Hey never flown on Frontier before, don't know much about them, but am considering it for a flight and was wondering what I should expect. Are they a LCC in the vein of WN or B6 (who I would fly on) or Spirit and Allegiant (who I would not)? How is their service and their planes? How much nickle and diming is there? The airfares for the trip I'm looking at are about $150 cheaper round trip than the legacy carriers, and I'm wondering what I'd be giving up flying Frontier.

Right now, Frontier in the midst of a transformation to ULCC but they haven't gotten their fully. Pitch is 30"-31" which is on the low side but not horrible. Spirit offers 28". They offer LiveTV for a fee between $3.99 and $7.99 depending on the length of the flight. They do charge $1.99 for soda but I believe water (a cup of spring water I believe) is FREE. They do offer 20oz bottled water for $1.99 as well. For $15-$35 again depending on flight length you can get an upgrade to Stretch Seating with 6-8" of more legroom (exit row is 38", all other stretch is 36"). Will you think your on B6, no but its a decent airline. Soon it may become like Spirit but it hasn't gotten their yet. Planes are the Airbus A319 and A320. I think they currently also have an A318 filling in for a damaged A319 but that won't last long.

Jerseyguy summed it up pretty well. I would just add that depending on your route, there will probably be fewer options/alternatives available if something goes wrong. Many of F9's routes are once daily or even 2-3 times weekly. That is the main thing you're giving up, IMO. Of course, if you're flying out of/into DEN, this might be less of an issue.

However, also depending on your route, F9 might actually be a better option. I'd certainly choose it over a legacy that operates with a regional carrier because of the overhead bin space, the increased seat width, and the ability to watch live TV (even if you choose not to pay, you can watch for free on the tarmac and for the first 15-20 minutes in the air). Also, call me silly, but I actually like the idea of charging for soda, because if I am thirsty, I appreciate that I get the full can, but if I'm not, then I don't have to worry about paying attention to the FA coming down the aisle.

Keep in mind that Frontier used to be classified as a "major" airline, unlike Spirit and Allegiant which were built as penny-pinching soulless companies from the beginning. So it'll definitely feel more like WN or B6 than Spirit/Allegiant. Like Jerseyguy said, though, this is all subject to change in the coming months. For now, it's a decent airline.

I was definitely not prepared for Frontier. I ended up booking Frontier because they had a 1-stop (no plane change) itinerary from CVG-SEA and I wasn't willing to pay $700 for a OW Y ticket to Delta for their non-stop. I was expecting something more similar to the B6 experience but got something more like Spirit or Allegiant. Several things that stood out to me:

- Those that don't choose seats in advance (via a flyfrontier.com booking or paying for stretch seating) don't get seats until they get to the gate instead of getting them at checkin, if all that remains is stretch seating. This results in the gate agent doing things that the FAs later have to fix - like separating 8 year olds from their parents and the like. I don't blame the gate agent but it's something that could easily be noticed by a check in agent and fixed on the spot. This jockeying led to the FA getting into an argument with me in an attempt to convince me to move back to an exit row after I had paid to be in row 2... and also led to our flight being late.

- Charging for drinks sucks. It just makes me feel angry and bitter at them as a passenger. I didn't know the water was "free" (and they didn't mention it) - I only saw the $1.99 bottle of water in the services pamphlet. I flat out refused to be a party to that and didn't buy any beverages.

- Baggage service at SEA was slow (about 40 minutes after getting to the gate did luggage start going down the carousel), but I am used to AS's 20 minute guarantee so perhaps that's just me having higher expectations around baggage handling.

I can't imagine what will happen once they start charging $100 for a carry-on at the gate. The vast majority of people on the two flights I flew were clearly once-a-year or less fliers and I could easily see those folks making a scene at the gate. Most people know what they are getting into with Spirit and Allegiant but I think it will take some time for Frontier to build a similar reputation.

For my part I will avoid flying Frontier in the future unless I'm stuck in the same situation I was in, where one of the legacies want a ton of money and Frontier's significantly cheaper.

Correction: 3rd party bookers can also choose a select seat in the front of the plane for $5-10 vs the $20-40 for stretch seating which gets you 36-38" legroom.

According to you Frontier was "significantly cheaper". I'm sure that Frontier was still "significantly cheaper" after the $2 charge for a soda.


Just another correction: Only third-party passengers get charged for a carry-on.

