Ahh, Frontier…
(Wait—did you read the “ahh” in that sentence as a sigh or as a scream? I suppose it doesn’t matter because both would be accurate).
People not-so-lovingly refer to Frontier as the “Greyhound of the sky” (which honestly feels like such an insult to Greyhound?), and I get it. The flying experience could be so much better, and I know I’m not the only one who has walked off a Frontier flight vowing to never do it again.
But still, I keep coming back.
As much as I’d prefer to fly a legacy carrier like United, Delta, or American, the truth is, none of those carriers are consistently offering sub-$100 roundtrip flights out of my local airport. So, begrudgingly, I’m often either trekking out to an airport further away from home or hopping on an Ultra-Low-Cost Carrier (ULCC) like Spirit or Frontier.
This post is not sponsored or affiliated with Frontier and I purchased my airline tickets myself. This post contains commissionable links that enable me to run this site without advertisements (yay!).
Most recently I jumped on a Frontier flight to Philadelphia for only $75, and as a travel blogger who specializes in weekend travel guides, I figured it’s high time I cover the budget airline here on the blog.
So, after flying them way more times than I care to admit, I’m here today to share fourteen things I wish I had known before I flew Frontier Airlines for the first time:
1. Where Frontier flies
Frontier currently serves around 100 domestic and international destinations, both large and small. With flights crisscrossing the U.S., Caribbean, and Mexico, the airline covers more ground (and airspace!) than some of the country’s other ULCCs. Head here for information on current routes and destinations.
—
2. Pay attention during the booking process
Frontier’s website is full of deceptive design patterns intended to make the user spend more on their products and services. Take, for example, the above screenshot from the seat selection page: This pops up when a user attempts to book a flight without purchasing a seat (here’s a screenshot from the page right before it pops up), and entices users to go back and pay for a seat.
Purchasing a seat on Frontier is not required—this popup is intentionally designed to confuse customers into spending more money. You’ll find similar patterns on their baggage page, bundles page, and more. Be sure to read everything carefully!
—
3. Get used to packing only a backpack
Bringing luggage is a luxury these days, and flying Frontier is objectively not a luxury experience. To get the best bang for your buck, consider flying with just a backpack to avoid paying high baggage fees.
—
4. But make sure it’s the right size
If you’ve been anywhere near TikTok recently, you may have seen one of several viral videos showing gate agents aggressively measuring Frontier passengers’ personal items and then forcing them to spend $99 to bring those items on the plane (even ones that clearly fit!).
I’ve been lucky enough to board each Frontier flight unscathed, but confidently knowing that my backpack meets the airline’s requirements helps with the stress of boarding. Just FYI, Frontier’s personal item dimensions are 8”D x 18”W x 14”H, ridiculously close to the dimensions of my backpack (if that 0.1″ overage makes you nervous, you can always size down to the smaller version).
Looking for personal item packing inspiration? Find all of my real-life packing lists here.
5. Still insist on buying a bag? Fine—but do it early
The cheapest time to add on a carry-on or checked bag is at the time of purchase. Prices will vary based on the route and dates, but expect to pay around $60 per bag, per way at the time of booking vs. $99 per bag, per way at the airport.
—
6. Price everything out before comparing fares
After you’ve priced out the costs of baggage and other optional services, go back and review the pricing for travel on a legacy carrier. Is the Frontier option still the cheapest after adding $120 for a carry-on bag? It might not be, but if it is…
—
7. DIY and BYO to save as much as possible
Be sure to check in for your flight on the app 1-24 hours before your flight; checking in at the counter will cost you (and it looks like Frontier may now be charging passengers to check in on the website, too). Pack your own snacks and fill up your reusable water bottle before the flight, as all refreshments are for purchase only.
—
8. Be ready to kiss your loved ones goodbye…
…as you walk down the jetbridge. As you probably have gathered, everything about flying Frontier is à la carte, including seat assignments. If you don’t want to pay for a seat, you will be assigned one before check-in—and now more often than not, I’m finding myself seated halfway across the plane from my partner (even on nearly empty flights).
This used to not be the case, but it appears Frontier is assigning seats this way to convince travelers to pay up for seats together (requests for clarification from the airline’s media contact have gone unanswered).
