Frontier Airlines

History

1990s

Frontier Airlines was created by Frederick W. "Rick" Brown (a United Airlines pilot), his wife Janice Brown, and Bob Schulman, the latter two having worked at the original Frontier Airlines that operated between 1950 and 1986. In 1993, Continental Airlines was scaling back flights from Denver's Stapleton International Airport (which was closed and replaced with Denver International Airport in 1995), and the three proposed a charter airline named AeroDenver Travel Services to fill demand on international routes, potentially in partnership with Condor Airlines. To run the company, they brought in M. C. "Hank" Lund (ex-CEO of the original Frontier Airlines) as CEO and Sam Addoms as executive vice-president and treasurer (later CEO).

As Continental's Denver drawback expanded in scope in late 1993, the proposed airline pivoted to fill regional routes, and adopted the Frontier Airlines name. The company was incorporated in February and went public in May 1994. Scheduled flights began on July 5, 1994, using Boeing 737-200 jetliners between Denver and four cities in North Dakota. Around three-quarters of its 180 employees, and many executives, had worked for the original Frontier Airlines. By January 1995, Frontier had expanded its route network from Denver and was serving destinations in New Mexico, Montana, North Dakota, Texas, Nevada, Nebraska, and Arizona. Like the original airline of the same name, the new Frontier operated a hub at Denver (DEN) and for the first nine years used the slogan "The Spirit of the West" which was displayed above the windows and just behind the cursive letters "Frontier" on the fuselage of their aircraft.

In 1999, Frontier signed agreements to begin purchasing and leasing Airbus A318 and A319 jet aircraft and had also added Boeing 737-300 jetliners to its fleet as well. Also by September 1999, the airline was serving destinations from coast to coast in the U.S., having expanded its route network to include Atlanta (ATL); Baltimore (BWI); Bloomington/Normal, Illinois (BMI); Boston (BOS); Chicago (MDW, Midway Airport); Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW); Phoenix (PHX); Los Angeles (LAX); Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP); New York City (LGA, LaGuardia Airport); Orlando (MCO); Portland, Oregon (PDX); Salt Lake City (SLC); San Diego (SAN); San Francisco (SFO); and Seattle (SEA), all served from its Denver hub.

2000s

Frontier 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 Boeing 737. Jeff Potter was appointed CEO in 2002. Sean Menke, formerly Senior Marketing VP with Air Canada, succeeded Potter as CEO of Frontier Airlines in 2007, and guided the company through bankruptcy reorganization.

As part of its plan to stay competitive in reaction to the entry of Southwest Airlines into Denver, the company underwent a reorganization early in 2006. On April 3, 2006, Frontier created Frontier Airlines Holdings (FRNT), a holding company incorporated in Delaware to take advantage of favorable tax laws in that state. The corporate headquarters did not leave Colorado. In 2007, Frontier established a commuter airline subsidiary, Lynx Aviation, Inc., chaired by Dr. Paul Stephen Dempsey. Dr. Dempsey was Vice-Chairman of Frontier Airlines for 15 years. He left the University of Denver in 2002 to become Tomlinson Professor of Law, and Director of the Institute of Air & Space Law at McGill University.

On January 24, 2007, Frontier was designated as a major carrier by the United States Department of Transportation.

On January 11, 2007, Frontier Airlines signed an 11-year service agreement with Republic Airways. 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 Airways 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 Airways." 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.

2010s

Upon the full merger and integration of Frontier and Midwest Airlines in October 2010, Frontier and its regional partners operated over 100 daily flights from the Milwaukee hub. However, 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 laid off approximately 140 employees from the MKE station. This included but was not limited to: maintenance, grooming services, flight-line and gate.

In February 2012, Frontier Airlines further reduced service to Milwaukee by cutting five more nonstop routes. This move "reduced Frontier's daily departing flights out of Mitchell International from 32 to 18," or 56%. Frontier announced further layoffs in conjunction with this route change: up to 446 Milwaukee-area employees were affected by the job cuts that occurred between April 15 and 30, 2012.

In an effort to focus on regional contract flights for major carriers, Republic Airways Holdings announced in January 2012 its intention to sell or spin off Frontier. On January 26, 2012, Republic Airways Holdings appointed former US Airways and Gate Gourmet CEO David Siegel as president and CEO of Frontier Airlines. Republic also added new senior officers for Frontier's finance and commercial team, among other changes in the executive leadership team. Siegel and other Frontier executives moved to Denver where Frontier is headquartered in order to facilitate management of all aspects of Frontier during its separation process from Republic and continue its transformation into an ultra low-cost carrier (ULCC).

