Among several modes of transportation, airways are the most quickest and convenient of them all. It can easily take you to your destination in just a matter of a few hours. Things to know when flying on Frontier airlines for begginers.
If you are taking a first-time flight to your destination on Frontier Airlines, there are a few things that you should know before you embark on your holiday or business trip. In this guide, we shall take a look at a couple of important things when flying with Frontier Airlines.
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Frontier is a Low-Cost Airline Carrier
Frontier Airlines is an ultra low-cost commercial airline carrier with its headquarters in Denver, in the U.S. state of Colorado. It serves both domestic and international destinations, with a total number of destinations counting to 112 in more than 30 countries around the world.
Being a low-cost airline, Frontier even surprises customers with their cheapest flight reservation price that can go as low as $79, and sometimes, even lower than that. Frontier Airlines makes it possible to find a good price on a domestic ticket, particularly when you are flying from one city to another. Frontier flights, however, do not have many of the high-end amenities that other airlines offer, so you will not find first-class entertainment systems or fancy meals.
If you are looking to pay less to get from one place to another, however, this is a good way to go. It is a particularly smart choice if you are flying with a family and do not want to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars in flights.
Things to know when flying on Frontier airlines: Frontier Destinations
Frontier Airlines is known for its small and budget-friendly airline, and with the company slogan that says “Low Fares Done Right”. It serves many cities in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Canada.
A few major cities that are served by Frontier Airlines include Philadelphia, Orlando, Las Vegas, Cleveland, Trenton, Cincinnati, Miami, Tampa, Santa Ana, Portland, St. Augustine, Chicago, Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Atlanta.
Also, its most popular routes are:
- Cleveland to Orlando
- Denver to Las Vegas
- Philadelphia Trenton to Orlando
- Atlanta to Denver
- Denver to Los Angeles
Frontier’s hub is in Denver city of Colorado, where training for all careers with Frontier also takes place here.
Frontier’s Booking Options
Frontier Airlines reservation is a low-cost airline. Therefore, the airline follows the standard low-cost strategy when it comes to airfare. It’s Basic cabin class ticket covers your flight and a personal item only, and anything else can be purchased by paying an additional fee.
There are only three ticketing or flight booking options that are available to passengers. These include:
(a) Basic
(b) The WORKS
(c) The PERKS
(a) Basic: As mentioned above, Frontier’s Basic fare provides passengers just the basic flight experience. This booking option can get you from Point A to Point B in a standard seat and allows you to carry only one personal item onboard.
(b) The WORKS: The WORKS is Frontier’s top-tier bundle that can be purchased at the time of booking only. The cost usually starts at $59 for a one-way trip and may vary by route. It is also based on a round-trip purchase.
This ticketing option includes the following:
- The ability to refund your Frontier ticket
- No change fees
- Seat selection
- 1 carry-on bag included
- 1 checked bag included
- Priority boarding
(c) The PERKS: The PERKS is Frontier’s second-tier bundle. However, the cost may vary by route. It is also based on a round-trip purchase.
This ticketing option includes the following:
- Seat selection
- 1 carry-on bag included
- 1 checked bag included
- Priority boarding
As you can see, The PERKS does not include the ability to change or cancel your reservation. You can add The PERKS at any time, even if you booked your flight through a third-party travel agent.
Frontier’s The WORKS and The PERKS options are actually bundles. Frontier conveniently bundles extras together and offers them to you at a discounted rate in two different tier options.
Frontier’s Discount Den
Frontier Airlines offers an e-mail savings service called Discount Den for a $49.99 annual fee. If a customer subscribes to Discount Den service, Frontier advertises exclusive access to the lowest available fares. They also state that the more you fly, the more you will save.
Here is what you can get from Frontier’s Discount Den service:
- Exclusive access to the lowest fares
- Unlimited savings for one year
- Fares available for 6 persons on the itinerary (as long as the subscriber is one of the passengers)
- First look at new offers, promotions and destinations
- Earn EarlyReturns miles with every purchase
Frontier’s EarlyReturns Elite Status
Frontier Airlines offers EarlyReturns, which is its frequent flyer program. If a passenger is able to reach the EarlyReturns Elite status, they get certain perks, including a number of waived fees. So, in order to reach the Elite status, EarlyReturns members are required to fly at least 20,000 miles or 25 one-way flights within a 365-day rolling calendar year i.e. in 12 months.
