DEN, spacious with ample seating...
Boarding process: Unlike many of the major carriers, the boarding process was very orderly, with people only coming when their row was called and the gate agents doing a good job of enforcing those who tried to sneak ahead...could've been a bit faster though...only boarded 2-3 rows at a time...being in row 1 I got a little antsy...Once onboard f/a and FO (may have been the Captain, I forgot) was there to greet people...on board the overheads above row 1 were filled, I had to go back to about row 6 or 7 to find space for my carry-on (not F9's fault)
Aircraft/Seats: A319 N908FR...very clean, modern interior...seats were the best Y seats Ive ever sat on in the US...very wide, I could actually see the green fabric on both sides of my legs (I have a normal-sized body) adjustable winged headrest, easy to see PTV...legroom more than sufficient for my 6' frame...recline was average though...
Crew: Overall very friendly and personable, also helpful to others throughout the flight
In-flight service: This is where F9 far exceeded my expections...I was expecting at most a bag of peanuts and a drink, instead the f/a's came around first with a beverage service (whole can), followed by a bag of Sun Chips, and then...a choice of either a Thai Chicken Roll or Greek Beef Roll...REAL FOOD! I was shocked...I chose the Thai Chicken, but alas, it had cheese on it, which meant I couldn't eat it as Im allergic to cheese, so I gave it to my seatmate in 1E who was a non-rev and thus was going to be served last...alas, when I was sleeping my neighbor in 1E told the f/a about my food issue and so when I got up to use the lav about 40 minutes later the f/a offered me a PB&J, which was a nice touch (I didnt take it cause, well frankly I dont like PB&J)
IFE: Having experienced DirecTV on jetBlue earlier in the year, I knew exactly what to expect here as the two systems are identical, except F9 still charges $5 for the service, which is extremely reasonable on a 3 hr. 20 minute flight...I am one who gets bored easily while flying and thus I think inflight DirecTV is the greatest thing since sliced bread, although my one main grudge (as with B6) was that the airshow map had too many ads and the stats (mph/alt) seemed to be too wobbly to be accurate...and speeds should be in knots on a plane, not mph (just my PPL side acting up there, sorry), and also the headphones (same as B6's again) are very awkward to use, and I had some trouble getting them to stay on...since it was single pronged I used my own headphones on the return...
Overall this was a fantastic flight, one that surely will not be forgotten, now onto the return...
F9 383, from FLL-DEN, 11/16
Check-in: Got to FLL about an hour before departure, and the F9 line was empty...asked for a window seat again, but was told that there were none available and all that was left was middles...or an aisle that didnt recline...I figured I'd take my chance with the middle...agents very friendly about the process again...
Gate area: This was my first time flying out of the B gates at FLL, and again, gate area was open and spacious with ample seating (I am used to PHL which on a good day has seating for maybe half the pax on any given flight), one thing that bugs me about FLL is the lack of good concessions though...I guess it has to do with the terminal layout there...
Boarding process: Well executed by the ground staff, and went by very efficiently...although I did notice in line that the gate agent taking boarding passes was going "Hi, how are you doing?" to everyone as they handed over their BP's, but when he came to me he didnt say anything except a muttered "Thanks"...not something Im going to lose sleep over, but it was a little vexing...again both the f/a and Captain were greeting passengers, and I made my way to 13B...there a miracle happened...a woman was already there and she said that she and her partner had 13A and C, and would I mind taking the aisle so they could sit together? Of course not!!!!!!!!! Thus I got out of my middle seat dilemma with no problem whatsoever.
Aircraft/Seats: A319 N923FR...apparently this aircraft was delivered to F9 just 8 days previously which made it literally brand-new...the newest aircraft Ive flown to date...in terms of non-bulkhead seats, pitch was comfortable, (what is the pitch on F9- I'm guessing 31"-32" or so?) and the rest of the seat features were the same as the bulkhead, except that the PTV adjusted to allow for recline of the seat in front...
Crew: This crew was amazing to say the least...constantly in the aisle asking if anyone needed anything, never pulling a disappearing act...very helpful as well...amazing!
In-flight service: Still amazing...first a beverage service (whole can), followed by a "light snack"...this was a wrapping of various items including the following: bag of Raisins, bag of Cheez-its, a Rice Krispie Treat, package of small salamis, and a small roll, reminiscent of a small bagel without the hole, and a packet of mustard (which was very hard to open without creating a minor mess), and a plastic knife...I was able to make a salami/mustard sandwich but the rest didnt appeal to me...was still amazed though that there was food, given the hour (t/o was about 9:30 PM)...after the snack was cleaned up, the f/a's came by and asked each person who was awake if they'd like another drink, and then all throughout the rest of the flight the f/a's patrolled the aisles equipped with water bottles and cups for those who so desired...superb!
IFE: Same as outbound, except for some reason only 16 channels were available...also I used my own set of headphones for this to remedy the issue previously mentioned...was able to watch the Cowboys get spanked by the Pats on ESPN, which also made me happy as I'm an Eagles fan...but thats another story...
One thing that puzzled me though was that on both flights, during the preflight announcement, the f/a's said something to this extent:
"Due to increased security regulations, only one person may be waiting in the forward galley to use the forward lavatory. If you wish to use this lav, please wait at the aisle by your seat"...both flights had that announcement, which I had never heard before...is this an F9 specific thing or another brilliant TSA mandate??? My last flight prior to this, on US in early October, had no such announcement...
Anyways, in summary, the return flight was actually better than the first, and I thought that was going to be hard to do...I had already signed up for EarlyReturns at a CU football game and won 7500 miles at a promotion there, so this flight put me over the 10,000 mile mark after only 2 segments...since I will probably be flying the DEN-FLL route often, and F9 has definitely earned my business I think I will probably make Ascent next year, and I cant wait to see what that holds in store...
Thanks Frontier for a phenomenal experience!!!
N674UW