Frontier airlines?

[Princesspolly0110]

I am an avid southwest flyer but our travel dates are making it impossible to afford them. Anyone use frontier? They have an incredible deal right now for our outgoing flight. So tell me the good bad and ugly!

 

[Dis703]

We just flew them home from Orlando last night which makes the 5th flight I've taken on Frontier in the last 7 months or so. I've been very happy with them and their prices cannot be beat around here. Their cheap flights are the reason I've been able to keep going back so often.

Do familiarize yourself with their fees because in some cases if you add up everything you may need, it might not come up to be that much cheaper than other airlines. But we have been flying them for shorter trips so no checked and no carry on. We bring a "personal item" for free so we pack everything in a decent sized backpack and/or diaper bag (per person) with maybe one extra lunch bag. We do normally pay to choose our seats but even then RT from Trenton or Philly to Orlando has been total anywhere from $50-$100.

Their staff has been awesome, the flights themselves have been great. We left late once but still ended up on time. All other times we have been on time if not early. Last night on our flight home there was a sick boy sitting behind us. He was apparently throwing up. The flight attendents were so attentive to them and gave him a free ginger ale to help settle his stomach. They were top notch.

And my best experience with them was just this recent fight. I had to postpone our trip about 10 days because I got sick with the flu. I had trip cancellation insurance with my credit card I used but didn't even need it with Frontier because they will waive the change fee with documentation from a physician that I was too sick to fly. It was super easy and I had a credit within minutes of submitting it online so I could rebook our flights.

I was nervous the first time because they had a ton of bad reviews. Most of those were relating to their fees which I could see being upset about if you went into it unaware and got caught with the higher baggage fees at the gate or something. I like that the fees are all separate because I don't need all of those things. The other major complaint is that they don't have many flights. In some cities they only fly once a day or sometimes even less. So if bad weather or something cancels your flight you may be out of luck for an entire day or more. So far, knock on wood, we haven't had a cancellation but I know of this potential issue and plans are usually pretty flexible for us.

All in all, I highly recommend them.

 

[Momto2PrncChrmgs]

We're using Frontier in 5 days, and i'm a nervous wreck! (We're usually Southwest flyers, too).

Does anyone know if my kids can carry on their blanket or a pillow and NOT have it count as their personal item?

 

[betterbutter]

The other major complaint is that they don't have many flights. In some cities they only fly once a day or sometimes even less. So if bad weather or something cancels your flight you may be out of luck for an entire day or more. So far, knock on wood, we haven't had a cancellation but I know of this potential issue and plans are usually pretty flexible for us.

All in all, I highly recommend them.

If you are staying someplace that you can cancel before 6:00 without penalty and have AP's so nothing is lost financially on a cancellation, they might work. But as you pointed out, in many markets they only fly once a day or even only 4-6 days a week. If the flight cancels due to weather, ATC, or mechanical problem, they will put you on the next available flight. That could mean several days wait during a busy holiday season.

 

[Dis703]

If you are staying someplace that you can cancel before 6:00 without penalty and have AP's so nothing is lost financially on a cancellation, they might work. But as you pointed out, in many markets they only fly once a day or even only 4-6 days a week. If the flight cancels due to weather, ATC, or mechanical problem, they will put you on the next available flight. That could mean several days wait during a busy holiday season.

Yes, which is why it works for us though. We never fly during a busy time. And we only book directly with Disney and they will always allow you to postpone without penalty. We'd never plan a trip we had to cancel outright just move like we did a couple weeks ago. Going out we also have multiple airports to choose from. If it's coming home we'd be a little more stuck. But at least we have the insurance coverage with the cards we book with if it ever happens.

 

[Dis703]

We're using Frontier in 5 days, and i'm a nervous wreck! (We're usually Southwest flyers, too).

Does anyone know if my kids can carry on their blanket or a pillow and NOT have it count as their personal item?

In my experience this has been fine. We had 2 personal items for two people, a diaper bag and a backpack, and DS carried his souvenirs (binoculars a huge sword and his Duffy he colored. I also had a Vera Bradley lunch bag I take every time in addition to our 2 items. I have a letter of medical necessity to carry foods for my son, but no one has ever asked about the extra bag.

On the flight home the other night lots of kids were carrying a backpack and a stuffed animal (some pretty large) or other souvenirs. I didn't see anyone given a hard time about it.