Frontier's Latest: `Exchange Your Travel Credit for 50K Miles
 

I got this email from Frontier today.

Of course, 50,000 miles sounds great, but I don't see how this offer actually does me any good since they expire so soon. In any case, I've already mentally let go of the "travel credit" since I doubt I'll be booking any travel by June.

I wonder what Frontier's angle is though. Do miles and travel credits get different accounting? Or, I wonder if this somehow related to the DOT enforcing refund policies. In my case, the flight was not cancelled and it was my choice to not fly. But I imagine that a lot of the credits may be from flyers who are actually entitled to cash refunds.


EDIT: Reported offers

• $58 - $82.80 credit: 30,000 miles
• $109 - $211 credit: 50,000 miles
• about $300 credit: 70,000 miles
• $578 credit: 120,000 miles
• almost $1200 credit: $150,000 miles

How much was your credit? I exchanged a $128 credit for the 50k miles.

The miles will only expire if you don't earn miles in the next six months.

I am hopeful I get this offer for the bookings I also choose to cancel since I don't plan on booking any summer travel at this point. At least this way I can extend my miles out until September. This is also assuming they extend the schedule by then which we all know is a crapshoot.

Here's some slightly rounded examples from me in case it helps anyone else.
- I have *two* itineraries, combined travel credit is about $160
- I got one offer to exchange that for 50,000 Frontier miles
- Plus, I still have the additional 3x$50 travel credit to use before End of Year

- My wife has one itinerary, travel credit is about $300
- Got the offer to exchange it for 70,000 Frontier miles
- Plus, she still has 4x$50 travel credit to use by end of year.

mine was for $190 and was 50k miles as well

Mine was $211. So I guess it's just a blanket 50K for everyone under some limit between $211 and $300.

Per my offer between $128 and $300.

$58 credit with no offer to exchange for miles.

Friday's DOT Enforcement Notice states "Specifically, the Aviation Enforcement Office will refrain from pursuing an enforcement action against a carrier that provided passengers vouchers for future travel in lieu of refunds for cancelled or significantly delayed flights during the COVID-19 public health emergency so long as: (1) the carrier contacts, in a timely manner, the passengers provided vouchers for flights that the carrier cancelled or significantly delayed to notify those passengers that they have the option of a refund..."

This seems like a really desperate attempt to avoid having to go back and offer cash refunds to passengers whose flights were canceled and who accepted vouchers (or were denied refunds and had no choice but to accept vouchers), That is, Frontier can say these passengers voluntarily accepted miles, not vouchers, so the above DOT provision does not apply.

IMO the number of miles they're giving away to trade in vouchers shows how desperate they are to avoid offering refunds. I'd use those miles and vouchers sooner rather than later while Frontier is still in business.

Several of us who received the miles offer canceled our own flights and wouldn't be eligible for a cash refund.

Taking miles, credits or anything other than a full refund, presuming that F9 cancelled the flights, is likely a poor bargain. F9 lacks interline agreements with any other carrier and even if it survives, there is no real likelihood that it will operate the same routes or frequencies that it did pre-Covid. Thus, if it survives at all, many people may hold vouchers or miles which have little value to them.

F9 is simply mortgaging the future and that does not bode well at all. It makes it increasingly likely that any form of funny money, e.g. vouchers, credits or miles will be worth $0 soon enough.

F9 faces two groups of people:
1. Those who cancelled tickets and took a credit.
2. Those where F9 cancelled and where F9 did not offer a refund in violation of DOT rules dating back to 2011. That is a lot of cash it owes and it has to move quickly to avoid DOT enforcement.

In this situation, the best advice is:
1. If you hold tickets for a future date and do not want to travel, do nothing until very close in (day of travel). If the flight is cancelled or there is a substantial change in schedule, you are entitled to a refund. If the flight is operating, take the credit and do with it what you will. The one thing to avoid is taking a credit unless you must. There are some people who simply want to travel and can pick a destination for a fun weekend. They may see a bit here. But, for those who are route or frequency specific, no guarantee for the future.

I'm curious if anyone who received this offer is in group two. As I mentioned in the OP I'm in the first group, but I share the suspicions of @ulmguy that this offer was primarily made to stave off DOT-mandated refunds.

this came to me today
 

APRIL 6, 2020

10:14 AM

DOT tells airlines to refund canceled flights, but don’t count on cash just yet

Airline passengers whose flights are canceled or significantly delayed should receive refunds, the Department of Transportation said in a statement, but don’t count on your money back just yet.

A statement Friday noted that that DOT would give airlines a chance to comply first.

DOT said it had received “an increasing number of complaints and inquiries from ticket passengers … who describe having been denied refunds for flights that were canceled or significantly delayed.”

A spokesman said Monday: “The obligation to provide refunds when scheduled flights are canceled or significantly delayed applies to U.S. and foreign carriers operating at least one aircraft having a seating capacity of 30 or more seats to, within, or from the United States.”

Much better to simply read the Warning Letter which lays out the DOT rules dating to 2011. Don't rely on press releases and the like.

https://www.transportation.gov/sites...3%202020_0.pdf

This isn't new, the DOT letter came out last week. I refer to it in the first post on this thread.