May 2, 2013, 11:30 am
Last edit by: AlohaDaveKennedy
Frontier has announced upcoming charge changes:
. . . ● Flyers who purchase Basic fares from third party suppliers will pay $25 for carry-on baggage and up to $100 at the gate. (Items fitting under the seat in front of you do not count.)
. . . ● Checked first bag fee will increase to $25 for many.
. . . ● Beverages for some (e.g. Basic buyers) will cost $1.99.
See fare options and perquisites here
. . . ● Flyers who purchase Basic fares from third party suppliers will pay $25 for carry-on baggage and up to $100 at the gate. (Items fitting under the seat in front of you do not count.)
. . . ● Checked first bag fee will increase to $25 for many.
. . . ● Beverages for some (e.g. Basic buyers) will cost $1.99.
See fare options and perquisites here
Frontier to charge for carry on luggage
May 2, 2013, 6:21 pm
#46
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: new zealand
Posts: 530
Much the same thing happened when Frontier first changed the rules with third party bookings. Outrage was voiced - but with no (or very little) loss of bookings.
The travelling public - especially those looking for cheap fares - is usually much more savvy about the whole thing. They will read the fine print, if only to try and find ways to try and game the system.
Much the same happens at Spirit. As a general rule low fares = high complaints:
http://www.examiner.com/article/spir...ger-complaints
"Spirit Airlines: low air fares and high passenger complaints"
I have no doubt there will be some irate exchanges, but in the end the $39 fare will trump. It may also have the least effect at, say, TTN, where 80% of the bookings already happen through the Frontier website.
Last edited by davywavy; May 2, 2013 at 6:25 pm Reason: Added last sentence
May 2, 2013, 6:50 pm
#47
Join Date: Mar 2006
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Posts: 373
I've never flown Frontier before, but I have a Flight this June that I used some of my Citi TY points. Looks like the changes for carry on start after my flight, but I can see why no one would want to use TY points afterward for their flights since there will be alot more fees. Does anyone know if you can use a Frontier Gift Card to make food/drink purchases on the plane? Is there ever a way to upgrade to a Classic ticket to avoid baggage fees?
May 2, 2013, 8:41 pm
#48
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Desperation. UA drove Frontier out of the of Colorado, and WN and UA will drive Frontier out of DEN.
May 2, 2013, 11:01 pm
#50
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: somewhere
Posts: 1,381
Facebook Frontier
Frontier Airlines
Our New Fees Explained
In response to posts by our followers, we’d like to offer some clarification on our new fees announced yesterday.
Carry-on fees. These fees only apply for Basic tickets purchased through third parties. Book through FlyFrontier.com or our reservations line and you will not be charged a fee. Most of our customers book directly with us and will therefore not incur any charges for carry-ons. Since we must pay distribution fees on tickets sold by third party sites, we are able to provide direct bookings with lower fees, advanced seat assignments, more miles, low fare guarantee and now free carry-on bags. If you do book a Basic ticket through a third party, check-in at FlyFrontier.com to pay the lowest carry-on fees, and note that it will be cheaper to check a bag for only $20 than to bring it as a carry-on.
It is also important to know that customers who have already purchased tickets, regardless of where they booked, will not be charged a carry-on fee. Once we announce an implementation date, only Basic tickets purchased from 3rd party sites after that date will be affected. Yesterday’s announcement was given in advance to be transparent that fees will be coming in the future only for tickets booked after the date that will be announced.
Beverage charges. Passengers who book our lowest fare Basic and Economy fare options, will be charged $1.99 for beverages beginning July 1st. For passengers who prefer to not worry about additional fees at the airport, we do offer our best value Classic fare option. Classic fares are usually just $20 to $30 more than Economy and offer up to 2 free checked bags, a free carry-on, free non-alcoholic beverages, free same day standby, EarlyReturns mileage accumulation of 125% of miles flown, plus more. Our Classic fare option is available at FlyForntier.com and also through some third parties.
Our New Fees Explained
In response to posts by our followers, we’d like to offer some clarification on our new fees announced yesterday.
