Originally Posted by FCfree

More annoying nickel-and-dime fees (well, $25 and $75, actually).

I've got one free ticket that I will hopefully use with Frontier. Wife and daughter, together have one. However, to merge the wife and daughter's miles together is $50, then a $25 booking fee. If each of the 3 of us take two bags each way, those two "free" tickets will cost $315 as follows:

Bag fees: $15 for first, $25 for second = $40 x 3 people x both ways = $240
Merging and booking fee: $75.

$240 + $75 = $315.

That is an average of more than $150 per ticket. There are times when the cost at Southwest is only $89 each way, or $178. Even with a good redemption, the cost might be about $300. Thus, Frontier is really only giving about 1/2 of a free ticket. Sure, you might find a situation where you are getting a little bit more. But, "free" really doesn't exist any more.

Its a total rip off.

Over at Southwest, 16 segments get you a free ticket. If you are flying short flights, say 629 miles (DEN-LAS), you only fly 16 x 629 = 10,064 miles for a free ticket, 5,000 fewer miles than Frontier. That can even be reduced more with car bookings. If you get 1.5 segments per car booking and book one car per round trip, then each round trip is worth 3.5 segments and it takes just over 4 round trips (4.6 x 2 x 629 miles = 5,787 miles) to get a free ticket.

Those Southwest free tickets are only good for one year unless you pay a $50 fee. And, of course, Southwest doesn't have the "merge" feature for $50.

But, within that one year, those tickets are fully changable for no charge, and there are no bag fees. They even give several free drinks that can be used either on the award trip or any other trip, or both.

Further, they give you two one-ways per award instead of one round trip. This can sometimes be handy. Frontier will charge you 10,000 miles for a one-way. No extra charge for two completely separate one-ways at Southwest.

I have had really good luck redeeming my Southwest awards. Not perfect, but really good. I couldn't get free tickets near Christmas with Southwest when I could with United, so I burned some United miles. Subsequently, Southwest's prices went down. If I would have paid cash at Southwest, I would have got that money back (in the form of ticketless travel funds). However, again because of those stupid change fees, I'm locked in to burning United miles, now at a reduced value compared to the original booking price.

Give me Southwest, no change fees and no baggage fees any day. I still am not completely sure I will be able to use the miles I've earned at Frontier in a cost effective way.