Frontier Airlines
Encyclopedia
Frontier Airlines, Inc., is an American airline headquartered in Indianapolis
, Indiana
, United States
. The carrier, which is a subsidiary and operating brand of Republic Airways Holdings
, operates flights to 83 destinations throughout the United States, Mexico
, and Costa Rica
and maintains hubs
at Denver International Airport
, Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport
, and Kansas City International Airport
. It provides regional service to the surrounding Rocky Mountain States
through a code-share agreement with Great Lakes Airlines
. Frontier is not a member of an air carrier alliance
.
Frontier Airlines was incorporated on February 8, 1994, by a group that included executives of a previous incarnation of Frontier Airlines
in response to the void left by Continental Airlines' 1993 shutdown of its Denver (Stapleton)
hub. Scheduled flights began five months later in July 1994 utilizing Boeing 737
aircraft. Like the original, Frontier flew out of Denver. In 1999, Frontier signed agreements to begin purchasing and leasing Airbus A318 and A319
aircraft to expand its fleet. The airline took delivery of its first Airbus aircraft (an A319) in 2001 and simultaneously launched with it DirecTV
in-flight television along with a new company livery. Frontier Airlines was the launch customer of the Airbus A318 in 2003. In mid-April 2005, Frontier officially became an all-Airbus fleet, retiring its last 737.
to take advantage of favorable tax laws in that state. The corporate headquarters did not leave Colorado. In November 2006, Frontier Airlines partnered with AirTran Airways
, allowing frequent fliers to earn airline miles in its EarlyReturns frequent flyer program, or AirTran's A+ frequent flyer program. In addition, the airlines refer customers to each other when appropriate. In July 2010, after Frontier Airlines merged with Midwest Airlines
it ended its partnership with AirTran .
On January 24, 2007, Frontier was designated as a major carrier
by the United States Department of Transportation
.
In March 2007, Republic Airlines
slowly began replacing Horizon Air
as the operator of their feeder service, Frontier Airlines operated by Republic Airlines; Frontier JetExpress, which was operated by Horizon Air, ceased operations on November 30, 2007. In April 2008, Frontier and Republic terminated their agreement and Republic withdrew its aircraft from Frontier service on June 23, 2008.
, attempting to withhold significant proceeds from ticket sales. First Data decided that it would withhold 100% of the carrier's proceeds from ticket sales beginning May 1. According to Frontier's press release, "This change in practice would have represented a material change to our cash forecasts and business plan. Unchecked, it would have put severe restraints on Frontier's liquidity..." Its operation continues uninterrupted, though, as Chapter 11 bankruptcy protects the corporation
's assets and allows restructuring to ensure long-term viability.
After months of losses, Frontier Airlines reported that they made their first profit during the month of November 2008. Frontier Airlines reported $2.9 million in net income during the month of November.
On June 22, 2009, Frontier Airlines announced that pending bankruptcy court approval, Republic Airways Holdings
, an Indianapolis based airline-holding company, would acquire all assets of Frontier Airlines for the amount of $108 million. Thus, Frontier Airlines would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Republic. However, 5 weeks later on July 30, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines
announced that it would be making a competing bid of $113.6 million for Frontier with intentions to also operate Frontier as a wholly owned subsidiary, but also announced that it would gradually fold Frontier resources into current Southwest operating assets.
During a bankruptcy auction on August 13, 2009, Republic Airways Holdings
acquired Frontier Airlines and its regional airline, Lynx Aviation
, as wholly owned subsidiaries. Republic completed the transaction on October 1, 2009 and Frontier officially exited bankruptcy as a new airline.
In late 2009 Republic began to consolidate administrative positions and moved 140 jobs from the Frontier Airlines Denver headquarters to Indianapolis, Indiana. Shortly after that, in January 2010, Republic Airways announced that it will move all of its executives to Indianapolis. In February the Denver Business Journal stated that the headquarters would be moved "soon." Despite this, according to the Denver Business Journal, Frontier Airlines will still maintain a local headquarters in Denver to house Training, Marketing, Customer Reservations, and Scheduling & Planning teams after extending its lease on the building through 2020.
. Through the fall and winter of 2009, Republic operated its two new acquisitions as separate brands. However, to improve efficiency by better matching aircraft capacity to route demand, Republic began to intermix the fleets of the two airlines, swapping a portion of its higher-capacity planes from Frontier with its smaller-capacity planes from Midwest and vice versa. However, the move caused some confusion amongst the public, as the two brands did not offer the same amenities and did not match the amenities mentioned on the airfare. As a result, in Spring of 2010 it was announced that the Frontier and Midwest Airlines
brands would merge. On April 13, Republic announced that the Frontier Airlines name would be kept, and employees were issued new Frontier uniforms.
On April 13, 2011, Frontier announced the formation of a new subsidiary, Frontier Express, that was planned to operate the airline's smaller aircraft with different services than those available on full-size aircraft.
On September 9, 2011, Frontier notified the public of a 40% reduction of arriving and departing flights from MKE. Along with this reduction of flights, the company is laying off approximately 140 employees from the MKE station. This includes but is not limited to, maintenance, grooming services, flight-line and gate, but no management personnel will be included in this layoff.
The vast majority of Frontier flights operate through its hub in Denver. Frontier's Denver operations utilize the majority of gates on Concourse A; the airline operates out of 29 of Concourse A's 43 gates. Frontier's Airbus A318 aircraft are too tall to pass under the pedestrian bridge over the south ramp of Concourse A. Frontier did attempt to establish a focus city at Los Angeles International Airport during 2004, but retreated under heavy competition and the sudden spike in fuel prices at the time. In June 2006, Frontier returned to the California market with five daily nonstop flights between Los Angeles
and San Francisco, as well as daily non-stop service linking San Francisco to Las Vegas
. However, these routes were short-lived and eventually discontinued in July 2007. Internationally, the airline does offer a number of routes to Mexican destinations that do not begin or end at Denver.
