Frontier Airlines

[musicmom24]

Have any of you ever flown Frontier to MCO? What was your experience? We are a family of 6 looking to keep costs down, but I've never flown Frontier before. Can you use Magical Express and is Frontier reliable? Thanks for any input you have!

 

[StageTek]

I have. In general Frontier is fine. Very low budget, up charge for EVERYTHING, seats and leg room not so good but not terrible.
Yes, you can use Magical Express.
They are about as reliable as most.

Check out these threads:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/frontier-airlines-was-it-worth-it.3626604/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/has-anyone-flown-frontier.3677422/

 

[musicmom24]

Awesome, thanks!

 

[DISNEYSQUIRRELS]

We (5) flew Frontier for the first time in January 2018. I was very nervous given some of the reviews I read online before the trip.
Everything was FINE. As mentioned above they do up charge for everything (bags, aisle seat, window seat, etc).
Frontier does state that they allow a personal bag per person & they give the dimensions (Size: 14"H X 18"W X 8"D) on their website. I made sure to measure beforehand, this size actually ended up being the size of a standard backpack.
A couple of things that were non-issues to us, but I heard others talking about. The seats on the plane are very simple in design (not thick, plush seats), the tray table is very small (iPad or Kindle size).
The staff at the airport is a little rough around the edges-think the cast of Jersey Shore processing you through the area where you check-in & do your bags.
They are also VERY adamant about being through the check-in desks & security well in advance of the flight. I don't know if they have an official policy about this, it was just what we heard & saw while in the airports.
We are always early anyway, so this was good with us. The savings were phenomenal & we are flying them again in August.

 

[rwdavis2]

Just check the number of flights per day for your airport. In the unlikely event your flight gets cancelled it may be days to get another flight.

 

[cuteinnocent]

It was great, on a redeye got in like an hour early! You only pay for whatever extras you choose. I don't see a need to pay for seat assignments as they put you together anyway - just check in online before seats get filled up.

 

[cuteinnocent]

You can use Magical Express no matter what airline you use.

 

[Happiest.Haunt_999]

Have any of you ever flown Frontier to MCO? What was your experience? We are a family of 6 looking to keep costs down, but I've never flown Frontier before. Can you use Magical Express and is Frontier reliable? Thanks for any input you have!

Yes, about 6 years ago before they became a super super economy airline, I wouldn't fly them now unless I was incredibly desperate.

 

[Capang]

We've had no problems with Frontier. That said, check around with other airlines as well. Where I am frontier is cheaper, even after adding the works (carry on, check bag, seat assignment, refundability), than any other airline. But that isnt the case at every airport.

 

[lvdis]

We just flew Frontier into MCO 5/5 - 5/12/18. We had no problems whatsoever. There were 5 of us and we checked 2 large suitcases and we all had backpacks that we carried on. For both flights I checked in right at the 24 hour mark and both times we were all seated across the same row. You just can't beat a nonstop flight, especially for the price. All 5 of us flew for $640 and that included the 2 checked bags. By far the best deal I found. The flights were on time and very efficient. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again if the times and prices were right.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I saw on the news Frontier had a major issue at PHL. People were stranded for days at the airport and Frontier couldn't provide them a new plane. I believe it was a connecting flight. Not completely sure.

I'm afraid to fly any budget airlines due to these customer service issues.

 

[peteykirch]

We fly Frontier a few times a year, and if you go in expecting no frills, it's not as bad as you'd think. What we like is to take Frontier out of a small municipal airport that only has like 3 gates. It was so nice not having to deal with throngs of people, and it showed in the employees. Nicest TSA agents I ever dealt with was flying out of Trenton. I absolutely detest the TSA in Orlando since they apparently don't do the things the same as other airports. I thought Federal Agencies are supposed to have uniform standards and practices across the board, but in Orlando they decide randomly to change things on a whim.

 

[KelNChrisKYDis]

We used them for the first time last year, it was totally fine. As others have said, no thrills and they charge extra for extras, but we knew that going in. The only issue we had, which wasn't really an issue, is that when we have previously flown with Delta, we were able to check our luggage at the resort on departure day... Frontier, we weren't. We took it with us on the Magical Express. Truly though it wasn't a big deal.

 

[KelNChrisKYDis]

I absolutely detest the TSA in Orlando since they apparently don't do the things the same as other airports. I thought Federal Agencies are supposed to have uniform standards and practices across the board, but in Orlando they decide randomly to change things on a whim.

We've flown out of MCO the past 3 years and never have we had the same screening policies. It's so random and bizarre.

 

[Buzz's Buddy]

We've flown Frontier several times with no issues.

Just make sure you know what you're getting into. I just flew Frontier from Indianapolis to Philly. As we were waiting for our checked baggage at the carousel, a woman next to me was complaining about being charged more for checked and carry-on baggage than other guests.

It turns out that she wasn't aware that it costs more to pay for your bags at the airport, then if you pay online in advance.

