Miles needed for award = A - 15,000 miles for capacity controlled domestic award; 30,000 for any domestic seat available (Ascent/Summit); limited blackout dates.

Award availability = A - I've redeemed 4 flights over the last couple of years including Las Vegas twice.

Planes = A - Most planes are very clean; seat-back DirecTV (free to Ascent/Summit); comfortable seats.

Customer Service = A - Reps at the ER number are extremely friendly and helpful; ground crew and flight crews are extremely friendly, thanking you by name in most cases when enabling the DirecTV. I've only ever run into one unfriendly flight attendant, which is very impressive for the number of flights I've flown with them. I flew SAT-ABQ-SAT (via DEN) during last year's major snow storms in Denver. I walked up to the ticket counter ABQ for my return trip in hopes that my flight hadn't been cancelled and they had already booked me on another airline because my flight from DEN-SAT was being cancelled! They are the only airline I've seen do this for weather delays. I smiled as I walked through the hordes angry people that Southwest had stranded in ABQ. (ABQ got shutdown due to weather shortly after I departed and WN had done some pre-cancellations, much like F9 did for my flight.)

Routes = B - Connecting through Denver isn't always convenient; flight times sometimes necessitate long connection times in Denver.

Marketing = C - Their marketing team is awesome... in Denver. Their TV ads (which I've only seen on youtube) are well done. There is quite literally zero marketing in the three cities I've lived in. The only way I knew they started service to San Antonio a couple of years back is because I frequent FT and A.net. Specials to/from Denver are excellent. Sales/promotions not involving Denver are few and far between, though generally very good as well.

Overall = B+ - The people and the program are leaps and bounds better than any other airline for my needs. I get priority seating assignments and boarding, am greeted by friendly people and get extra miles with my status, among other perks. Flights are generally on time and planes are comfy and clean. Frontier is definitely a niche airline, but I tend to use them for my travel needs whenever practical, even if it means paying a little more or going out of my way (via DEN). The benefits usually outweigh the downside for me.