In November 2012, Frontier started low-frequency service between Orlando International Airport and Trenton–Mercer Airport (TTN), located in Ewing, New Jersey, which at that time, had no commercial service. Frontier later expanded service several times from Trenton, and as of January 2023, it served nine destinations. Frontier currently bases three aircraft in Trenton. Trenton Mercer Airport lies roughly equidistant between Philadelphia International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.

In July 2013, Frontier started service from Wilmington-New Castle Airport (ILG) near Wilmington, Delaware, to five destinations, which Frontier markets as Wilmington/Philadelphia. Again, this airport had no commercial service prior to Frontier's entry. New Castle Airport lies roughly 30 miles southwest of Philadelphia International Airport and 75 miles northeast of Baltimore–Washington International Airport. As of 2022, Frontier does not serve ILG.

2020s

In 2020, class-action lawsuits against Frontier were filed after the company refused to refund airfare for customers who could not travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company accepted part of the $25 billion in U.S. government funds to offset financial damage to the airline industry during the outbreak.

On April 1, 2021, Frontier went public with an initial public offering on the Nasdaq exchange. The company adopted the ticker symbol ULCC, a nod to the company's ultra low-cost carrier business model.

In early 2022, Frontier attempted to acquire Spirit Airlines, another US-based ULCC in a US$2.8 billion cash-and-stock deal. The deal would have created the fifth-largest airline in the country. After announcing the proposal, JetBlue made a competing offer to acquire Spirit for US$3.6 billion in cash. On July 27, 2022, Spirit announced that its shareholders had rejected Frontier's offer.

In November 2022, Frontier announced that it would establish a crew operating base at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in early 2023, and would add a gate in DFW Terminal E for flights to additional destinations starting in April of that year. That month, it also eliminated its customer service phone line completely, referring customers to online channels.

In 2023, a series of class-action lawsuits in multiple states were filed against Frontier alleging that passengers with bags which met the airline's advertised personal item size were systematically forced to check their bags at the gate, incurring a $100 fee. The class action was preceded by an influx of videos on the social media platform TikTok criticizing Frontier's baggage policy, with a focus on Frontier's practice of paying agents a commission if they can get passengers to pay for oversized baggage at the gate prior to boarding. The criticism led Frontier to admit that policies were not being "consistently applied" by its gate agents, as well as that the airline pays its agents a commission bonus for every passenger that is charged with an additional baggage fee at the gate.

In February 2024, another video about Frontier's baggage policy went viral on TikTok. In the short video, a frustrated passenger alleges that Frontier covertly makes their baggage sizers smaller than the advertised dimensions in order to up-charge customers for baggage; to prove this, she demonstrates how her personal item comfortably fits within the sizer of competitor airlines like Spirit Airlines but cannot fit into Frontier's sizer, despite the two airlines having the same listed dimension allowance.

Corporate affairs

Business trends

The key trends for Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. are (as at the financial year ending December 31):

At the end of 2025, the airline employed approximately 2,300 pilots, 3,700 flight attendants, 500 aircraft technicians, and 150 employees working as aircraft appearance agents, flight dispatchers, material specialists, and maintenance controllers. The airline also employed 1,100 administrative staff.

Management changes

Dave Siegel took the chief executive officer role in January 2012. Siegel's tenure ran through May 2015, when he left for personal reasons and was succeeded by the company's chairman, Bill Franke, who would manage strategy and finances. In April 2014, Barry L. Biffle was appointed as the company's president, reporting to Siegel; after Siegel's departure, Biffle was charged with managing the company's day-to-day operations.

Former regional carriers

In February 2002, the airline launched its first regional product, Frontier JetExpress, initially operated by Mesa Airlines using CRJ-200 regional jets. Similar to the "express" operations of other carriers, Frontier JetExpress was targeted for markets to and from Denver that do not generate traffic sufficient to support Frontier's smallest mainline jet, the Airbus A318, but could still offer lucrative business with a smaller jet.

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 regional jet aircraft on these routes. In August 2006, Frontier and Horizon planned to end their partnership. 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-700s was returned to the Horizon Air fleet on November 30, 2007. As the service by Horizon Air was winding down in November 2007, Frontier had some flights operated by ExpressJet using Embraer 145 regional jets.

On September 6, 2006, Frontier created a new division of the holding company, known as Lynx Aviation, to 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.