It’s totally your call—but as two adults who’d prefer to spend those savings on a fun activity together rather than on the opportunity to spend it on a less fun activity together, we’re willing to sit apart for an hour or two. Hey, who knows—maybe you’ll make a new friend (maybe it’ll even be me!).
—
9. Look for the cute animal on the plane’s tail
I know, I know, placing a different animal on each plane tail is totally a gimmick to soften the blow of the modern-day low-cost flying experience, but I’ll take whatever tiny dose of enjoyment I can get. My favorite animal? Rosie the River Otter.
—
10. Kids. Lots of ’em.
Nothing against the world’s tiniest humans, but over the years I’ve noticed the volume levels on budget airlines like Frontier run louder than on most of the legacy carrier flights I take. With ticket prices so low by comparison, it’s easy to see why these carriers are frequented by large broods (time to switch those AirPods into Noise Cancellation mode!).
—
11. All around discomfort
The seats are tiny, hard, and crammed together, so generally speaking, everyone is uncomfortable. Sometimes this results in a flight full of grumpy passengers, and other times there is a palpable sense of camaraderie among strangers (misery loves company, after all). With my super-unfun back pain, I’ve had to set a max-flying time of four hours on any ULCC (does this certify me as a hot girl?). I highly recommend that passengers of size or passengers with mobility issues do the same.
—
12. Frontier’s on-time performance
According to the latest data at the time of publication, from January – September 2023, 63.23% of Frontier flights arrived on time. For comparison, the national average shows that 76.18% of flights arrived on time during the same period. If one of every three Frontier flights is late, it’s probably best to cushion your travel times whenever you can. And if you’re one of those unlucky passengers, it’s certainly helpful to keep the following point in mind.
—
13. You are nobody
Well, that’s not true—you’re somebody to me (aww). But to Frontier? You’re nobody.
During a delay or cancellation, the airline provides little to no assistance to passengers often left scrambling due to missed engagements (ask me how I know). To the U.S. aviation industry, it’s helpful to remember that passengers are basically cattle and the price you pay to book a ticket only guarantees that you’ll be herded from point A to point B—it’s not a guarantee of when.
Beyond the nickel-and-diming and uncomfortable in-flight experience, I think it’s Frontier’s handling of cancellations and delays that spurs passengers to proclaim “never again.”
—
14. But be ready to fly them again
A roundtrip flight for less than the cost of a nice dinner out? Despite every instinct telling you otherwise, it’s easy to see why people keep (reluctantly) coming back for more. I suppose it could always be worse (hey, at least it’s not Spirit!).
—
Questions for you
Have you flown on Frontier before? What else do you think people should know before they book?
If you haven’t flown Frontier, what other airlines have you flown on before?
Why not fly on over to one of these related posts next?
- How to Find Cheap Flights
- 15 Things Travelers Should Know Before Flying Spirit Airlines for the First Time
- 13 Things You Should Know Before You Book a Flight With Avelo Airlines
- 10 Things You Need to Know Before You Fly on Contour Airlines
- 20 Questions You Should Ask a Potential Travel Partner Before You Leave Home
- How to Split Travel Costs When One Person Makes More Money
- 5 Easy Ways to Save Money This Week (for your next trip!)
- What Happens When You Cancel a Non-refundable Trip?
- Dinner Party Survival Kit: 20 Travel-Themed Conversation Starters
- 5 Easy Things You Can Do Today to Save for Your Next Trip
- I won a trip! (Now what?)
- All Travel Guides by Destination
- Exclusive Discounts + Promo Codes
- All of My Personal Item Packing Lists
I’ve purchased a flight ticket from Cleveland Oh to New Orleans,how ever unfortunately I had to cancelled in less than 1hr of paying for it.
The cancelation policy indicates that (“”FULL REFUND OR CREDIT IS ONLY ALLOW TO THE COSTUMER IF YOU CANCEL IN OR BEFORE 48HR””)
HOW EVER 34 days after I still haven’t received my refund nor credit it to my bank.
I called all the 800-801-855-8#- number that they offer for “COSTUMER service”
And as soon I mention anything with the word “refund” magically phone is disconnected.
