JaggedMind

http://www.krdo.com/Global/story.asp?S=8122002 Starts May 1st.

No details yet on whether or not Ascent or Summit gets a free snack.

I have to wonder if "no cash" at a $3 price point will work without too many complaints from the infrequent fliers. I might be a good opportunity to let the crew know that you will accept the cash and charge it to your credit card.

GreatChecko

I can't remember where I read it, but I believe the goal of this program is to make it cost-neutral. The following article has a review of the snacks.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/travel/2008/04/04/frontier-will-soon-start-charging-for-food/

It looks like some of the choices are going to be a bit healthier than the normal airline snack and probably a bit more filling too. At $3 they will be cheaper than pretty much any "snack" one can buy in the airport giftshop and are well within the impulse buy realm as well.

Probably a smart move for Frontier.

zdave

So it's still just snacks only? They look decent though and the cutbacks had already begun a few months back--no more donuts, muffins, or breadsticks on the flights from the east coast. I had hopes that there might be regular meals available. At $3 that's definitely cheaper than you can get at the airport.

DenverF9Flier

Meh... I don't really care, the Sun Chips / Doritos choice has gotten pretty old at this point. I wish they would go the JetBlue route and offer unlimited numbers of many different _substantial_ good snacks... I'd be happy if they raised fares by $5.00 across the board to pay for it.

GreatChecko

The unfortunate problem there is that if they attempted to raise fares by $5 to support the better amenities, the majority of people would go and fly UA or whomever was cheaper on the route. People don't look at the extras, just the fare. Yes, they'll be pissed when they are charged $25 for their second checked bag and for using the skycap, but they are sure proud of themselves when they got that super cheapo fare. This is why we are seeing these types of practices sprouting up.

For people that fly often, its an annoyance, but frequent fliers also don't want to subsidize the lower fares anymore than the vacation fliers want to pay higher fares.

loboclone

Let's see, $3 for a snack and $5.00 for drink on F9 ? ABQ-SEA RT $260.50 on WN and F9 wanted $439.91 RT with plane change in DEN. Wn is direct flight.............Pass the free peanuts, Please........

I like to fly F9, I am flying them in 2 weeks and 4 weeks from now, but come on $3.00 for a snack. I wish you DEN FF well and hope F9 makes it big with their Q400's but really ? $3.00 for snack?

GreatChecko

I hate to say it, but its all about price. The above is a poor example, but you yourself have said on other threads that you'd fly WN just because its cheaper, even though F9 has better service. This is why they are charging a measly $3 for a snack. We all say that we want better service, but we aren't willing to pay for it.

F9 is an airline that truly strives to give their customers a better experience. Of course, they aren't perfect in that sense and they do fail, but its something that it seems everyone seems to mention when they post a comment about them. It's too bad people aren't willing to pay for that service, simply because WN undercuts them by a few bucks.

If you won't fly F9 from ABQ because of the fly some scary turboprop, mainline and Republic return to the route on the 16th. Maybe supporting F9 might keep those around and you won't have to fly on a Q400.

Checko

loboclone

Exactly, F9 lost business due to pulling mainline from ABQ. And yes price is an issue vs equipment. As for service the F9 vs. Wn, WN wins hands down. Example is the ATA code share mess, WN stepped up as usual. As for the Q400 it is here to stay. I flew to SUX recently and again in 2 weeks. Price is always the issue so I fly the turboprop, not my choice but do. It is cheaper than flying to OMA and driving.
As for WN undercutting, thats the market and they can. $39 to DEN vs a Q400 for $49 is not even a discussion point. It has to had its effects or F9 wouldn't be putting A318's back in ABQ market. The folks @ SUX love the F9 service, underutilized airport with connections in DEN. Maybe F9 is on target with this and means future profits instead of red ink. Time will tell.

GreatChecko

Well at least you are willing to say its all about price for you. Just don't complain too much when you have to ride regional equiptment or have to pay for snacks, you do get what you pay for.

I'd actually cite the fact there are only 10 Q400s and 7 new destinations for them as the reason for the jets going back to ABQ. ABQ is a healthy market for F9, thus they and TUL, OKC, and ELP get to see Republic and mainline again.

As for the Q400's, they are here to stay. When you have a fuel burn that is up to half of an Airbus and a slightly longer flight time, its tough to make a business case against it, especially since people just buy tickets because of a lower price.