Frontier Airlines EarlyReturns - Expert Flyer & F9 award availability

I don't have much use for F9's service territory with my normal work related travel so I'm not familiar with their award availability. I've got plenty of points that I can move around & a wedding to attend in Fargo - which makes F9 an option. I've searched around this forum a bit to get a general feel of award availability & signed up for the free 5 day trial with Expert Flyer today to check out availability.

I've never used expert flyer before today & my general question is....is the information on expert flyer consistent with what regular F9 travelers see with F9's award search engine?? I don't really want to transfer a bunch of points to F9 just to check it out.

Thanks in advance for any input.

In my experience, actual award availability is usually better than is indicated on various public availability sites. So, if Expert Flyer is showing availability you can most likely get an award seat.

In my experience, actual award availability is usually better than is indicated on various public availability sites. So, if Expert Flyer is showing availability you can most likely get an award seat.

Happy Trails! If the above mentioned site say seats are available on that site ok! but try using that info to F9 to play. It is a lottery at best with F9.
Look they have reduced seats for pay and have reduced seat for awards. I for one hope how F9 makes it, I watched the FA's last week turn on the TV's with the "Air Fare" deal? Nobody had a clue! including the FA's. but the added revenue will help. I have over 60,00 miles and counting and hope to get something sometime somewhere........................my last deal got canceled?

I've found EF's availability to track quite well with what F9 shows... in fact I've used their Award Notification feature several times to set alerts for F9 awards which were not currently available, then jump on them when additional seats opened. Scored several low-mileage awards to Mexico on the exact dates which I desired, using this method.

I'm not sure if the new AirFares have been around long enough to make a difference in the bottom line, but F9 just announced a record profit for the month of December, so it looks like they're doing something right:

------------
News Release Issued: January 28, 2009 1:51 PM EST

Frontier Ends 2008 With Strong Financial Performance

Company Reports Record Profit for the Month of December and the first December Quarterly Profit in Five Years

DENVER, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Frontier Airlines Holdings, Inc.
today filed its Monthly Operating Report for December 2008. Frontier reported a consolidated operating profit of $18.9 million and a net profit of $18.7 million for the month. Excluding special items, the Company reported an operating profit of $18.3 million and a net profit of $17.0 million. The Company, excluding special items, reported an operating margin of 16.8 percent and a total net margin of 15.5 percent for the month.

For future reference....

to check on F9 award availability, you don't even need to subscribe to Expert Flyer. You can just go to SeatCounter and look for "S" class availability.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frontier-airlines-earlyreturns/851025-fare-buckets.html

I've posted the seatcounter info below - the 'S' fare is wide open so I assume that award seats are plentiful.

I've got points accumulated with partners to cover 4 tix - 4 savers @ 20k each.

I'm hoping that somebody has enough points in their F9 account to do a quick gut check and see if 4 saver tixs are available via the F9 site prior to me initiating the transfer. Should be a good data point to verify seatcounters information & the availability of saver awards vs the "choice +" awards!




Booking Class (by class)
___________________________________________B D E G H L M Q R S T U V W Y Z

depart 6/11/09
1 Frontier 3374 DASH 8-400 DEN/07:10p FAR/10:14p 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 0


return 6/22/09
2 Frontier 3375 DASH 8-400 FAR/06:25a DEN/07:40a 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 0

Thanks in advance.....

I'm hoping that somebody has enough points in their F9 account to do a quick gut check and see if 4 saver tixs are available via the F9 site prior to me initiating the transfer. Should be a good data point to verify seatcounters information & the availability of saver awards vs the "choice +" awards!

From what you posted, that flight looks extremely wide open. I don't have enough miles left to check for you - I burned most of mine prior to last fall's 15K-->20K devaluation - but I have found the folks in the call center to be fairly helpful, and I suspect if you called them up and told them your exact set of facts, you would get a straight answer. 1-866-263-2759

Incidentally, the choice+ awards (requiring double miles) are, as far as I know, last-seat-available awards (I highly doubt anyone would consider burning that many miles for them otherwise). Also, they are only bookable by Ascent and Summit members, so the general public doesn't have the "opportunity" to use double miles for an award on Frontier.

From what you posted, that flight looks extremely wide open. I don't have enough miles left to check for you - I burned most of mine prior to last fall's 15K-->20K devaluation - but I have found the folks in the call center to be fairly helpful, and I suspect if you called them up and told them your exact set of facts, you would get a straight answer. 1-866-263-2759

Incidentally, the choice+ awards (requiring double miles) are, as far as I know, last-seat-available awards (I highly doubt anyone would consider burning that many miles for them otherwise). Also, they are only bookable by Ascent and Summit members, so the general public doesn't have the "opportunity" to use double miles for an award on Frontier.