After commencing operations, Lynx provided service to 19 regional destinations: Albuquerque, Aspen, Billings, Boise, Bozeman, Colorado Springs, Durango, El Paso, Fargo, Grand Junction, Hayden/Steamboat Springs (seasonal), Jackson Hole (Seasonal), Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Rapid City, Salt Lake City, Tulsa, and Wichita. Most cities were also served by mainline Frontier jets however Lynx provided the only Frontier service to Aspen, Billings, Bozeman, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction, and Hayden.

In 2012, the Lynx Aviation operation was folded into Republic Airways Holdings' subsidiary, Republic Airways. The remaining Q400 aircraft were withdrawn from Frontier service and placed in service for United Airlines, flying as United Express.

Republic Airways operated Embraer 170 regional jets on behalf of Frontier in 2007 through mid 2008. Republic was also providing feeder service for Midwest Airlines and as Frontier and Midwest began merging in 2009, retaining the Frontier brand, Republic resumed service for Frontier with the Embraer 170s and also introduced larger Embraer 190 jets.

Airline branding

From 1994 to 2001, the airline's livery consisted of green script "Frontier" titles on the forward fuselage, a small "Spirit of the West" slogan, and wildlife photography on the tail of each aircraft. Most Boeing 737 aircraft featured different imagery on both sides.

Beginning in 2001, a new livery was introduced on the airline's new Airbus A319s, with large silver "FRONTIER" titles on the sides of the aircraft, and the airline's "Spirit of the West" slogan, later changed to "A whole different animal." The animal tails were retained, although only one image per aircraft was now used. Though the airline's Boeing 737s remained in the fleet until 2005, none were repainted into this livery.

In April 2013, Frontier introduced a modified version of that livery, keeping the iconic animals on aircraft tails, but dropping its former slogan and replacing "FRONTIER" with "FLYFRONTIER.COM", the company's website, in support of new marketing that focused heavily on the airline's web presence. This livery was only painted on a few newly delivered aircraft. Aircraft in the older livery received "FLYFRONTIER.COM" titles on engine nacelles.

On September 9, 2014, Frontier introduced an updated livery, as part of a rebranding that saw the spokesanimals' roles increase. The new livery reintroduced a green "FRONTIER" typeface to the fuselage, featuring the stylized "F" designed by Saul Bass for the original Frontier when the carrier unveiled a new livery in 1978. The livery of 2014 also includes the traditional arrow used by the original Frontier prior to 1978. Each aircraft features the name of the animal featured on its tail near the nose of the aircraft for easier identification.

Animal concepts used in the livery extend into Frontier's marketing as well. Each animal has a specific name. 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, Hector the otter, advertising Frontier's expanding service to Mexico, and Polly the Parrot, who won the new animal audition in 2012.

Destinations

Frontier Airlines operates a network consisting of both domestic and international destinations in the United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Codeshare agreements

Frontier has a codeshare agreement with Volaris.

Fleet

Current fleet

As of May 2026, Frontier Airlines operates an all-Airbus A320 family fleet composed of the following aircraft:

Fleet development

During the 2011 Paris Air Show, Republic Airways Holdings ordered 60 Airbus A320neo aircraft and 20 Airbus A319neo aircraft for Frontier. In 2014, the airline ordered 19 Airbus A321neo aircraft. In October 2016, Frontier Airlines took delivery of its first Airbus A320neo aircraft and became the second US operator of the type after Spirit Airlines.

On November 15, 2017, Frontier Airlines announced a $15 billion order for 134 additional A320neo family aircraft. The order, slightly revised under new owner Indigo, consisted of 100 A320neos and 34 A321neos. The order also included the conversion of the remaining A319neo to A320neo. With this order, Frontier Airlines fleet sought industry-leading fuel efficiency as well as one of the youngest and most modern fleets, particularly in comparison to other low-cost carriers, with an average fleet age of five years as of 2018.

At the end of 2025, Frontier Airlines began receiving A320neo aircraft equipped with the Airspace cabin, which now includes enhanced mood lighting, revised PSUs and overhead bins, along with minor cosmetic changes throughout.

As of 2025, Frontier Airlines has begun operating A320neos (including the A321neo) with a mix of General Electric (CFM) LEAP-1A and Pratt & Whitney PW1100G GTF engines. When the order for A320neos was placed in 2016, the initial selection was exclusively for the LEAP-1A. However, in 2021 Frontier Airlines transitioned remaining A320neo orders to come with the PW1100G.