Frontier has deferred expansion in the competitive East Coast cities such as Boston
and Pittsburgh, but otherwise is expanding outside the US in Mexico
. The airline recently dropped seasonal service to Calgary
with Frontier JetExpress, as well as seasonal service to Vancouver, BC. The carrier serves four Florida
tourist destinations and the business essential cities of New York
, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC along the East Coast. The remaining Eastern interior city destinations are in the Midwest along with Atlanta and Nashville
in the South. Contrary to Southwest Airlines
, Frontier uses only two alternative airports in the East with the Akron-Canton Regional Airport
, which services the Cleveland and Pittsburgh markets and with Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport
, which serves the Norfolk
area market.
On May 22, 2007, the airline announced its schedule for service to its fourth country, Costa Rica
. Frontier began operating to San José four times per week from its hub in Denver on November 30, 2007. This marks Frontier's first entry into Central America. Early 2008, frequency was increased to five times per week and will become seasonal, not operating from mid-September until mid-December.
On June 25, 2008, Frontier announced it would be cutting 21 of its daily departures, effective late August. Some routes are eliminated, some are temporarily halted until spring, and some are reduced in frequency.
, where the airline's top executives reside. In addition the airline has local offices at Denver, Colorado
, and General Mitchell International Airport
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
.
. The airline's in-flight administration and training and the bulk of marketing, revenue management, and scheduling and planning teams are housed in the Denver local office.
Frontier has used 7001 Tower Road since 2001. Before the Republic Airways Holdings
purchase of Frontier, the Denver facility served as the airline's corporate headquarters. After Republic purchased Frontier, on January 14, 2010, Frontier announced that its executive management would move to Indianapolis, Indiana
. After a journalist asked Carlo Bertolini, a spokesperson for Republic, if the Frontier headquarters was moving, Bertolini said "That's a fair assessment." Republic refers to the Denver local office as the "commercial headquarters" of Frontier Airlines. By August 2009, the airline extended the lease on the Denver facility until 2020. Mark Harden of the Denver Business Journal said "it said that" the airline was moving its customer relations and reservations groups into the Denver local office in August 2010, resulting in an additional 500 employees working at the office.
. There are portions of marketing, revenue management, and scheduling and planning teams housed in the Milwaukee local offices. Milwaukee is also home to a customer service call center and an aircraft maintenance base.
hub that were formerly operated for Midwest Connect. Frontier began branding these flights as Frontier Express in the spring of 2011.
On September 6, 2006, Frontier announced that a new division of the holding company known as Lynx Aviation, would operate Bombardier Q400 aircraft beginning in May 2007. On December 5, 2007, Lynx Aviation received its operating certificate from the FAA. Lynx began passenger operations on the morning of December 6, 2007.
Since commencing operations, Lynx Aviation has added service to 12 regional destinations: Albuquerque, Aspen, Billings, Bozeman, Colorado Springs, Durango, Fargo, Jackson Hole (Seasonal), Oklahoma City, Rapid City, Tulsa, and Wichita. Two additional cities, Omaha and Salt Lake City, are served by Lynx Aviation along with Frontier Airlines mainline service.
In 2011, Lynx Aviation was folded into the Republic Airlines operating carrier certificate. Former Lynx aviation routes and aircraft are to be branded as Frontier Express in conjunction with the launch of Express service on Chautauqua-operated aircraft.
On 19 August 2010, Frontier announced that Lynx would continue operations between Denver and three Colorado cities—Aspen
, Durango
and Colorado Springs—using three Bombardier Q400 aircraft, though this service was expected to end in April 2011. In January 2011, it was announced that four Lynx Q400s would continue to operate indefinitely.
using CRJ-200 regional jets. Similar to "express" operations of other carriers, Frontier JetExpress is targeted for markets to and from Denver that do not generate traffic sufficient to support Frontier's smallest mainline jet, the Airbus A318, but can still offer lucrative business with a smaller jet. The operation's head office was in the Hughes Center in Clark County
, Nevada
.
The initial JetExpress partnership with Mesa ended in January 2004, when Horizon Air
was selected to operate the routes. Horizon utilized slightly larger CRJ-700 aircraft on these routes. In August 2006, Frontier and Horizon announced that their partnership would end. While Frontier was generally pleased with Horizon's operation, the carrier decided that it needed to revisit the agreement and find a provider with additional regional jets to grow the operation. The last of the CRJ-700's was returned to the Horizon Air fleet on November 30, 2007.
On January 11, 2007, Frontier Airlines announced it had signed an 11-year service agreement with Republic Airlines
. Under the agreement, Republic was to operate 17, 76-seat Embraer 170 aircraft for the former Frontier JetExpress operations. At the time the contract was canceled in April 2008, Republic Airlines operated 11 aircraft for Frontier Airlines, with the remaining six aircraft expected to join the fleet by December 2008. With the integration of Republic aircraft, the 'JetExpress' denotation was removed. Subsequent to the cessation of Horizon's services for Frontier in December 2007, all flights operated by Republic were sold and marketed as "Frontier Airlines, operated by Republic Airlines." The first market created specifically for the Embraer 170 was Louisville, Kentucky, which began on April 1, 2007. Service to Louisville was suspended in August 2008 but restarted in April 2010.
Flights operated by Republic Airlines offered in-flight snack and beverage services similar to Frontier's mainline flights. Unlike Frontier's aircraft and due to the nature of contracting with regional carriers, these Embraer 170 aircraft were not fitted with LiveTV
.
, Mexico
, and the United States
.
. From Denver, Frontier flies to Cabo San Lucas
, Cancún
, Cozumel
, Mazatlán
, and Puerto Vallarta
.
At one time, Frontier maintained another focus city in Mexico: Cancún's Cancún International Airport
(CUN). Currently, Frontier offers nonstop service from CUN-SLC
, CUN-MCI
, and PVR
-MCI, in addition to the airline's Denver
hub. In December 2009, Frontier planned to increase service out of Cancún with new non-stop flights to Indianapolis
and St. Louis
. In cooperation with Apple Vacations, Frontier offers non-stop, weekend-only charter service between Chicago's Midway Airport and Cancún, and Saturday-only service between Denver and Huatulco, Mexico. In cooperation with MLT Worry Free Vacations, Frontier also offers non-stop twice weekly scheduled charter service between both Dallas/Ft Worth and Denver to Cancún.