I try to chat with them, and is a robot that “never understand my request”
I this point I feel Frontier airlines simply stole my money and that is the end of it…
If anyone knows what to do, please help me because this people are playing to many games with people’s life, time and patience to also keep your money.
Clima to your credit card issues. They do the proccess.
My daughter got charged 346.00 for 1suitecase for being 1 pound over they wouldn’t let her take anything out WILL NEVER FLY FRONTIER AGAIN AN WILL TELL EVERBODY I KNOW WORST EVER
I booked a flight through trips .com for round-trip Chicago to Philadelphia and Philadelphia to Chicago on Nov ,2023 for Dec 2 2023 event .We are 3 friends we got to the airport exactly 10;28 .and the flight 12:30pm . We present the code to the lady .she only saw returned flight. The guy that booked the ticket came in show the lady .All they could said is that the boarding is close at 11:15pm . We called the trips.com but they postings us .Any help to reclaim our $351
Completely agree. Frontier is the worst, not worth what they say is a deal, and poor customer service. They still owe me money from dishonest policies and not keeping their word. I will advise against them any opportunity I get. Their planes are terribly uncomfortable as well.
We had a flight from Puerto Rico to Atlanta and it was delayed .4 hours then we get on only to held in the plane for 45 minutes in 94 degree tin can. Told to disembark and thar the flight was canceled until 4 pm thr next day we got to sleep at the airport and were handed a $10 food voucher….horrible service..never again….
Yes they advertise cheap flights but at the end they Robb you ?
Thank you for the tip on choosing a seat. I thought if I didn’t pick a cheaper seat, they’d assign me the most expensive seat when I board. I’m booking a flight for 2 to Vegas in April. I’ve already figured out the baggage racket and bought us backpacks to efficiently pack stuff in. That felt like a victory. Now knowing I’m keeping my $29 X 4 for the slots, makes me feel like I hit a jackpot before we even leave! I’ll be following you for more clever tips!
I’ll never ever believe that in a million years.
I can beat all those experiences by a landslide just yesterday (03/19/24). My phone is dying on me but I would LOVE to share my experience with you. Please email with information to do this, as I know I won’t be able to find this site later. Thank you!
This just happened to me. The laptop bag was smaller than the size 10/6/8.5. Because of the wheels (.5) which prevented the laptop bag from dropping into the measuring bin, i was charged 99 dollars. I have learned. Never again will I fly this funk!
I still dont know why this airline is still in business. We complain and never have a answer back and their customer service and front counter are soo soo rude.
They abuse of they “” power treating passengers to no let them fligh and not return their money. They argue like if they are in the streets with passengers and also make faces and roll their eyes and everything. This is unacceptable. I wish more people can stand for a lawsuit. I have soo much proof that I cashare ! I wish the airline can be audited and employees that make it impossible for us travelers that by the way we are the ones that pay their salary …. all them ungrateful employees are fired. Together with any management that supports this horrible customer service.
Sitting in Denver right now due to Frontier miserably delayed flight yesterday out LAX that caused me to miss my connection. They sent a $10 voucher which basically buys a water and chips! Experience has been dreadful and exhausting. Definitely not flying them again.
You can’t pay me tofly Frontier. Fees are outrageous. I can pay full price on another airline and still be cheaper plus be treated nice. I was called a b$#ch by a boarding crew because my bag fit the “measuring box”. I also got charged for a seat twice and after a year I still haven’t seen my money.
It has been my WORST TRAVEL EXPERIENCE EVER, and for all the deceptive tricks they do, it is not even cheap at the end. Disgusting.
They write in the email they send you “check in 45 mins before for domestic flights” and then once I was there 55 mins before with my check in online already done, they said it was 60 minutes before, not 45. EVEN IF THEY WROTE 45, I had the printed mail…I had to do another ticket. SIMPLY DISGUSTING> NEVER AGIN>
Never again will go near anyone or anything that remotely sounds like frontier.. Yes, that bad
FRONTIER AIRLINES IS THE WORST I HAVE EVER SEEN OR ENCOUNTERED.
O MY GOD.