That wasn't how it worked for me. I booked through Priceline for the FW cashback and ended up not being able to select any seat, despite seats showing up if I started a booking through Frontier's website. The phone agent told me I wasn't eligible either... so I just took them at their word given that I knew they were a LCC and charging for certain things. Good to know that it isn't the case.

I understand what you're saying but that doesn't change how I personally felt. Their price was lower than DL's but it was actually more expensive than what AA and UA were offering via ORD. I chose F9 for the one-aircraft itinerary and was curious to see the product. I saw the product and won't be flying them anymore... it's not a good match for me.

Good to know.

I guess this is the weird psychology about airlines (and passengers) that I just don't get. You can get a cheaper fare, with a more desirable routing, on an aircraft that is objectively nice (relatively new, personal DirecTV screen, free headphones)... but the minute they try to take away some menial thing that you take for granted on other airlines, that makes the whole experience completely unbearable.

Have you never gone three hours without drinking something before? Heck, I've been on 10-12+ hour trips where I don't get a free drink (Amtrak, Greyhound). I also find it ludicrous to complain that the luggage took 40 minutes from gate-to-carousel. I've never actually timed it but I'm pretty sure I've waited longer than that for every major airline at some airport or another.

And by the way, every other airline faces situations where late-booking/third-party-booking passengers do not get a seat assignment at check-in. This is not at all unique to Frontier.

If you said that Frontier got to your destination 5 hours late, or they lost your luggage, or your flight was canceled and they had no other aircraft available, or there were 15 crying babies on your plane, or the seats were so cramped you could barely move, then in my book, that is an absolutely perfect reason to have negative thoughts about an airline. These are the horror stories I associate with Allegiant and Spirit. The fact that a flight attendant went beyond her responsibilities to try to ensure families were seated together, while still keeping everything on time (based on your lack of complaints about delays), does not fall into that category.

I'm sorry, but if I had to choose between the time my 2-hour Delta flight was delayed 14 hours, the time Southwest lost my luggage when I had an important meeting the next day, the time my United pilot just never showed up, or the time I had to go a couple hours without a tiny free plastic cup of Coca-Cola, I think the latter would rank pretty darn low on the list of things "I was definitely not prepared for."

Your complaints are simply about your lack of being able to feel entitled. And this is why Delta can charge $700 for a one-way ticket. I'll never understand.

In your next post you said you booked Priceline and - just as a friendly heads-up - Priceline has announced that they are offering a free carry on bag on Frontier tickets.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...218553891.html

"Priceline.com Offers Frontier Airline Tickets Including Free Carry-On Bags"

It may not persuade you to fly Frontier again, of course, but you do seem to want it both ways - a low fare AND all the goodies. :-)

I understand what you're saying here, but I have different feelings about it than you. Personally, I would rather pay a $2 higher fare than pay $2 more for a can of pop. I hate the nickel and dime-ing, but I also understand how some people would rather pay less and not pay for services that they will not use.

I only fly Frontier because lately they have been significantly cheaper than anybody else to Denver.

In general, Frontier is second-cheapest. Spirit is rock-bottom. (In many ways.) But if Spirit doesn't fly to your airport, F9 would be cheapest.

Well they do bundle them in the form of a "classic" ticket. Classic tickets are $25-35 more each way

Here's what they include
Classic
Advance Seat Assignment*: SELECT Seating
1st Checked Bag
� Included

Carry-On Bag: Included
Same Day Standby: Included
Changes:
� $25 - Same Day Confirmed Alternate Flight
� $25 + fare difference - Itinerary Change Fee prior to day of travel (Usually $75)
� $0 + fare difference - Name Change Fee (Usually $50)
Onboard Beverages: Unlimited Standard Non-Alcoholic Beverage Included
STRETCH Seating**: From $5/segment (Usually from $15/segment)
SELECT Seating*: Included (Usually $5)
EarlyReturns� Credit & Elite Qualification Miles: 125% (usually 100%)

Thanks Jerseyguy. I guess I typically just go right for the cheapest fare without even looking at what the more expensive fares offer.

This seems like a smart move on Priceline's part. It keeps their customers happy fairly cheaply. Especially since the Economy tickets aren't usually much more expensive than the Basic tickets. In some cases I think it is only a penny. Just enough that a third party that only offers the cheapest tickets will only show Basic.