At its peak, Frontier served 21 routes between 12 U.S. gateways and eight destinations in Mexico (excluding Charters). The expansion included routes from California, Indiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin to Mexico.
By the end of 2009, Frontier planned operate 10 routes between five U.S. gateways and five destinations in Mexico (excluding Charters).
As of October 28, 2011, the Frontier Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:
was announced in April 2010, Frontier has inherited Embraer E135, E145, E170 and E190 aircraft. Frontier is also in the process of retiring its fleet of Bombardier Q400s and Airbus A318s; Frontier’s fleet of Bombardier Q400s is to be replaced by Embraer E170 and Embraer E190 aircraft; the retirement of the Q400s began in early 2010 and is expected to be complete by April 2011. Frontier's fleet of A318s is also in the process of being retired, in September–October 2010, five of the nine aircraft are to be retired and be replaced by six newly leased Airbus A320s, Frontier has not yet announced plans for the remaining four aircraft, but they are expected to be fully retired sometime in 2012.
The Frontier Airlines livery consists of an all-white fuselage with silver billboard-style "Frontier" titles on the sides of the aircraft. Frontier uses wildlife photography on the vertical stabilizers and winglets of the aircraft to produce a distinctive look, touted in their advertisements along with their slogan: "A Whole Different Animal".
The concepts used in the livery extend into Frontier’s marketing as well. Animal aircraft used in their radio and television commercials include Jack the rabbit, Grizwald the bear, Foxy the fox (for whom Jack has a crush), Flip the dolphin (who always gets stuck going to Chicago rather than the warmer climates the others are going to), Larry the lynx, Hector the sea otter, and Sal the cougar. New additions are Penguins Jim, Joe, Jay, and Gary, a barbershop-style quartet, singing the praises of EarlyReturns to an audience of Frontier’s well-known characters from the "a whole different animal" campaign, and Hector the otter, advertising Frontier's expanded service to Mexico.
Since the merger with Midwest Airlines
, Frontier is in the process of repainting 43 Embraer aircraft with the Frontier livery. As of September 2010, four aircraft had been repainted with Frontier Airlines’ livery. The entire process is expected to be completed by December 2011.
Each animal on the tail of a Frontier Airlines Airbus and Lynx Aviation Q400 has a name, the most famous being "Larry the Lynx," "Grizwald the Bear," "Jack the Rabbit", "Flip the Dolphin", "Hector the Sea Otter", and "Jim, Joe, Jay, and Gary the Penguins" for being heavily featured in Frontier advertising. When Frontier was promoting its then-New Mexico service, the airline launched its "Send Flip to Mexico" campaign, and Frontier's "Denver's Favorite Animal" campaign continues to shine attention upon their popular tails.
Frontier offers a single class of service. Passengers can choose among a basic "economy" fare, a "classic" fare that includes complimentary checked bags and in-flight television, and a "classic plus" fare that is fully refundable and offers free flight changes.
Economy: The economy fare targets passengers who do not need to check bags and do not expect to change their flight. Amenities available for purchase include: snacks, checked bags and in-flight television. Should a passenger need to change their ticket, a $50.00 change fee as well as fare difference is charged. Passengers earn 100% of the EarlyReturns frequent flier miles. This is the lowest cost ticket available for purchase and is non-refundable.
Classic: The classic fare most closely represents Frontier's traditional level of cabin service. Purchasers of this fare get two complimentary checked bags and complementary DirectTV television programming. Itinerary changes are made at a cost of a $25.00 change fee as well as fare difference. This is the mid-level cost ticket and is non-refundable. EarlyReturns miles are credited at 125 percent.
Classic plus: Fares in this category are fully refundable, and flight changes, even on the same day, do not carry an extra fee. Besides the freebies included with the classic fare, passengers receive priority boarding, an in-flight snack and a premium beverage. EarlyReturns miles are credited at 150 percent.
Beginning April 28, 2008, Frontier began offering the Grizwald's Gourmet Cafe buy on board
service. This service provides passengers with a variety of snack options available for purchase on board. They include offerings from Mountain Man Fruit and Nut Company and Udi's Handcrafted Foods. Fresh sandwiches and salads from Udi's are also available on select Airbus flights.
Frontier was one of the first carriers to offer a virtual "mall" or the Frontier More Store, allowing elite Ascent or Summit frequent-flyers to spend accrued miles on merchandise and unique services. As of May 30, 2008, Frontier Airlines discontinued the "More Store" due to the filing of Chapter 11 protection on April 10, 2008.
service, two complimentary checked bags, priority boarding and ticketing, priority seat assignments, a 25% mileage bonus in addition to miles accrued, and other perks. The third level, Summit, is awarded for the accrual of 25,000 miles in a calendar year and adds a 50% mileage bonus in addition to miles accrued on each flight. Besides receiving the same benefits as Ascent members, Summit members also receive complimentary alcoholic beverages and guaranteed availability for all flights, even sold-out flights. Free round trip tickets between all destinations in the contiguous U.S. as well as to Alaska require 25,000 miles, and round trip award tickets to and from Mexico and Costa Rica require 35,000 miles.
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The carrier, which is a subsidiary and operating brand of Republic Airways Holdings
Republic Airways Holdings
Republic Airways Holdings, Inc. is an aviation holding corporation based in Indianapolis, Indiana, which owns six airlines operating in the United States: Chautauqua Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Republic Airlines, Shuttle America, and the former Lynx Aviation....
, operates flights to 83 destinations throughout the United States, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and maintains hubs
Airline hub
An airline hub is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. It is part of a hub and spoke model, where travelers moving between airports not served by direct flights change planes en route to their destinations...
at Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...
, Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport
General Mitchell International Airport
General Mitchell International Airport is a county-owned public airport located five miles south of the central business district of Milwaukee, a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States....
, and Kansas City International Airport
Kansas City International Airport
Kansas City International Airport , originally named Mid-Continent International Airport, is a public airport located 15 miles northwest of the central business district of Kansas City, in Platte County, Missouri, United States. In 2008, 10,469,892 passengers used the airport...
. It provides regional service to the surrounding Rocky Mountain States
Mountain States
thumb|300px|Regional definitions vary from source to source. The states shown in dark red are always included, while the striped states are usually considered part of the same region called the Mountain States....
through a code-share agreement with Great Lakes Airlines
Great Lakes Airlines
Great Lakes Airlines , is an American regional airline operating domestic scheduled and charter services. Corporate headquarters are located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with hubs at Denver International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, McCarran...
. Frontier is not a member of an air carrier alliance
Airline alliance
An airline alliance is an agreement between two or more airlines to cooperate on a substantial level. The three largest passenger alliances are the Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld. Alliances also form between cargo airlines, such as that of WOW Alliance, SkyTeam Cargo and ANA/UPS Alliance...
.
Frontier Airlines reborn
Frontier Airlines (1950-1986)
Frontier Airlines was formed from a merger of Arizona Airways, Challenger Airlines, and Monarch Airlines on June 1, 1950. They established their headquarters at Stapleton Airport in Denver. However, the airline dated itself to November 27, 1946, when Monarch Airlines began service in Colorado,...
in response to the void left by Continental Airlines' 1993 shutdown of its Denver (Stapleton)
Stapleton International Airport
Stapleton International Airport was Denver, Colorado's primary airport from 1929 to 1995. At different times it served as a hub for TWA, People Express, Frontier Airlines and Western Airlines as well as a hub for Continental Airlines and United Airlines at the time of its closure.In 1995 Stapleton...
hub. Scheduled flights began five months later in July 1994 utilizing Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
aircraft. Like the original, Frontier flew out of Denver. In 1999, Frontier signed agreements to begin purchasing and leasing Airbus A318 and A319
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
aircraft to expand its fleet. The airline took delivery of its first Airbus aircraft (an A319) in 2001 and simultaneously launched with it DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
in-flight television along with a new company livery. Frontier Airlines was the launch customer of the Airbus A318 in 2003. In mid-April 2005, Frontier officially became an all-Airbus fleet, retiring its last 737.
Continued growth and corporate reorganization
As part of its plan to stay competitive, the company underwent a reorganization early in 2006. On April 3, 2006, Frontier created Frontier Airlines Holdings, Inc. (FRNT), a holding company incorporated in DelawareDelaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
to take advantage of favorable tax laws in that state. The corporate headquarters did not leave Colorado. In November 2006, Frontier Airlines partnered with AirTran Airways
AirTran Airways
AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of the Dallas, Texas-based Southwest Airlines, is an American low-cost airline headquartered in Orlando, Florida. AirTran operates over 650 daily flights , primarily in the eastern and midwestern United States...
, allowing frequent fliers to earn airline miles in its EarlyReturns frequent flyer program, or AirTran's A+ frequent flyer program. In addition, the airlines refer customers to each other when appropriate. In July 2010, after Frontier Airlines merged with Midwest Airlines
Midwest Airlines
Midwest Airlines was a U.S.-based airline and was also an operating brand of Republic Airways Holdings based in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. operating from Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport...
it ended its partnership with AirTran .
On January 24, 2007, Frontier was designated as a major carrier
Major carrier
Major carrier or major airline carrier is a designation given by the United States Department of Transportation to U.S.-based airlines that post more than $1 billion in revenue during a fiscal year.As of 2010, there were 19 major carriers....
by the United States Department of Transportation
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
.
In March 2007, Republic Airlines
Republic Airlines
Republic Airline, Inc., operating as Republic Airlines is a regional airline subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings that operates service as Frontier Airlines, Midwest Airlines and US Airways Express using a fleet of Bombardier Q400, Embraer 170, Embraer 175 and Embraer 190 aircraft...
slowly began replacing Horizon Air
Horizon Air
Horizon Air Industries, Inc. is a regional low-cost airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. It is the eighth largest regional airline in the USA, serving 52 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico....
as the operator of their feeder service, Frontier Airlines operated by Republic Airlines; Frontier JetExpress, which was operated by Horizon Air, ceased operations on November 30, 2007. In April 2008, Frontier and Republic terminated their agreement and Republic withdrew its aircraft from Frontier service on June 23, 2008.
Bankruptcy and acquisition by Republic
On April 10, 2008, Frontier announced that it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to its credit card processor, First DataFirst Data
First Data Corporation is an American payment processing company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. First Data is a provider of electronic commerce and payment solutions...
, attempting to withhold significant proceeds from ticket sales. First Data decided that it would withhold 100% of the carrier's proceeds from ticket sales beginning May 1. According to Frontier's press release, "This change in practice would have represented a material change to our cash forecasts and business plan. Unchecked, it would have put severe restraints on Frontier's liquidity..." Its operation continues uninterrupted, though, as Chapter 11 bankruptcy protects the corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
's assets and allows restructuring to ensure long-term viability.
After months of losses, Frontier Airlines reported that they made their first profit during the month of November 2008. Frontier Airlines reported $2.9 million in net income during the month of November.
On June 22, 2009, Frontier Airlines announced that pending bankruptcy court approval, Republic Airways Holdings
Republic Airways Holdings
Republic Airways Holdings, Inc. is an aviation holding corporation based in Indianapolis, Indiana, which owns six airlines operating in the United States: Chautauqua Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Republic Airlines, Shuttle America, and the former Lynx Aviation....
, an Indianapolis based airline-holding company, would acquire all assets of Frontier Airlines for the amount of $108 million. Thus, Frontier Airlines would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Republic. However, 5 weeks later on July 30, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
announced that it would be making a competing bid of $113.6 million for Frontier with intentions to also operate Frontier as a wholly owned subsidiary, but also announced that it would gradually fold Frontier resources into current Southwest operating assets.
