How does Frontier compare?
 

Cleveland based guy here -- don't worry, not about to rant about the United de-hubbing. I never liked them and their sky high pricing.

Since Frontier has added quite a bit of service to Cleveland Hopkins, I figure I should support them where I can. Currently flying mostly with Delta & Southwest, but Southwest has minimized Cleveland travel and is flying moreso out of Akron-Canton, which is 30 minutes further. Not awful, but unwanted driving.

So how does Frontier compare to Delta and the other carriers? Southwest I hate flying with, but their free baggage and easy flight changes are nice.

I do most of my domestic traveling to Illinois, Texas and New York. Occasionally Florida. Most frequently I fly to London, but I'm aware that Frontier doesn't do international.

I was looking at CLE-FLL fares are just as high as UA for the dates I selected this summer. Not even sure what days it operates. Much less expensive on Southwest even with no advance purchase. Some one way faces as low as $130.00. Delta and AA fares are lower too.

Most of the early CLE-FLL flights are effectively full (all the Florida flights are), but I've just been shown CLE-FLL at $80 one way on Saturday July 5, with a return on Saturday July 12 at $120.

With Frontier's cheapest basic Economy fares one has to look for baggage fees, carry on fees, and seat assignment fees. There is also a same-day change fee, and no standby or refunds. Those fees don't make Frontier a bad deal but all-in travelers need to plan accordingly and price needs a la carte against Classic Plus fares.

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

Ah, that's good information.

I also understand the DirecTV flight entertainment was taken out. Is there anything available now for television or movies? Is there any Wifi on planes?

And, at risk of sounding like I'm interrogating you, are there any food options?

Yes, some routes those fees are easily paid with the savings between them and other airlines. A few routes even the Classic Plus fare (which is refundable and includes E+ and 1 bag) is cheaper than a regular fare on an airline.


Food options are snack food such as Gummy Bears, Pringles, Chex mix between $2-3. The bags from what I've ordered are a decent size some stuff is even large enough to be shared. Snack boxes are available with a variety of snacks for about $7
http://www.flyfrontier.com/flight-in...light-catering

F9 doesn't fly CLE-ORD or CLE-MDW. While I could see CLE-ORD doing well, I have doubts that it would start this route as F9 has avoided the just under six hour by drive according to google maps routes. Google maps estimate, of course, expects no stops in the drive.

Otherwise it would have launched TTN-PIT initially instead of TTN-CMH which was a dud. Yet, the six hour routes can have high demand since ties are going to be stronger to the region six hour away rather than a medium market region that's farther.

I could see it trying CLE-MKE however, as there is no LCC on the route, it's longer, and some might fly to use it to get to Illinois.

It also doesn't fly CLE-LGA or JFK. I think chances are even lower for CLE-New York because of the slot pair hassles. Also, Southwest is offering low fare service via CAK.

It does launch CLE-DFW. I think CLE-IAH and CLE-AUS might be future routes it adds, but maybe don't expect it, especially not service to New York or Illinois.

It was? I hadn't heard that and it's still showing as an option on the website:

http://www.flyfrontier.com/flight-in...-entertainment

Food is BoB

http://www.flyfrontier.com/flight-in...light-catering

I think buying a Classic Plus fare is a good idea, it's usually not much more expensive and it's like buying low tier status. You'll get priority check-in, security, boarding, extra miles, better seats (exit row and E+ like seating) and a free drink

Its not publicized on their website (no longer posted under "inflight experience" and only on a link at the bottom of the page) and its no longer necessarily on all flights, they have some newly acquired planes (not new but new to them) that don't have them installed. And I've been on flights where they aren't on, most likely broken and its probably not something they fix right away anymore. You'll notice it says "most" of our airbus fleet. They didn't have many people buying TV, so I'd say eventually they will actively remove them from the fleet at some point, they are old and heavy.

To answer your next question that your probably thinking, no announced plans to install Wifi. It could be down the road but now that F9 is a ULCC they aren't concerned too much with IFE.

loyal
 

no reason to be loyal to an airline that only goes several days a week to any city other than Den with 30 flights per week

other airlines every day

Ua 74 per day
Dl 22 per day
aa/us 28per day
sw 13 per day

be loyal to the ones that you can count on--not this new cherry picker that will be gone as quick as it comes. We will see if they even make a profit in the next 3 years

I've flown SW a lot recently. Pricing aside, it shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as F9. From customer service to routes to ontime performance, it puts F9 to shame.

Pricing is where F9 sometimes has an advantage.

Had my first experience on Frontier in 2014 today and it was pretty bad. 90 minute m/x delay because they had a bad tire that they'd known about last night but didn't start working on until departure time. Plus, rude gate agents and flight attendants and a credit card spiel on the PA that puts US Airways to shame.

Frontier is going south.

My stepsister's experience with Frontier was horrible. She rarely flies because she is very afraid of airplanes. So she booked her flight through Priceline, and it was not cheap flying from Denver to Atlanta one-way trip for her and my niece.

She didn't get a "deal" through Priceline at all, but Frontier doesn't like anyone booking through the Priceline site. I knew this, but she and my stepdad didn't know, and so they booked the flight through Priceline for the same price! Then she had to pay $140+ in baggage fees to Frontier because she didn't book through the Frontier site.

That didn't make Julie feel better about Frontier or flying, I can tell you that. One checked bag and two carryons: $140?

I am sorry to see Frontier in such a sad state. I always thought of Frontier as better than Spirit, but no more. My stepsister could have flown Delta First Class cheaper in the end with all of those fees, sad to say. She would have had a better experience, and she would have gotten lunch. Bummer for her.

I was already upset at the lack of a can of soda for economy. Seems I am always raging about Frontier. They used to be our favorite airline. I cancelled my credit card a while ago. There are too many great companies around to use Frontier ever again. They have no idea how much business they are losing by nickel and diming us to death. We tell everyone when we are unhappy.

Here's an example from today at LGA (America's #1 Third World Airport) - Frontier flight to DEN scheduled for 4:30, pushed away at 5:15, par for the course on a storm day, but currently 1-1/2 hours later have still not taken off and in fact are now returning to the gate to refuel. Meanwhile, Delta's 5:15 flight to DEN (also an A320) took off nearly an hour ago, and United's 5:20 flight to Denver has been in the air about half an hour.

In short, I am feeling less and less ambivalent about letting my status with Frontier lapse next year.

Edit: For the record, the Delta flight left at 5:55PM, Southwest at 7:50PM, and the Frontier flight at 10:05PM.

From the Denver Post - DIA traffic report for May::

http://www.denverpost.com/business/c...onth-passenger

""Southwest and Frontier both saw strong increases in origin and destination traffic while United saw an acceleration in connecting traffic — all of which helped fuel two consecutive months of record-setting passenger traffic at Denver International Airport," airport CEO Kim Day said in a news release.

Perhaps, but Denver-based Frontier Airlines stole the show for May traffic. After Frontier's traffic at DIA plummeted 14.4 percent in 2013 — largely because of the carrier's scaling back of its flight offerings — the carrier's traffic spiked in May by 6.2 percent over the same month a year ago.

It is the first reported data since Frontier changed its business model from a low-cost carrier to an ultra-low-cost carrier at the end of April."