Is Frontier Airlines any good?

[maryj11]

I have never flown on them and wondered if they are any good. Do they cancel a lot or late?

 

[EACarlson]

When everything goes well, they're fine as long as you pay attention to their rules. If things go wrong, there is usually no way to recover. Personally I won't use them for events that it would really hurt me to miss. But for a quick getaway or trip that you won't be heartbroken if it falls apart, I'd do it.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We've written them off for good. We had one good flight with them in October, 2023 so we signed up for their Discount Den program.

We were supposed to fly to Tampa from Chicago in June, 2024 and got a notification that the flight was delayed as we were leaving for the airport. Our mid-morning flight did not end up taking off until almost 10 pm. We demanded a refund (after it was delayed for the 4th time) and second guessed ourselves the whole week thinking we should have just gone because our accommodations were non-refundable. I happened to check the flight back home to Chicago to see if it took off on time and it was GONE, nowhere to be seen, completely canceled. I can only imagine how much it would have cost us to scramble to get on a flight back home from Tampa at the last minute with another carrier.

As @EACarlson said above, when everything works, they're great. But when there's a glitch it's a major problem.

 

[robinb]

Frontier and Spirit nickel and dime you on everything. The initial airfare may look tempting, but once you add an assigned seat, bags (both carry on and checked) and refreshments you are nearly the same price as a legacy carrier.

That being said, I flew them in May from Milwaukee to pick up my kittens in Denver. I only had a backpack that held the collapsible pet carrier and a water bottle. The gate agent size checked every single bag as we boarded. I was fine, but she caught a number of people who were oversized a bit and they were forced to pay an exorbitant fee for their carry on that was only slightly too big. The entire planeload of us were stressed by the bag size check, even though most of us were fine. It felt like we had to prove to her that we were not cheaters and rule breakers and that she actually enjoyed catching people. I personally don't need that negativity in my life.

 

[Lumpy1106]

When everything goes well, they're fine as long as you pay attention to their rules. If things go wrong, there is usually no way to recover. Personally I won't use them for events that it would really hurt me to miss. But for a quick getaway or trip that you won't be heartbroken if it falls apart, I'd do it.

^THIS
I don't have a visceral reaction to Frontier like I do Spirit (gonna lump Allegiant in there too), but this was our experience too. We flew out of a smaller airport, into a smaller airport. Flights to those airports are commonly just once or twice a week. The flight back got cancelled. We got back flying into a larger nearby airport, but the cost to get back and get the car from the airport we flew out of wiped out any money we saved flying Frontier in the first place - and then some.
Frontier flight experience is pretty Spartan. You pay extra for everything. Don't expect much if anything out of the in-flight service. Forget about niceties like wifi. Don't trust the price you see when you compare to other airlines - all the extra fees usually wipes that out. Still technically the cheapest option in most cases, but not by much. Frontier is also notorious for moving flight times around on a whim, so pay close attention to that and be flexible with your plans.

 

[EACarlson]

Frontier and Spirit nickel and dime you on everything. The initial airfare may look tempting, but once you add an assigned seat, bags (both carry on and checked) and refreshments you are nearly the same price as a legacy carrier.

That being said, I flew them in May from Milwaukee to pick up my kittens in Denver. I only had a backpack that held the collapsible pet carrier and a water bottle. The gate agent size checked every single bag as we boarded. I was fine, but she caught a number of people who were oversized a bit and they were forced to pay an exorbitant fee for their carry on that was only slightly too big. The entire planeload of us were stressed by the bag size check, even though most of us were fine. It felt like we had to prove to her that we were not cheaters and rule breakers and that she actually enjoyed catching people. I personally don't need that negativity in my life.

This is exactly what I meant about knowing and following the rules. What we think of as standard carryon sizes are actually oversized. The ULCCs enforce those rules that the legacy carriers generally don't.

 

[disneyseniors]

I only flew Allegient once. It was from a small airport and was a short flight. The cost was so reasonable for that short flight that I booked it without thinking.
I expected the plane to be barebones and it was. The seat looked like the size of the old kitchen chairs my grandma used to have. If you were just a little over weight you were doomed.