During a bankruptcy auction on August 13, 2009, Republic Airways Holdings
Republic Airways Holdings
Republic Airways Holdings, Inc. is an aviation holding corporation based in Indianapolis, Indiana, which owns six airlines operating in the United States: Chautauqua Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Republic Airlines, Shuttle America, and the former Lynx Aviation....
acquired Frontier Airlines and its regional airline, Lynx Aviation
Lynx Aviation (United States)
Lynx Aviation, Inc. was a regional airline based in Denver, Colorado, USA. The airline was a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings and operated feeder service for Frontier Airlines. The Lynx name plays off of the tail pictures of its planes, specifically Larry the Lynx, and the fact that it...
, as wholly owned subsidiaries. Republic completed the transaction on October 1, 2009 and Frontier officially exited bankruptcy as a new airline.
In late 2009 Republic began to consolidate administrative positions and moved 140 jobs from the Frontier Airlines Denver headquarters to Indianapolis, Indiana. Shortly after that, in January 2010, Republic Airways announced that it will move all of its executives to Indianapolis. In February the Denver Business Journal stated that the headquarters would be moved "soon." Despite this, according to the Denver Business Journal, Frontier Airlines will still maintain a local headquarters in Denver to house Training, Marketing, Customer Reservations, and Scheduling & Planning teams after extending its lease on the building through 2020.
Merger with Midwest Airlines
As Republic Airways Holdings was in process of bidding to acquire Frontier in 2009, it was also in the process of acquiring Milwaukee-based Midwest AirlinesMidwest Airlines
Midwest Airlines was a U.S.-based airline and was also an operating brand of Republic Airways Holdings based in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. operating from Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport...
. Through the fall and winter of 2009, Republic operated its two new acquisitions as separate brands. However, to improve efficiency by better matching aircraft capacity to route demand, Republic began to intermix the fleets of the two airlines, swapping a portion of its higher-capacity planes from Frontier with its smaller-capacity planes from Midwest and vice versa. However, the move caused some confusion amongst the public, as the two brands did not offer the same amenities and did not match the amenities mentioned on the airfare. As a result, in Spring of 2010 it was announced that the Frontier and Midwest Airlines
Midwest Airlines
Midwest Airlines was a U.S.-based airline and was also an operating brand of Republic Airways Holdings based in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. operating from Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport...
brands would merge. On April 13, Republic announced that the Frontier Airlines name would be kept, and employees were issued new Frontier uniforms.
On April 13, 2011, Frontier announced the formation of a new subsidiary, Frontier Express, that was planned to operate the airline's smaller aircraft with different services than those available on full-size aircraft.
On September 9, 2011, Frontier notified the public of a 40% reduction of arriving and departing flights from MKE. Along with this reduction of flights, the company is laying off approximately 140 employees from the MKE station. This includes but is not limited to, maintenance, grooming services, flight-line and gate, but no management personnel will be included in this layoff.
Future divorce from Republic Airlines
Republic Airways will seek to divorce Frontier, because Republic Airways wants to return to its roots of regional contract flying for major carriers. They are seeking a private equity investor to purchase the carrier or pursue a spinoff.Maintenance awards
Frontier has been awarded the FAA Diamond award for ten years straight, from 1999 through 2009. The Diamond award recognizes carriers whose mechanics and maintenance staff complete additional training and certifications beyond that required for normal FAA certification. In order to receive this award, a minimum of 25 percent of an airline's mechanics and maintenance staff must complete this additional training. Frontier is the only airline to have consecutively received this award for the last seven years, as well as the only airline to ever receive this award with 100% participation from its maintenance staff. Frontier's staff has maintained 100% participation for the last seven consecutive years during which it has earned this award.Route structure
Unlike some low-cost carriers, Frontier operates a hub and spoke route system, with more than 95% of ICAO "FFT" flights originating or arriving at its Denver hub. While the hub system can move people efficiently, it is also dependent on critical coordination at a single point. Hub-and-spoke systems like Frontier's can simplify passenger connections. Long-distance itineraries between Frontier cities generally require no more than one connection (usually in Denver), whereas a linear carrier may require multiple connections to span a long distance. Hub-and-spoke systems can also simplify maintenance, as all aircraft transit a hub frequently.The vast majority of Frontier flights operate through its hub in Denver. Frontier's Denver operations utilize the majority of gates on Concourse A; the airline operates out of 29 of Concourse A's 43 gates. Frontier's Airbus A318 aircraft are too tall to pass under the pedestrian bridge over the south ramp of Concourse A. Frontier did attempt to establish a focus city at Los Angeles International Airport during 2004, but retreated under heavy competition and the sudden spike in fuel prices at the time. In June 2006, Frontier returned to the California market with five daily nonstop flights between Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and San Francisco, as well as daily non-stop service linking San Francisco to Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. However, these routes were short-lived and eventually discontinued in July 2007. Internationally, the airline does offer a number of routes to Mexican destinations that do not begin or end at Denver.
Frontier has deferred expansion in the competitive East Coast cities such as Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and Pittsburgh, but otherwise is expanding outside the US in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The airline recently dropped seasonal service to Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
with Frontier JetExpress, as well as seasonal service to Vancouver, BC. The carrier serves four Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
tourist destinations and the business essential cities of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC along the East Coast. The remaining Eastern interior city destinations are in the Midwest along with Atlanta and Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
in the South. Contrary to Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
, Frontier uses only two alternative airports in the East with the Akron-Canton Regional Airport
Akron-Canton Regional Airport
Akron-Canton Regional Airport is a commercial Class C airport located in the city of Green, in southern Summit County, Ohio roughly southeast of Akron, northwest of Canton, and northeast of Massillon...
, which services the Cleveland and Pittsburgh markets and with Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport
Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport
Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport is an airport located 9 mi northwest of downtown Newport News, Virginia, and serves the entire Hampton Roads metropolitan area along with Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk...