Just do your homework.

 

[Dis703]

We've been flying Frontier almost exclusively the past 5 years. Just took them to Orlando in the fall and again this past weekend. Have them booked to Myrtle beach in June and to Orlando again in October. So far no issues and the prices cannot be beat. Do look at all the fees and determine what you must have. For short trips we only travel with a free personal item under the seat and we no longer pay for seat selections so aside from the occasional snack there are no extra fees for us. If all five of us travel for more than 4 nights we use one large suitcase to limit the added costs for luggage and check it.

NJ/PA to Orlando we've been paying about $50-$100RT.

 

[barbliny]

In the past 8 months I have logged 19 legs and over 19,000 miles on Frontier without a single problem (knock on wood). Our flights have gotten off the ground at the airport while at the same time Southwest is cancelling theirs. Our flights all originate on Long Island (Islip) and we've flown to Fort Myers, Tampa, Minneapolis and numerous times to Orlando and Palm Beach. There was a family emergency that caused us to have to cancel a trip at one point, and although Frontier charges you for every little thing - their emergency cancellation policy allowed us to cancel and rebook those flights at no cost with a letter from the doctor.

As long as you know ahead of time that everything is a la carte and you purchase what you need, then there are no surprises. Just a matter of doing the math ahead of time. We usually travel with only our personal item (purchased a great Delsey under-the-seat rolling suitcase after a few flights - fits a lot). If there is a trip that we want to carry more luggage - then we'll share a checked bag. We usually purchase our seats ahead of time because we've learned where we like to sit and where we 'get our best bang for our buck' in terms of pre-paid seat selections. I will say that we have rarely been on a flight where the boarding process is not being disrupted by a passenger that did not pay for their seat assignment is trying to coerce other passengers to switch with them - it happens almost every time.

Frontier has given us the ability to fly almost on a whim and more often than we could have before. Last month, we flew in and out of Minneapolis on a Saturday and used the day to explore a new city that we would probably have never visited before. The flight was less than the Long Island Railroad to NYC would have cost us.

Also, be very acutely aware that Frontier changes their routes often and thinks nothing of making those changes quickly - causing the cancellations of flights just weeks out. This is not the airline you pick your flights on your 'must do at this time' agenda 6 months out.

 

[Dis703]

In the past 8 months I have logged 19 legs and over 19,000 miles on Frontier without a single problem (knock on wood). Our flights have gotten off the ground at the airport while at the same time Southwest is cancelling theirs. Our flights all originate on Long Island (Islip) and we've flown to Fort Myers, Tampa, Minneapolis and numerous times to Orlando and Palm Beach. There was a family emergency that caused us to have to cancel a trip at one point, and although Frontier charges you for every little thing - their emergency cancellation policy allowed us to cancel and rebook those flights at no cost with a letter from the doctor.

.

Yes, this! I got the flu the day we were supposed to fly to Orlando 2 years ago and was able to easily cancel and reschedule with no fees once I faxed them a doctor's note. The customer service rep I spoke with was super helpful. On the flip side American wanted $200 to change my $75 return flight with them. Luckily I used a credit card that covered the lost flight with them.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We just flew Frontier for the first times on May 4th and 12th. We are Jetblue veterans, but Jetblue does not offer nonstop service from DTW to MCO. Frontier was an affordable option so we gave them a try, and we were very happily surprised.

We added The Works package for both of us to both flights. This included:

✓ Carry-On Bag
✓ Checked Bag
✓ Seat Selection
✓ Priority Boarding
✓ Flight Flexibility
✓ 100% Refundability

It was around $70 pp/each way for the Works package, but the seats alone (Stretch Seats) were worth $45 each all on their own. So the upgrade with the luggage included and refundability option, was worth it for us.

These were our seats, in row 13:

So much space between me and the seat in front of me, I couldn't reach it without getting up. My 6' 4" husband was thrilled.

The seats are not padded super thickly (the Stretch Seats moreso than the regular seats), and neither are they super wide, but I had tons of room. It was only my DH (who is 300 pounds) who felt the squeeze a bit.

Inflight crew were very professional. Pilots were awesome (some of the smoothest landings we've ever enjoyed) and got us to our destination earlier than stated. No issues with baggage.

No TV's onboard, and snacks are purchase only, but we brought our own snacks and magazines/etc. to keep us busy.

We did have a one hour delay coming home (they were apparently short staffed and had to wait for crew) but that's less than the delays we've had on Jetblue on our last 3 vacations. It was minimal and we were kept well informed by the gate staff.

Honestly, we were impressed. We will be flying them again for our October trip. Delta is our only other nonstop option from DTW, and they are twice the price of Frontier WITH the Works upgrade. Frontier was good enough that we can't rationalize paying twice the price.

 

[Sailormoon2]

Re post from another thread:

If you flew into MCO on Frontier did DME pick up your luggage and deliver to your hotel? Or did you have to get your bags and bring them to the bus yourself?