I got the last row aisle seat and no one was in the window seat, until.............Down came the biggest man I have ever seen. He had to duck his head to fit in the plane and must have weighed 300 lbs. There were no other empty seats, so he lumbered down the aisle and looked at me. We both burst out laughing because he must have seen the look of terror on my face. He stuffed himself into the seat and opened his lunch and started eating. We got to talking and he was a very nice young man. It wasn't a comfortable flight but it turned out ok.

Would I book Allegient or another discount aircarrier? No, I usually only fly Delta and that was a one and done for me. Even if a short flight comes up I will stick with Delta.

 

[_19disnA]

Have flown several times on Frontier and never had any issues. I feel like they have their act together way more than many of the other 'shoe string' airlines where everything seems so disorganized.

 

[DIS_MERI]

If I book Frontier, I book a backup flight on Southwest. There's a higher than 50% chance that Frontier is either going to cancel my flight or change it so drastically that it becomes unworkable. In the unlikely event that Frontier completes the flight, I cancel the SW flight for future credit.

 

[Jodo98]

I have never flown on them and wondered if they are any good. Do they cancel a lot or late?

My step son and hubby have flown and they do stay its the most uncomfortable seats they have ever been on. For short distances i guess they are good, but they charge for every bag including carry on.

 

[PHXscuba]

When everything goes well, they're fine as long as you pay attention to their rules. If things go wrong, there is usually no way to recover. Personally I won't use them for events that it would really hurt me to miss. But for a quick getaway or trip that you won't be heartbroken if it falls apart, I'd do it.

THIS ^^^

Flew Frontier twice this summer and both times I was delayed overnight coming home with little recourse.

The first time the gate agents told us -- repeatedly -- for 4 hours after the flight got cancelled that they were getting out-of-towners hotel vouchers so we all hung around the airport waiting for those. Come to find out (at 11:30 pm after public transport stopped and airport hotels were sold out) that they never do this. I can now check "slept in an airport" off my bucket list. I felt really bad for the mom and toddler, and the lady in a wheelchair who were stuck there too.

Second time a similar thing happened. This time I could see it happening and got them to rebook me as soon as I could to get anything. Unfortunately the only realistic option (that wouldn't end up right back in the same loop at this small airport) was to take an Uber to a big airport the next afternoon. This time at least I had a relative to stay with. I got home about 20 hours late.

So I am done with Frontier. Yes any flight can have problems -- I'm a seasoned traveler -- but if the plane or the crew has anything wrong they have ZERO backup plan, the gate agents are slow and clueless, and they don't offer hotel vouchers even if it's their problem.

PHXscuba

 

[Lumpy1106]

So I am done with Frontier. Yes any flight can have problems -- I'm a seasoned traveler -- but if the plane or the crew has anything wrong they have ZERO backup plan, the gate agents are slow and clueless, and they don't offer hotel vouchers even if it's their problem.

PHXscuba

This sounds illegal. If the delay is caused by them they are supposed to compensate you - both meals and accommodations. Not so for weather delays. We got stuck in Portland because Southwest preemptively moved planes in advance of the hurricane that came ashore in So Cal. We were on the hook for that one, but at least they rescheduled our flight in plenty of time for us to make arrangements. Crazy but true, we still made it to So Cal before the hurricane made landfall.

Knowledge is everything and I don't pretend to be an expert. Know the rules before you talk to the gate agent. If they are rescheduling people onto other flights, find the one that works best for YOU before you talk to them. Cost does not matter - if the flight has seats and you are willing to do this legwork you'll get what you want at no added cost to you. The gate agent just wants to get you where you are going. This is especially true if the flight delay they caused will make you miss a connection somewhere else.

 

[Lewisc]

she actually enjoyed catching people. I

Frontier pays the agent $10 per bag. She enjoyed it because she was earning money.

Don't trust the price you see when you compare to other airlines - all the extra fees usually wipes that out.

You only save real money if you change the way you fly. Let the airline assign your seat. Buy the right size personal item. Wear your heavy clothing items. Check a maximum of 1 bag for 2 pax.

If they are rescheduling people onto other flights, find the one that works best for

Some markets Frontier doesn't even offer daily service. Your option will be to take whatever is offered or get a refund.