, which serves the Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
area market.
On May 22, 2007, the airline announced its schedule for service to its fourth country, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. Frontier began operating to San José four times per week from its hub in Denver on November 30, 2007. This marks Frontier's first entry into Central America. Early 2008, frequency was increased to five times per week and will become seasonal, not operating from mid-September until mid-December.
On June 25, 2008, Frontier announced it would be cutting 21 of its daily departures, effective late August. Some routes are eliminated, some are temporarily halted until spring, and some are reduced in frequency.
Corporate affairs
The airline's headquarters are located in Indianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, where the airline's top executives reside. In addition the airline has local offices at Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, and General Mitchell International Airport
General Mitchell International Airport
General Mitchell International Airport is a county-owned public airport located five miles south of the central business district of Milwaukee, a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States....
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
.
Denver local office
Frontier Airlines maintains a local office in the 70000 square foot 7001 Tower Road building in Denver, ColoradoColorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The airline's in-flight administration and training and the bulk of marketing, revenue management, and scheduling and planning teams are housed in the Denver local office.
Frontier has used 7001 Tower Road since 2001. Before the Republic Airways Holdings
Republic Airways Holdings
Republic Airways Holdings, Inc. is an aviation holding corporation based in Indianapolis, Indiana, which owns six airlines operating in the United States: Chautauqua Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Republic Airlines, Shuttle America, and the former Lynx Aviation....
purchase of Frontier, the Denver facility served as the airline's corporate headquarters. After Republic purchased Frontier, on January 14, 2010, Frontier announced that its executive management would move to Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. After a journalist asked Carlo Bertolini, a spokesperson for Republic, if the Frontier headquarters was moving, Bertolini said "That's a fair assessment." Republic refers to the Denver local office as the "commercial headquarters" of Frontier Airlines. By August 2009, the airline extended the lease on the Denver facility until 2020. Mark Harden of the Denver Business Journal said "it said that" the airline was moving its customer relations and reservations groups into the Denver local office in August 2010, resulting in an additional 500 employees working at the office.
Milwaukee local office
Frontier Airlines also maintains a local office in two facilities in Milwaukee, WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. There are portions of marketing, revenue management, and scheduling and planning teams housed in the Milwaukee local offices. Milwaukee is also home to a customer service call center and an aircraft maintenance base.
Frontier Express
Chautauqua Airlines operates Embraer 135 and 145 jets out of the General Mitchell International AirportGeneral Mitchell International Airport
General Mitchell International Airport is a county-owned public airport located five miles south of the central business district of Milwaukee, a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States....
hub that were formerly operated for Midwest Connect. Frontier began branding these flights as Frontier Express in the spring of 2011.
Lynx Aviation
Since commencing operations, Lynx Aviation has added service to 12 regional destinations: Albuquerque, Aspen, Billings, Bozeman, Colorado Springs, Durango, Fargo, Jackson Hole (Seasonal), Oklahoma City, Rapid City, Tulsa, and Wichita. Two additional cities, Omaha and Salt Lake City, are served by Lynx Aviation along with Frontier Airlines mainline service.
In 2011, Lynx Aviation was folded into the Republic Airlines operating carrier certificate. Former Lynx aviation routes and aircraft are to be branded as Frontier Express in conjunction with the launch of Express service on Chautauqua-operated aircraft.
On 19 August 2010, Frontier announced that Lynx would continue operations between Denver and three Colorado cities—Aspen
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
, Durango
Durango, Colorado
The City of Durango is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau said that the city population was 16,887 in 2010 census.-History:...
and Colorado Springs—using three Bombardier Q400 aircraft, though this service was expected to end in April 2011. In January 2011, it was announced that four Lynx Q400s would continue to operate indefinitely.
Frontier JetExpress
In February 2002, the airline launched its first regional product, Frontier JetExpress, initially operated by Mesa AirlinesMesa Airlines
Mesa Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline based in Phoenix, Arizona. It is a FAA Part 121 certificated air carrier operating under air carrier certificate number MASA036A issued on June 29, 1979. It is a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group. It was known briefly as Mountain West Airlines from...
using CRJ-200 regional jets. Similar to "express" operations of other carriers, Frontier JetExpress is targeted for markets to and from Denver that do not generate traffic sufficient to support Frontier's smallest mainline jet, the Airbus A318, but can still offer lucrative business with a smaller jet. The operation's head office was in the Hughes Center in Clark County
Clark County, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,375,765 people, 512,253 households, and 339,693 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 71.6% White , 9.1% Black, 5.7% Asian, 0.8% American Indian and 12.8% of other or mixed race. 22.0% were Hispanic of any race...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.
The initial JetExpress partnership with Mesa ended in January 2004, when Horizon Air
Horizon Air
Horizon Air Industries, Inc. is a regional low-cost airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. It is the eighth largest regional airline in the USA, serving 52 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico....
was selected to operate the routes. Horizon utilized slightly larger CRJ-700 aircraft on these routes. In August 2006, Frontier and Horizon announced that their partnership would end. While Frontier was generally pleased with Horizon's operation, the carrier decided that it needed to revisit the agreement and find a provider with additional regional jets to grow the operation. The last of the CRJ-700's was returned to the Horizon Air fleet on November 30, 2007.
On January 11, 2007, Frontier Airlines announced it had signed an 11-year service agreement with Republic Airlines
Republic Airlines
Republic Airline, Inc., operating as Republic Airlines is a regional airline subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings that operates service as Frontier Airlines, Midwest Airlines and US Airways Express using a fleet of Bombardier Q400, Embraer 170, Embraer 175 and Embraer 190 aircraft...
