Frontier Airways introduced a slew of latest routes this week that may see the ultra-low-cost service broaden its footprint at greater than three dozen airports – dramatically scaling up its presence at a handful of these.
In all, the Denver-based price range airline introduced 54 new routes, by TPG’s depend, throughout 38 airports. Most of the new routes begin in April, Could or on the very starting of June.
“This can be a huge enlargement of our operation from coast to coast and internationally,” Frontier vp of community and operations design Josh Flyr stated in an announcement asserting the information Tuesday.
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But it surely’s the place the airline is increasing that has caught the eyes of some trade observers.
Taking up rivals
Lots of Frontier’s new routes put the airline head-to-head with a few of its largest U.S. rivals.
As an example, the airline will broaden its presence most importantly at Dallas Fort Value Worldwide Airport (DFW), the house base of American Airways. With 14 new routes out of DFW, Frontier will provide about 28% extra seats throughout the second quarter of 2024 versus that very same interval in 2023, based on knowledge from aviation analytics agency Cirium.
Frontier will provide new service (albeit only a few occasions weekly) on a number of hub-to-hub routes of the biggest U.S. carriers. It’ll fly between Charlotte Douglas Worldwide Airport (CLT) and DFW and Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD) — each American hubs. United Airways runs a big hub out of O’Hare.
It’ll provide 4 weekly spherical journeys between Delta Air Strains hubs in Atlanta and Minneapolis whereas additionally flying between Los Angeles and San Francisco — two United Airways hubs.
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In the meantime, Frontier will provide fewer seats within the second quarter to Las Vegas, Orlando and Cancun — leisure locations which can be sometimes a trademark of low-cost carriers’ networks.
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Frontier executives teased this technique shift late final yr amid widespread trade commentary — which got here maybe most loudly from United executives — that airways have merely added too many flights to common home leisure locations.
Although the competitors might help drive decrease airfare for vacationers, it will possibly make filling seats more difficult for airways.
Frontier CEO Barry Biffle, talking on the service’s October 2023 third-quarter earnings name, cited an “uneven deployment of capability” within the U.S. affecting Frontier’s earnings efficiency.
“We can be focusing on development type of away from these locations which were saturated — within the extra underserved markets — as we transfer into [2024],” Biffle advised analysts final fall, seemingly forecasting a change within the airline’s community technique.
To that finish, knowledge from Cirium exhibits Frontier additionally plans to wind down a minimum of six routes within the coming months, every of which touches a warm-weather vacation spot within the U.S., Mexico or the Caribbean.
Spirit-JetBlue aftermath an element?
It is also price noting that Frontier’s community modifications come simply days after a federal decide sided with the U.S. Division of Justice in blocking JetBlue’s deliberate merger with outstanding low-cost competitor Spirit Airways.
It is unlikely the timing is coincidental, based on Kerry Tan, an economics professor at Loyola College in Baltimore, whose analysis focuses on airline fares and competitors. Whereas Frontier probably did not rush out its route map replace within the wake of the ruling, he stated Frontier had virtually actually been anticipating find out how to higher compete because the ultra-low-cost section of the market was set for a significant shake-up with the court docket determination looming.
“I believe Frontier was all the time going to try to place themselves, publish JetBlue-Spirit, as the brand new, go-to ultra-low-cost service,” Tan supplied.
How profitable would possibly Frontier be because it provides presence on a number of bigger airways’ residence turf?
“I believe they know that attempting to compete head-to-head with a few of the main airways at their hub — they don’t seem to be going to draw everybody,” Tan stated. “However I believe there is a particular area of interest market that ultra-low-cost carriers can cater to and actually succeed with. And that is the leisure traveler that is attempting to get to their vacation spot as cheaply as potential, and do not want a few of the facilities that the main airways present.”
New routes introduced
In all, Frontier’s community modifications embody expanded operations at 38 airports throughout the nation.
On high of greater than a dozen new routes at DFW, the service is including eight new flights out of San Juan, Puerto Rico — the place it not too long ago established a brand new crew base. It is including seven new flights out of CLT and 6 out of Raleigh-Durham Worldwide Airport (RDU) in North Carolina.