Carry-on fees. These fees only apply for Basic tickets purchased through third parties. Book through FlyFrontier.com or our reservations line and you will not be charged a fee. Most of our customers book directly with us and will therefore not incur any charges for carry-ons. Since we must pay distribution fees on tickets sold by third party sites, we are able to provide direct bookings with lower fees, advanced seat assignments, more miles, low fare guarantee and now free carry-on bags. If you do book a Basic ticket through a third party, check-in at FlyFrontier.com to pay the lowest carry-on fees, and note that it will be cheaper to check a bag for only $20 than to bring it as a carry-on.
It is also important to know that customers who have already purchased tickets, regardless of where they booked, will not be charged a carry-on fee. Once we announce an implementation date, only Basic tickets purchased from 3rd party sites after that date will be affected. Yesterday’s announcement was given in advance to be transparent that fees will be coming in the future only for tickets booked after the date that will be announced.
Beverage charges. Passengers who book our lowest fare Basic and Economy fare options, will be charged $1.99 for beverages beginning July 1st. For passengers who prefer to not worry about additional fees at the airport, we do offer our best value Classic fare option. Classic fares are usually just $20 to $30 more than Economy and offer up to 2 free checked bags, a free carry-on, free non-alcoholic beverages, free same day standby, EarlyReturns mileage accumulation of 125% of miles flown, plus more. Our Classic fare option is available at FlyForntier.com and also through some third parties.
May 3, 2013, 7:02 am
#51
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: TK*G (E+), IHG Plat Ambassador
Posts: 7,884
[quote: http://media.flyfrontier.com/article...view_id=1281&]
Frontier Enhances Services
[unquote]
OMG, what their Marketing and PR folks smoke
Frontier Enhances Services
[unquote]
OMG, what their Marketing and PR folks smoke
May 3, 2013, 11:29 am
#52
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: America's Dairyland
Programs: Midwest Miles, Early Returns
Posts: 156
Bad publicity! Driving around today I heard a DJ on the radio say between songs, "Frontier Airlines has announced they will start charging $100 for a carry-on!" No mention of fare classes or where purchased.
May 3, 2013, 2:26 pm
#54
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I've been seeing it all over the news as well. Whether or not the report tries to explain the difference between a Basic and Economy fare, it comes off as Frontier is charging $100 for carry-ons.
May 3, 2013, 5:11 pm
#55
Join Date: May 2004
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Posts: 1,190
I have to say that Classic fares almost pay for themselves if you are checking a suitcase. For most fares the difference is $20-35 and it includes FREE DirecTV 2 checked bags, select seating, NO change fee, and now free soda.
I'm pretty sure Ryan Air doesn't offer anything like that. Plus if you book at flyfrontier.com there is no carry-on fee
I'm pretty sure Ryan Air doesn't offer anything like that. Plus if you book at flyfrontier.com there is no carry-on fee
May 3, 2013, 5:23 pm
#56
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Denver, CO, USA
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I have to say that Classic fares almost pay for themselves if you are checking a suitcase. For most fares the difference is $20-35 and it includes FREE DirecTV 2 checked bags, select seating, NO change fee, and now free soda.
I'm pretty sure Ryan Air doesn't offer anything like that. Plus if you book at flyfrontier.com there is no carry-on fee
I'm pretty sure Ryan Air doesn't offer anything like that. Plus if you book at flyfrontier.com there is no carry-on fee
Except Thursdays between 2 and 5, in odd-numbered months with even-numbered days.
May 3, 2013, 6:36 pm
#57
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: new zealand
Posts: 530
The whole point of this is to drive pax to the website, which saves the passenger money and saves the airline money.
Frontier has already dropped Expedia - maybe the rest aren't far behind.
May 3, 2013, 7:29 pm
#58
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Central New Jersey
Posts: 1,213
It appears that as of April 1, Classic/Classic Plus no longer include DIRECTV.
May 3, 2013, 7:34 pm
#59
Join Date: May 2004
Location: HYI/AUS/SAT originally TTN/EWR/PHL
Programs: Southwest Rapid Rewards, Jetblue TrueBlue, American Advantage
Posts: 1,190
May 3, 2013, 7:43 pm
#60
Join Date: Oct 2010
Programs: My opinions are my own and not that of my employer(s)
Posts: 1,411
However, Frontier is a leisure airline first. They will never be able to compete with the legacies (including WN) on service and frequency, so they compete on price. In order to give travelers the lowest possible price, they need to earn revenue through other channels.
What if the legacies decide to match fare price which they always seem to do?
I predict either this will change or Frontier will cease flying by November.