. Under the agreement, Republic was to operate 17, 76-seat Embraer 170 aircraft for the former Frontier JetExpress operations. At the time the contract was canceled in April 2008, Republic Airlines operated 11 aircraft for Frontier Airlines, with the remaining six aircraft expected to join the fleet by December 2008. With the integration of Republic aircraft, the 'JetExpress' denotation was removed. Subsequent to the cessation of Horizon's services for Frontier in December 2007, all flights operated by Republic were sold and marketed as "Frontier Airlines, operated by Republic Airlines." The first market created specifically for the Embraer 170 was Louisville, Kentucky, which began on April 1, 2007. Service to Louisville was suspended in August 2008 but restarted in April 2010.
Flights operated by Republic Airlines offered in-flight snack and beverage services similar to Frontier's mainline flights. Unlike Frontier's aircraft and due to the nature of contracting with regional carriers, these Embraer 170 aircraft were not fitted with LiveTV
LiveTV
LiveTV is a major provider of airline in-flight entertainment systems. Originally a joint venture of Harris Corporation and BE Aerospace , it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of JetBlue Airways Corporation...
.
Destinations
Frontier Airlines currently flies to 83 destinations throughout Costa RicaCosta Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Mexico service
Prior to 2008, Frontier Airlines offered extensive service to Mexican resort cities. Even with the airline's recent discontinuation of several routes to/from Mexico, Frontier still maintains a substantial presence in MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. From Denver, Frontier flies to Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas , commonly called Cabo, is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the municipality of Los Cabos in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,463 people...
, Cancún
Cancún
Cancún is a city of international tourism development certified by the UNWTO . Located on the northeast coast of Quintana Roo in southern Mexico, more than 1,700 km from Mexico City, the Project began operations in 1974 as Integrally Planned Center, a pioneer of FONATUR Cancún is a city of...
, Cozumel
Cozumel
Cozumel is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen, and close to the Yucatan Channel. Cozumel is one of the ten municipalities of the state of Quintana Roo...
, Mazatlán
Mazatlán
Mazatlán is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa; the surrounding municipio for which the city serves as the municipal seat is Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula.Mazatlán is a Nahuatl word meaning...
, and Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican balneario resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas.The 2010 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 255,725 making it the sixth-largest city in the state of Jalisco...
.
At one time, Frontier maintained another focus city in Mexico: Cancún's Cancún International Airport
Cancún International Airport
Cancún International Airport is located in Cancún, Quintana Roo, on the Caribbean coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. It is Mexico's second busiest airport, after Mexico City International Airport in Mexico City, but the biggest in Mexico and Latin America for International passengers...
(CUN). Currently, Frontier offers nonstop service from CUN-SLC
SLC
SLC may refer to, among other things:* Salt Lake City, Utah* Salt Lake City International Airport, IATA Airport Code* Salt Lake County, Utah* Sounds Like Chicken, a music group* South Lanarkshire Council* Southwestern Lacrosse Conference...
, CUN-MCI
Kansas City International Airport
Kansas City International Airport , originally named Mid-Continent International Airport, is a public airport located 15 miles northwest of the central business district of Kansas City, in Platte County, Missouri, United States. In 2008, 10,469,892 passengers used the airport...
, and PVR
PVR
PVR may refer to:*Peak Vehicle Requirement, the number of public transport vehicles required to operate the highest frequency service on a route*Penn Virginia Resources, a mining company* Personal video recorder, also known as a digital video recorder...
-MCI, in addition to the airline's Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
hub. In December 2009, Frontier planned to increase service out of Cancún with new non-stop flights to Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
and St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. In cooperation with Apple Vacations, Frontier offers non-stop, weekend-only charter service between Chicago's Midway Airport and Cancún, and Saturday-only service between Denver and Huatulco, Mexico. In cooperation with MLT Worry Free Vacations, Frontier also offers non-stop twice weekly scheduled charter service between both Dallas/Ft Worth and Denver to Cancún.
At its peak, Frontier served 21 routes between 12 U.S. gateways and eight destinations in Mexico (excluding Charters). The expansion included routes from California, Indiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin to Mexico.
By the end of 2009, Frontier planned operate 10 routes between five U.S. gateways and five destinations in Mexico (excluding Charters).
Codeshare agreements
Frontier Airlines has a codeshare agreement with the following airlines:- Great Lakes AirlinesGreat Lakes AirlinesGreat Lakes Airlines , is an American regional airline operating domestic scheduled and charter services. Corporate headquarters are located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with hubs at Denver International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, McCarran...
: Connecting flights through Denver International AirportDenver International AirportDenver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...
and Phoenix Sky Harbor International AirportPhoenix Sky Harbor International AirportPhoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located southeast of the central business district of the city of Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States...
