I have never flown with Frontier and I am having some difficulties understanding some of the website. Is there a place on the website where you can find when they release the schedule. I am looking to fly Oct 20 - Nov 5. We are looking to fly out of Flint (FNT) and go to San Diego (SAN). The problem that I am seeing is that the last day I can find for that route is March 7. Is there a way to find out if that route is being discontinued? I hate to fly out of Metro (DTW), but will if I don't have a choice. My biggest concern though is trying to figure out when my dates will be available. Thanks for everyone's help!

Unfortunately, Frontier will be pulling out of Flint after March 7, 2012. DTW will still be available, however.

Frontier is currently accepting bookings thru September 9, 2012.

Welcome to FlyerTalk!

Unfortunately your detective work on the Frontier site is correct -- service to Flint is being discontinued in early March. Fiint's service on Frontier is out of the Milwaukee hub with regional jets. As the Milwaukee hub is being downsized and regional jets are being parked, Flint's service is ending.

The other complicating factor is that Frontier's schedule isn't quite available for fall purchase yet. Same goes for a few other airlines, including Southwest and AirTran. The "legacy" airlines like Delta, United and American usually put their schedule up for sale nearly a year in advance, but many of the newer airlines only have a window of 6-8 months.

Frontier still serves Detroit and Grand Rapids, and with flights to Denver you can get to San Diego with a single plane change there. Grand Rapids isn't so bad if you're more west, like Howell or Lansing, but it's a long treck if you're someplace like Port Huron or Mt Clemens.

Thank you for the responses. I knew that people on this board would be in the know and up to date I don't fly very much and this will be a first going to California. I really love flying out of Flint whenever I can, it is such a nice airport with easy access and not so overwhelming. It is close to the same distance for us to go to Flint or Metro (yes, we are in the Port Huron area).

Any idea when the release dates for fall will be? I see that Southwest will have the first leg of our flight released on 2/20, but could not find anything on Frontier's site. Both Frontier and Southwest seem to have very reasonable rates. Any preferences here?

Again, thanks!

Welcome to the Frontier Forum tamcase! Frontier doesn't seem to follow too much of a schedule for when they release extensions, but I imagine it will be pushed out sometime in the near future. They seem to follow a similar timeframe to Southwest.

Any reason that you are booking so far in advance? I seem to find the best deals around 2 months out or so.

Guess I am a bit too much of a planner. We are going on a cruise to Hawaii for our 25th anniversary. I get a bit nervous if I don't have everything lined up and ready to go. I know that it isn't a heavy season, we leave Oct 20 and return Nov 4. We are flexible with dates if we need to stay either before or after our cruise to help offset any higher airline costs.

I always thought that the earlier you book, the better, that is not necessarily the case?

Wikipedia is always a good place to go to find new routes and terminating routes from different airports. It looks like F9's only service out of FNT is discontinuing March 8.

Wikipedia Link: Wikipedia's FNT Page

Not necessarily. Every airline does things differently. Unless there is an introductory fare though airlines will usually price out far in advance an average fare for what they think the route is worth. As it gets closer in, they will usually adjust the price for demand and have sales if they want to fill more seats. They will also make adjustments based on the competitions' fares. Once you get more than 3 weeks away then fares start to rachet up as the plane fills and you pay for the convenience of the short notice. Fares will also get higher sooner for high travel periods and holidays. I find usually the best prices are 2-3 months out depending on when you plan to fly. Since like you said its not a busy flying period when you are going you should be able to get some decent fares.

Congrats on your 25th! Sounds you have planned a fun and exciting way to celebrate.

Thank you to everyone for all of your replies and knowledge. I really appreciate it. It will be difficult to walk away and stop looking for now, but that is what I am going to do. I will mark my calendar and check flights 2-3 months from our trip. I am really excited about this trip if you can't tell!

There is no exact timetable as to when the schedule will be released. However, based on my experiences a good rule of thumb has been seven months in advance. Nothing is set in stone. Welcome to FT.

There is a site that might help you watch the airfares as they go up and down, so you don't have to fret about it; this should all be a fun experience (even the planning) in celebrating a very special occasion.

http://www.yapta.com/how/

I agree with the others that you have lots of time to book flights. As a matter of fact, survey results released the other day found that the best fares (except for holiday travel) are available about six weeks, prior to travel.

If you travel on Frontier from DTW via DEN, you might consider booking Classic Plus, which includes two free checked bags per person, free drinks, STRETCH seating (extra legroom), free DirecTV (on Airbus), and other perks; it is also fully refundable, so, if the fare goes down in cost, you can re-book and get a full refund on the higher fare.

http://www.frontierairlines.com/plan-book/fare-options

If you travel on Southwest and the fare goes down, after booking, they will give you a credit for the fare difference, which must be used, within one year, for future travel. If you don't use it, you lose it, and it's only good for the person named on the reservation.

Please let us know how everything works out.

I also want to welcome you to FlyerTalk and the Frontier forum and hope you have a wonderful time on your special trip.

I'd maybe start 6 months out and just watch it for a while to see how it is trending and you can take a peak at the seat maps and see if the flights are starting to fill up at all. I can understand the excitement though, congratulations!

Here is something that was posted today by Clark Howard about air fares:

http://www.clarkhoward.com/news/clar...-reveal/nHK2S/