BrlDsguise

Frontier just sent me an email for a flight I booked in May offering a credit to be used towards a future flight + $50 in vouchers. As strange as that sounds what is more puzzling is that they are now selling tickets for this flight for significantly less than I paid. So I could get a total of $160 in vouchers then rebook for $50.

Why would they do this?

myleguy

Just got this email too. So wierd. It makes no sense.

ulmguy

Like all airlines, they're in a cash crunch right now. Before they push through a schedule change which will cancel a lot of flights and make passengers' reservations subject to refund, they'd rather give you future credit (which you may not wind up using) and hold on the money you've already paid.

Not worth it for me given their limited nonstops out of STL, their ridiculous connections, and the potential that I'll lose the credit if they go under. I'd rather take the sure thing of a refund or be able to dispute the credit card transaction if they go under.

JerryGuitar

Exactly. I have flights for my family booked next week (spring break ya! ) that I have no intention of using, but haven’t cancelled yet. I’m hoping for a cancellation and an actual refund of $300+, rather than a voucher for $300 plus additional $200 of vouchers from this deal. Who knows when/if I’d ever be able to redeem those.

Often1

If F9 goes under, those credits and vouchers won't be worth the paper they were printed on (if they were printed). F9 is desperate for cash and is essentially offering you a premium, knowing that it will likely cancel the flight and be forced to pay a refund.

Don't be fooled by the shiny object.

frugal_flyer

What is strange is that, if I'm understanding this correctly, the $50 voucher can be used up to December 31 for any flight (even post December 31). But I believe the original flight credit is still subject to the 90 day rebooking policy. Is that how everyone else understands it?

JerryGuitar

yes

BrlDsguise

But I can cancel and use the $50 voucher to rebook my flight which is currently less than that. So no risk to me right?

As a numbers guy I agree this is scary.

Jerseyguy

the only thing i would say is that if you use a voucher and they cancel, they might give you a hard time about doing a cash refund as they will claim the original form of payment was a voucher and that the flight has been refunded to the original form of payment. Sounds like however that the flight is so cheap now that it might be worth it to risk it.

ulmguy

That's part of the gotcha. Once you give you up your current reservation for vouchers, they have your money. They're hoping you don't use the voucher(s) to rebook, and if you do and they cancel the flight, you'll only get credit for a future flight because you paid for that flight with a voucher, not cash.

myleguy

Decided to take the credit. New schedule out tomorrow, so we'll see how deep the cuts go. I am optimistic I can find something to use it on out of DEN even if the schedule is slashed.

BrlDsguise

I took the credit as well. The credit is $113 and the flight would cost me $36 if I rebook today.

Do I have to use the credit shell for a flight within the next 90 days or just use it in the next 90 days for any flight on the schedule?

ulmguy

Frontier must be getting more desperate. Offer is now extended until March 25.

RustyC

In times like these, cash is king. Buying using a credit card should be a no brainer, and Frontier is trying to get people to book for summer at cheaper prices with the change policy as a kind of assurance.

Not to get too Omni/PR, but Frontier is an example of a company that would be helped greatly by a "shock treatment" approach to containing the virus, i.e. near-complete shutdown with 20-30 day lockdown of the kind that Bill Ackman has been advocating. Ackman's argument is that a short, sharp shock would be preferable to a lesser measures for a longer period and would cause less economic damage, espcially to small and midsize companies. In Frontier's case the "light at the end of the tunnel" factor is really important. Will we still have a summer season or will this thing still be much like it is?

BrlDsguise

I guess if you want to bet on them you could book $15 flights today and cancel them tomorrow.