Historical fleet

In the past, Frontier Airlines has operated the following aircraft types:

Services and seating

Services

As an ultra low-cost carrier (ULCC), Frontier imposes fees for additional amenities and services, such as for advance seat reservation and baggage allowance, the waiving of fees associated with changing or canceling itineraries, and operates a buy on board service for in-flight catering. Prior to its transition to an ULCC, the airline offered DirecTV channels on seat-mounted electronic screens for an additional fee. Following the removal of the electronic screens from its seats, the airline has not offered any in-flight entertainment options. In May 2024, Frontier introduced a low-cost bundled fare option called "BizFare," which includes seat selection, a carry-on bag, and flexibility to change flights without penalty.

Frontier Airlines currently offers three bundle options, which give every passenger the opportunity to upgrade their ticket to a service level that meets their needs or may be better-aligned with legacy carriers. Any passenger who purchases a bundle has zero change or cancellation fees.

Economy Bundle includes a personal item, carry-on bag, standard seat selection, and no change or cancel fee. Premium Bundle includes all of Economy, plus premium seat selection and "Board First" with reserved overhead bin space. Business Bundle includes everything from Economy and Premium, plus 2 checked bags (50 lbs max, each) and an UpFront Plus seat (empty middle or 2x2 seating).

Seating

Frontier's aircraft are configured in all-economy class seating in a 3–3 layout. Seats on its A320 aircraft have 28 inches (71 cm) to 30 inches (76 cm) of seat pitch, and seats on its A321 aircraft have 30 inches (76 cm) to 32 inches (81 cm) of seat pitch. At 19 inches (48 cm) wide, the middle seats on Frontier's aircraft are wider than the window and aisle seats. Seats do not have adjustable recline, with the exception of some premium "Stretch" seats in an exit row or near the bulkheads, which have an additional 5 inches (13 cm) to 8 inches (20 cm) of seat pitch.

Premium Seating

In 2026, Frontier Airlines will be rolling out a First Class hard product with seats designed by Geven (an Italian company). Frontier's First Class seats are expected to be in a traditional 2x2 seating, with some service enhancements planned. The First Class seats will be offered on-board alongside the current UpFront Plus upgraded seating option, which provide a window or aisle seat with a guaranteed empty middle seat and additional legroom in the front of the cabin (for expedited boarding and deplaning).

Frequent-flyer program

Frontier Miles is the airline's frequent-flyer program, which replaced the EarlyReturns program that operated from 2003 to 2018. Originally a distance-based accrual program, it transitioned to a revenue-based accrual program in 2024, where Frontier Miles are accrued based on the amount spent on travel with the airline, or alternatively through co-branded products and services. Miles can be redeemed for travel with the airline; previously, the airline allowed miles to also be redeemed for other products and services.

The program has four tiers of elevated frequent flyer status, consisting of Elite Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. Prior to the revamp of the program in 2024, it had three tiers consisting of Elite 20k, 50k, and 100k. Elite benefits progressively include more and more complimentary services and amenities, such as advance seat assignments, baggage allowance, or priority boarding.

Accidents and incidents

On November 30, 2018, a Frontier Airlines Airbus A320-200, (registered N227FR) operating as Frontier Airlines Flight 260, had its engine fan cowlings ripped off during take-off. The crew stated that a foreign object on the runway may have caused it. Although this did not interfere with the aircraft's engine functionality, the crew decided to perform a precautionary emergency landing. No one aboard was injured.

On Saturday, October 5, 2024, a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321 operating as Flight 1326 from San Diego, caught fire while landing at Las Vegas, Nevada. The pilots declared an emergency and the flight landed without injuries to its 197 occupants.

On April 15, 2025, a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321neo (registered N607FR) operating Frontier Airlines Flight 3506, from Orlando aborted landing at San Juan after sustained damage to its nose landing gear after making a hard landing, leaving debris on the runway, during the go around the aircraft's left engine emitted flames during its climb-out. In response, both runways at the airport were closed to allow for inspection and clearance of debris. The aircraft was then directed to land on runway 08, the airport's secondary runway, resulting in delays for incoming flights. The crew was able to safely guide the aircraft back to the airport, where all 228 passengers deplaned without any reported injuries.

On May 8, 2026, a Frontier Airlines Airbus A321neo, operating as Flight 4345, bound for Los Angeles, aborted takeoff after hitting a pedestrian who jumped from a perimeter fence and crossed the runway at Denver International Airport. The pedestrian was killed instantly, and the engine briefly caught fire and sustained damage. Smoke was also reported to be inside the cabin, but all 224 passengers and 7 crew members were safely evacuated. Twelve people on board were injured, all minor, with five being taken to local hospitals.