FWIW - I've been tracking availability via seat counter for the summer trip. It shows ZERO award availability for the return leg. I called the call center and asked about that particular flight and they tell me that it has multiple award seats available. My expert flyer trial has expired long ago so I can't speak to the information it shows now but I can say that the information found on seatcounter is INCORRECT.

FWIW - I've been tracking availability via seat counter for the summer trip. It shows ZERO award availability for the return leg. I called the call center and asked about that particular flight and they tell me that it has multiple award seats available. My expert flyer trial has expired long ago so I can't speak to the information it shows now but I can say that the information found on seatcounter is INCORRECT.

Very interesting, I guess I won't be paying as much attention to SeatCounter in the future. At least the call center is able to help out in this situation.

Use your miles ASAP before they make the 20K award ticket to 25K. That is the only thing that differentiates them from other carriers.

Use your miles ASAP before they make the 20K award ticket to 25K. That is the only thing that differentiates them from other carriers.

That is why I don't think they will be raising it anytime soon.

That is why I don't think they will be raising it anytime soon.

I agree - they just upped it from 15K to 20K less than a year ago. I think Frontier recognizes that their limited service area makes their miles a little less valuable than the majors and would not match their reward points structure exactly.

FWIW - I've been tracking availability via seat counter for the summer trip. It shows ZERO award availability for the return leg. I called the call center and asked about that particular flight and they tell me that it has multiple award seats available. My expert flyer trial has expired long ago so I can't speak to the information it shows now but I can say that the information found on seatcounter is INCORRECT.

Maybe a temporary glitch in seatcounter? It is showing award availability now.

Maybe a temporary glitch in seatcounter? It is showing award availability now.

I should have clarified the dates.... The return that I posted early on, asking for help, still shows availability. My latest post still holds true - when one utilizes seat counter for a Sunday afternoon FAR-DEN trip, it shows zero availability for the afternoon flight. Again, the call center says there are award seats available for that flight.

I'm not sure how/where Seatcounter gets its information, but I can definitively say that it is not correct (for this itinerary anyway).

return 6/22/09

My latest post still holds true - when one utilizes seat counter for a Sunday afternoon FAR-DEN trip, it shows zero availability for the afternoon flight. Again, the call center says there are award seats available for that flight.But 22 Jun is Mon, not Sun.

[KVS Availability Tool 3.4.0/Platinum - Apollo: ITN/US-ARL] (http://www.KVSTool.com/?R)
FAR Fargo Hector ND US
DEN Denver Int'l CO US [KDEN]
SUN 21 Jun 2009

Carrier Flight From Depart To Arrive A/C St Availability
--------- ------ ---- --------- ---- --------- ---- ---- -----------------------------------------------
F9/L4 3375 FAR 06:25 DEN 07:40 DH4 0 R9 D9 Z9 W9 Y9 B9 M9 H9 Q9 V9 S9 L9 T9 G9 U9 E9
F9/L4 3377 FAR 15:04 DEN 16:20 DH4 0 R9 D9 Z9 W9 Y9 B9 M9 H9 Q9 V9 S0 L9 T9 G9 U9 E9


[KVS Availability Tool 3.4.0/Platinum - Apollo: ITN/US-ARL] (http://www.KVSTool.com/?R)
FAR Fargo Hector ND US
DEN Denver Int'l CO US [KDEN]
MON 22 Jun 2009

Carrier Flight From Depart To Arrive A/C St Availability
--------- ------ ---- --------- ---- --------- ---- ---- -----------------------------------------------
F9/L4 3375 FAR 06:25 DEN 07:40 DH4 0 R9 D9 Z9 W9 Y9 B9 M9 H9 Q9 V9 S9 L9 T9 G9 U9 E9
F9/L4 3377 FAR 15:04 DEN 16:20 DH4 0 R9 D9 Z9 W9 Y9 B9 M9 H9 Q9 V9 S0 L9 T9 G9 U9 E9

I've absolutely murdered my attempt to make some sense - I apologize for the confusion on dates.....

Nonetheless, my point remains - the award availability via the KVS or seatcounter tools show ZERO available (S=0) for Sunday (6/21) or Monday (6/22) - the call center says award seats are available for Sunday 6/21 on the afternoon flight (I didn't ask about Monday).

Nonetheless, my point remains - the award availability via the KVS or seatcounter tools show ZERO available (S=0) for Sunday (6/21) or Monday (6/22) - the call center says award seats are available for Sunday 6/21 on the afternoon flight (I didn't ask about Monday).

Hmm, that is odd. I wonder if it's ever the other way around (shows availability but there isn't any)...