Once EarlyReturns Elite status is attained, the following benefits are awarded to passengers:
- Zone 1 boarding (priority check-in, boarding and security)
- Complimentary carry-on bag
- Advance seat assignment
- Free upgrade to stretch seating (if available at 24-hour Frontier check-in)
- Extra fees waived (call centre reservation fee, award redemption fee, unaccompanied minor fee, same day confirmed fee, same day and standby fee)
- Last seat availability (use miles to redeem any available seat)
Frontier’s Baggage and Other Fees and Add-ons
Since Frontier is a low-cost airline that lists fares accordingly, you can expect some extra fees related to your trip. Unless, of course, you are the type of person who can fly comfortably with only one personal item onboard. Instead of hiding the add-ons, Frontier gladly explains why they keep fares so low. It gives customers a choice, so you only pay for what is important to you.
Baggage Fees
If you purchased Frontier’s The WORKS or The PERKS bundle, then you already have one carry-on bag and one checked bag included in the cost. On the other hand, if you did not purchase either bundle, in that case, you can expect to incur higher baggage fees.
What’s worse is that their baggage fees increase as time goes by, so you will want to purchase your allowance as soon as possible, ideally, at the time of booking.
Baggage Size and Weight Limits
Frontier imposes certain limitations on the size and weight for each type of baggage that passengers are allowed to carry onboard the flight. Thus, if your baggage is overweight or oversized or both, then you can expect to pay additional fees per flight. An overweight baggage fee can cost you $75, while an oversized baggage fee can cost you $75.
Seat Selection
Frontier offers passengers the ability to choose their seats at the time of booking. If you purchased The WORKS or The PERKS bundle, then this fee is already included in your booking. However, if you purchased the Basic Fare and did not pay to choose your seat, then Frontier will automatically assign you a seat from what is left at check-in. While the airline states that they will try their best, however, Frontier makes no guarantees about seating your party together if you do not pre-purchase. For EarlyReturns Elite members, seat assignment fees are waived and upgrades to Stretch Seating are free, if available at the time of check-in.
The airline offers two different seat types on their planes, Standard and Stretch. Seat pitch and width vary slightly depending on which plane you are on, but it can get pretty tight. Also, these seats do not recline. Most Frontier Airlines seats have a very short pitch, the shortest in the airline industry.
Reservations via Customer Service Centre
Frontier charges $10 per passenger for bookings that are made through the airline’s customer service center via phone. To know more you can make company contact with Frontier airlines.
Paper Receipt and Itinerary
Frontier charges a fee for any paper receipts or itineraries sent to passengers by mail.
Itinerary Change
Frontier charges $99 if a passenger wishes to change his or her itinerary. However, this fee is not applicable to passengers who have booked The WORKS. The itinerary change will be processed free of cost.
Name Change
Frontier charges $75 per person, plus any fare difference between the fare already paid and the current fare for the same itinerary at the time the name change is processed.
Same Day Confirmed Flight Changes
Frontier charges $99 for the same day confirmed flight changes.
Refreshments Onboard
Passengers are offered refreshments onboard Frontier flight, which include non-alcoholic beverages, snacks, beer, wine and spirits. Frontier also offers food and beverage packages for a slight discount
Unaccompanied Minor
Frontier charges $110 for unaccompanied minors per one-way flight for non-stop flights only and does not accept unaccompanied minors on connecting flights.
Pet Cabin Fee
Frontier charges $75 to passengers travelling with pets per one-way flight.
Amenities Not Offered In-flight
Since Frontier is a low-cost airline, this means many of the in-flight amenities that passengers have come to expect on other more popular airlines are absent. Frontier does not provide in-flight Wi-Fi internet access, video streaming capabilities, or any type of onboard entertainment. Refreshment service is limited to paid beverages and snacks only. Frontier does not have electrical outlets onboard.
Conclusion
The general lack of proper research into what you actually get for your money with a low-cost airline like Frontier Airlines could make you unhappy. However, anyone who knows the basic low-cost structure will also understand to expect extra costs or a pared-down experience. Know more about frontier Airlines terms and conditions for more planning tips.
Frontier even openly discusses and advertises how they are able to keep their fares low. So, there should not be any surprises when you book your reservation. It may, therefore, not be a bit tough to calculate what your total cost is going to be until you reach the final steps in your booking process.