- Boston Logan Worldwide Airport (BOS) — RDU: begins April 10, operates 4 occasions weekly
- Buffalo Niagara Worldwide Airport (BUF) — CLT: begins Could 17, operates 3 times weekly
- Baltimore Washington Worldwide Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) — CLT: begins April 10, operates every day
- BWI — Chicago Halfway Worldwide Airport (MDW): begins April 10, operates 3 times weekly; then 4 occasions weekly as of Could 25
- BWI — Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW): begins April 10, operates 4 occasions weekly
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Worldwide Airport (CVG) — Minneapolis-Saint Paul Worldwide Airport (MSP): begins Could 16, operates 3 times weekly
- Cleveland Hopkins Worldwide Airport (CLE) — MSP: begins Could 17, operates 4 weekly spherical journeys
- CLE — LaGuardia Airport (LGA): begins April 10, operates every day
- CLT — LGA: begins April 10, operates every day
- CLT — Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH): begins April 21, operates 3 times weekly
- CLT — DFW: begins April 11, operates 3 times weekly
- CLT — ORD: begins April 11, operates 3 times weekly
- CLT — Luis Munoz Marin Worldwide Airport (SJU): begins June 1; operates as soon as every day, however as soon as weekly on northbound journey
- CVG — LGA: begins April 10, operates every day
- Denver Worldwide Airport (DEN) — Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX): begins April 10, operates every day
- DEN — ORD: begins April 10, operates every day
- DEN — LGA: begins Could 16, operates every day
- DFW — IAH: begins April 21, operates twice every day
- DFW — Omaha’s Eppley Airfield (OMA): begins Could 17, operates 3 times weekly
- DFW — Indianapolis Worldwide Airport (IND): begins April 22, operates 4 occasions weekly
- DFW — ORD: begins April 10, operates every day
- DFW — MSP: begins April 21, operates 4 occasions weekly
- DFW — Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford Worldwide Airport (GRR): begins Could 16, operates 3 times weekly
- DFW — Puerto Vallarta Worldwide Airport (PVR): begins Could 16, operates two occasions weekly (pending authorities approval)
- DFW — DTW, begins April 22, operates 4 occasions weekly
- DFW — Salt Lake Metropolis Worldwide Airport (SLC): begins April 11, operates 3 times weekly
- DFW — Southwest Florida Worldwide Airport (RSW): begins April 22, operates 4 occasions weekly
- DFW — LAX, begins April 10, operates every day
- DFW — Portland Worldwide Airport (PDX): begins April 21, operates 4 occasions weekly
- Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL) — MSP: begins April 10, operates 4 occasions weekly
- IAH — MDW: begins April 11, operates 4 occasions weekly
- Las Vegas’ Harry Reid Worldwide Airport (LAS) — LAX: begins April 10, operates every day
- LAX — Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport (PHX): begins April 10, operates every day
- LAX — San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO): begins April 10, operates every day
- LGA — RDU, begins April 10, operates every day
- Miami Worldwide Airport (MIA) — RDU, begins April 10, operates every day
- Milwaukee Mitchell Worldwide Airport (MKE) — RDU, begins Could 16, operates 3 times weekly
- MSP — Philadelphia Worldwide Airport (PHL): begins Could 21, operates every day
- Nashville Worldwide Airport (BNA) — DFW: begins April 21, operates 4 occasions weekly
- Ontario Worldwide Airport (ONT) — PDX: begins April 10, operates every day
- ONT — SLC: begins April 10, operates every day
- ORD — RDU: begins April 11, operates 3 times weekly
- PDX — SFO: begins Could 21, operates every day
- PHX — St. Louis Lambert Worldwide Airport (STL): begins April 10, operates 4 occasions weekly
- RDU — Tampa Worldwide Airport (TPA): begins April 10, operates every day
- SAN — SFO: begins April 10, operates every day
- SFO — SLC: begins April 10, operates every day
- SJU — Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Worldwide Airport (FLL): begins June 1, operates 4 occasions weekly
- SJU — BOS, begins June 2, operates 3 times weekly
- SJU — Norfolk Worldwide Airport (ORF): begins June 2, operates 3 times weekly
- SJU — Palm Seashore Worldwide Airport (PBI): begins June 2, operates 3 times weekly
- SJU — Southwest Florida Worldwide Airport (RSW): begins June 2, operates 3 times weekly
- SJU — St. Croix’s Henry E. Rohlsen Airport: begins June 2, operates 3 times weekly (pending authorities approval)
- SJU — Saint Martin’s Princess Juliana Worldwide Airport (SXM): begins June 3, operates twice weekly (pending authorities approval)
Frontier providing flight offers
The airline can be providing some fairly compelling offers, with base fares beginning as little as $19 on many of those new routes. You may must e-book by the tip of the night time on Jan. 25 to faucet into this “mega deal.”
Have in mind there are fairly a couple of restrictions that apply to the deal, from blackout dates to specified journey dates and days of the week. So, your greatest wager could also be to look your preferrred journey itinerary and see if the costs match up.
As all the time with low-cost carriers like Frontier, do not forget that the bottom fares are solely a place to begin. You may probably pay greater than $19 for “extras” like a full-sized carry-on, checked bag or seat choice.
Route eliminations
Frontier has additionally filed plans to get rid of a half-dozen routes, as proven in knowledge from Cirium.
- BNA — Orlando Worldwide Airport (MCO)
- TPA — Puerto Rico’s Rafael Hernandez Worldwide Airport (BQN)
- BWI — Cancun Worldwide Airport (CUN)
- BWI — PHX
- DEN — Jacksonville Worldwide Airport (JAX)
- MCO — Jamaica’s Sangster Worldwide Airport (MBJ)
A Frontier spokesperson didn’t verify the cuts however stated any route eliminations are unrelated to the brand new routes introduced this week.
“Not one of the vital development cities are related to year-over-year cuts inside that very same metropolis, however extra usually are greatest considered a part of our orienting the community in the direction of underserved and overpriced markets,” the airline advised TPG.
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