 

[_19disnA]

I can't speak to the hotel voucher thing, but friends of ours flew on Frontier and there was some sort of delay with their flight so they eventually arrived a few hours later. They offered everyone free tickets for a future flight if used within the next year as I recall. They thought it was a great deal and really didn't care they arrived a couple of hours later.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

If I book Frontier, I book a backup flight on Southwest.

This is brilliant!

 

[EACarlson]

This sounds illegal. If the delay is caused by them they are supposed to compensate you - both meals and accommodations. Not so for weather delays. We got stuck in Portland because Southwest preemptively moved planes in advance of the hurricane that came ashore in So Cal. We were on the hook for that one, but at least they rescheduled our flight in plenty of time for us to make arrangements. Crazy but true, we still made it to So Cal before the hurricane made landfall.

Knowledge is everything and I don't pretend to be an expert. Know the rules before you talk to the gate agent. If they are rescheduling people onto other flights, find the one that works best for YOU before you talk to them. Cost does not matter - if the flight has seats and you are willing to do this legwork you'll get what you want at no added cost to you. The gate agent just wants to get you where you are going. This is especially true if the flight delay they caused will make you miss a connection somewhere else.

Not illegal. There is no law or regulation requiring an airline to provide more than a refund of your ticket price. The major airlines all have policies in place and the DOT has combined those policies at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/airline-cancellation-delay-dashboard It appears that one can receive meal vouchers if it's a controllable delay or cancellation, but I'm sure you'd have to know to ask for it and demand it in order to receive it.
By comparison, I had a flight on AA in October that they could have legitimately called as weather, but they did not and provided me with a hotel and food vouchers for my missed connection.

 

[PHXscuba]

This sounds illegal. If the delay is caused by them they are supposed to compensate you - both meals and accommodations. Not so for weather delays. We got stuck in Portland because Southwest preemptively moved planes in advance of the hurricane that came ashore in So Cal. We were on the hook for that one, but at least they rescheduled our flight in plenty of time for us to make arrangements. Crazy but true, we still made it to So Cal before the hurricane made landfall.

Knowledge is everything and I don't pretend to be an expert. Know the rules before you talk to the gate agent. If they are rescheduling people onto other flights, find the one that works best for YOU before you talk to them. Cost does not matter - if the flight has seats and you are willing to do this legwork you'll get what you want at no added cost to you. The gate agent just wants to get you where you are going. This is especially true if the flight delay they caused will make you miss a connection somewhere else.

I did get meal vouchers in both cases. I did check (later) and Frontier is one of the few airlines that specifically doesn't offer a hotel for any reason. However, the gate agents there were taking down everyone's info and told us -- repeatedly-- over the course of several hours that we were getting hotel vouchers, to just wait for the email.

If they had been up front about the no-hotel policy I would have been grumpy to be stranded overnight but I would have gotten an airport hotel reservation myself and been settled in by 7 PM Instead about 20 of us with no place to go hung around the airport -- trusting what the gate agents said -- until we had no other options.

It was the lying/misinformation/miscommunication that really upset me. And that the alternative options are usually 12-24 hours delayed (again, with only $20 in airport food and no place to stay).

The "money for a free flight" Frontier offers only cover the airline fee -- none of the taxes or airport fees. So that $100 ticket could be $40, plus $60 in fees that the free flight voucher doesn't cover.

PHXscuba

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

My step son and hubby have flown and they do stay its the most uncomfortable seats they have ever been on. For short distances i guess they are good, but they charge for every bag including carry on.

My one Frontier airline trip, I would describe the seat as a plastic cafeteria seat. Horrible!

 

[Boopuff]

Frontier is very strict about the 40 pound bag thing. They also do not print out boarding passes. Download the app and be ready! The gate agents are no joke. They thrive on "catching" too big bags to force payment at the gate (they earn $10) commission and ticket agents are no different. You will be charged just for speaking to an agent. They're also woefully understaffed and all gate/ticket agents work for a third party so complaining to Frontier does next to nothing. I worked at the airport for a stint and learned a lot.

 

[Frank4202]

The nickel and dime you worse than Disney. Plus, they are not reliable.

Not worth the risk or hassle.