Fleet
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A318 | 4 | 0 | 120 | Launch customer Exit from service 2012 |
| Airbus A319-100 | 41 | 0 | 138 | |
| Airbus A319neo | 0 | 20 | Deliveries beginning late decade | |
| Airbus A320-200 Airbus A320 family The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001... |
14 | 0 | 162 | |
| Airbus A320neo | 0 | 60 | Deliveries beginning late decade | |
| Bombardier CS300 Bombardier CSeries The Bombardier CSeries is a family of narrow-body, twin-engine, medium-range jet airliners being developed by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace. Models are the 110-seat CS100, and the 130-seat CS300... |
0 | 40 | Deliveries beginning 2015 | |
| Bombardier Q400 | 4 | 0 | 74 | Operated by Republic Airlines Republic Airlines Republic Airline, Inc., operating as Republic Airlines is a regional airline subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings that operates service as Frontier Airlines, Midwest Airlines and US Airways Express using a fleet of Bombardier Q400, Embraer 170, Embraer 175 and Embraer 190 aircraft... as Frontier Express |
| ERJ 135 | 3 | 0 | 37 | Operated by Chautauqua Airlines Chautauqua Airlines Chautauqua Airlines, Inc. is a regional airline and a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings based in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Based on 2009 published flight schedules, it operates scheduled passenger services on more than 700 flights daily to 98 airports in 31 states, Washington, D.C... as Frontier Express, 3 to be removed September 2011 |
| ERJ 145 | 6 | 0 | 50 | Operated by Chautauqua Airlines Chautauqua Airlines Chautauqua Airlines, Inc. is a regional airline and a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings based in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Based on 2009 published flight schedules, it operates scheduled passenger services on more than 700 flights daily to 98 airports in 31 states, Washington, D.C... as Frontier Express |
| Embraer E-170 | 2 | 0 | 76 | Operated by Republic Airlines Republic Airlines Republic Airline, Inc., operating as Republic Airlines is a regional airline subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings that operates service as Frontier Airlines, Midwest Airlines and US Airways Express using a fleet of Bombardier Q400, Embraer 170, Embraer 175 and Embraer 190 aircraft... as Frontier Airlines Exit from service October 2011 (all to Delta) |
| Embraer E-190 | 15 | 6 orders 18 options |
99 | Operated by Republic Airlines Republic Airlines Republic Airline, Inc., operating as Republic Airlines is a regional airline subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings that operates service as Frontier Airlines, Midwest Airlines and US Airways Express using a fleet of Bombardier Q400, Embraer 170, Embraer 175 and Embraer 190 aircraft... as Frontier Airlines Orders to be delivered in 2011 and 2012 |
| Total | 91 | 126/18 |
Fleet history
Frontier was a Boeing 737 Classic operator during the late 1990s and early 2000s, operating only Boeing 737-300 aircraft; by the 3rd quarter of 2001, Frontier decided that the airline's Boeing 737 fleet was becoming dated and less efficient. Beginning in the first quarter of 2002, they slowly phased out the Boeing 737-300s with new Airbus A319-100 aircraft which Airbus claims are 15% more efficient than the older jets. Since the merger with Midwest AirlinesMidwest Airlines
Midwest Airlines was a U.S.-based airline and was also an operating brand of Republic Airways Holdings based in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. operating from Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport...
was announced in April 2010, Frontier has inherited Embraer E135, E145, E170 and E190 aircraft. Frontier is also in the process of retiring its fleet of Bombardier Q400s and Airbus A318s; Frontier’s fleet of Bombardier Q400s is to be replaced by Embraer E170 and Embraer E190 aircraft; the retirement of the Q400s began in early 2010 and is expected to be complete by April 2011. Frontier's fleet of A318s is also in the process of being retired, in September–October 2010, five of the nine aircraft are to be retired and be replaced by six newly leased Airbus A320s, Frontier has not yet announced plans for the remaining four aircraft, but they are expected to be fully retired sometime in 2012.
Livery
The concepts used in the livery extend into Frontier’s marketing as well. Animal aircraft used in their radio and television commercials include Jack the rabbit, Grizwald the bear, Foxy the fox (for whom Jack has a crush), Flip the dolphin (who always gets stuck going to Chicago rather than the warmer climates the others are going to), Larry the lynx, Hector the sea otter, and Sal the cougar. New additions are Penguins Jim, Joe, Jay, and Gary, a barbershop-style quartet, singing the praises of EarlyReturns to an audience of Frontier’s well-known characters from the "a whole different animal" campaign, and Hector the otter, advertising Frontier's expanded service to Mexico.
Since the merger with Midwest Airlines
Midwest Airlines
Midwest Airlines was a U.S.-based airline and was also an operating brand of Republic Airways Holdings based in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. operating from Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport...
, Frontier is in the process of repainting 43 Embraer aircraft with the Frontier livery. As of September 2010, four aircraft had been repainted with Frontier Airlines’ livery. The entire process is expected to be completed by December 2011.
Tail art and names
Cabin
Economy: The economy fare targets passengers who do not need to check bags and do not expect to change their flight. Amenities available for purchase include: snacks, checked bags and in-flight television. Should a passenger need to change their ticket, a $50.00 change fee as well as fare difference is charged. Passengers earn 100% of the EarlyReturns frequent flier miles. This is the lowest cost ticket available for purchase and is non-refundable.
Classic: The classic fare most closely represents Frontier's traditional level of cabin service. Purchasers of this fare get two complimentary checked bags and complementary DirectTV television programming. Itinerary changes are made at a cost of a $25.00 change fee as well as fare difference. This is the mid-level cost ticket and is non-refundable. EarlyReturns miles are credited at 125 percent.
Classic plus: Fares in this category are fully refundable, and flight changes, even on the same day, do not carry an extra fee. Besides the freebies included with the classic fare, passengers receive priority boarding, an in-flight snack and a premium beverage. EarlyReturns miles are credited at 150 percent.
Buy on board
In commercial flight, buy on board is a system where food or beverages are paid for on board; often food or beverages are not included in the ticket price for certain fare classes....
service. This service provides passengers with a variety of snack options available for purchase on board. They include offerings from Mountain Man Fruit and Nut Company and Udi's Handcrafted Foods. Fresh sandwiches and salads from Udi's are also available on select Airbus flights.
Frontier was one of the first carriers to offer a virtual "mall" or the Frontier More Store, allowing elite Ascent or Summit frequent-flyers to spend accrued miles on merchandise and unique services. As of May 30, 2008, Frontier Airlines discontinued the "More Store" due to the filing of Chapter 11 protection on April 10, 2008.
EarlyReturns
EarlyReturns is Frontier Airlines’ frequent flier program. It is a mileage-based program that contains three levels. Upon enrolling, members start at the first level, Base, and accrue miles commensurate with actual air miles traveled on Frontier. Once a member accumulates 15,000 miles in a calendar year, they reach the Ascent level and receive free DIRECTVDirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
service, two complimentary checked bags, priority boarding and ticketing, priority seat assignments, a 25% mileage bonus in addition to miles accrued, and other perks. The third level, Summit, is awarded for the accrual of 25,000 miles in a calendar year and adds a 50% mileage bonus in addition to miles accrued on each flight. Besides receiving the same benefits as Ascent members, Summit members also receive complimentary alcoholic beverages and guaranteed availability for all flights, even sold-out flights. Free round trip tickets between all destinations in the contiguous U.S. as well as to Alaska require 25,000 miles, and round trip award tickets to and from Mexico and Costa Rica require 35,000 miles.