THEY HAVE THE MOST HEARTLESS AND UNPROFESSIONAL FRONT DESK STAFF.
MY EXPERIENCE ON JUNE 14TH OF 2023 CANNOT LEAVE MY MEMORY.
NASTY EXPERIENCE INDEED.
HEARTLESS SUPERVISOR ON DUTY AT TERMINAL A OF LAGUADIA AIRPORT.
O MY GOD!
MY MONEY IS STILL NOT REFUNDED TO DATE.
I AM SPEECHLESS.
NO ONE TO COMPLAIN TO.
WOW!
FRONTIER AIRLINES NOT FOR ME, MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
Can’t disagree more. I booked directly with them on their website. Even with everything Ala carte, it was $400 cheaper than a full service carrier. Customer service was excellent and both flights were early.
I fly frontier a lot because it cheap but too many hassle. Customer service is so rude. My flight depart at 3:22 PM, I came to the gate around 3:05PM, the lady saw me coming but she shut the door, didn’t let me in. Cheap but not worth it. No more Frontiers airlines for me.
Trash Of The Sky!!! They will steal out of your bag and then deny your claim.
Frontier is a scam. It does bait and switch on it’s flights
I booked a round trip flight in April and they already rescheduled the flights. Only reason I found out is one of the layover is over 8hrs and wanted to know if I wanted to reschedule.
Unfortunately I can’t get a refund from them either.
Listen, any business does not want everyone to know how awful they are, so this is what has worked for me in many occasions. Go on their FB page and put all your frustrations out there, eventually someone from the business will reply to your post and ask you to contact them.
Recently flew to San Juan from Jacksonville. Paid ahead for one bag. Leaving San Juan was told we didn’t pay. Got upset, showed Frontier agent in app where we paid. No, I don’t have that, had to pay $79. Got to Jacksonville, only to find bag didn’t make it. Went to ticket counter, showed agent where we paid twice, only to see was charged $104.
10 days later still no bag or refunds. Checked card statement only to find out SJU agent actually stole our card and fraudulently purchased ticket from SJU to Orlando on our card. Well my conclusion is agent retaliated by sending our bag to Orlando. Still trying to deal with Frontier on this, communication with them is nearly impossible, no phone number. Everything is chat, hah, useless or email, which they respond to when they feel like it. Out a few thousand dollars.
How did you pay for it? If you paid using a credit card, contact the credit card company and refute the charge. If you used a debit call your banking institution and refute the cha
I’d file a claim with my bank and send them all the proof and policies. You may have to cancel your card and get a new one…but if you did what you were supposed to do…they stole!
This is exactly what you do because technically they did not provide the service and so you are allowed to cancel and refute the charge. I do it whenever they do this and I fly over 100,000 miles a year.
I flew on frontier in July of this year and they oversold the flight and wanted me to leave my seventeen year old and my 2 18 year old kids there and travel with my babies! These people are crazy not to mention we had to be transferred to be able to get home from Miami I had to drive to west palm beach and take a flight from there meanwhile our bags were sent from Miami and they lost our four luggage’s my sons car seat and his stroller! Every time I call you get a robot and then I sent the claim form certified return receipt and they stated they never received them. Terrible airline! And I had to pay for these bags!! Not to mention we were a party of 10.
My name is Winston EBanks. I bought a ticket about twice a month from frontier. I have no problem with frontier. Only one they make me buy a comeback ticket I live in the Dominican republic. I have all my documents that I purchase a condominium there so I don’t see why I have to buy a ticket to come back when I might want to stay two months at my condominium. Could you look into that for me please thank you.
Im going to travel from SanJuan Puerto Rico to Hartford ct by frontier airlines I hope I have a good trip and save trip.I already have the plane tickets.
Everyone needs to do a class action against them. We can all get a good lawyer and they will be out of a lot of money because we will all get paid from the lawsuit against them. I he bought 2 tickets to travel with my sister from Colorado to Florida but my sister is in a nursing home and was not able to make the trip. I tried calling and texting and everything you can imagine and was never able to get anyone. I even have a letter from my sister’s doctor. They owe me $295. But let’s do a class action suit. That will fix them real good.
My flight was delayed 5hrs and they boarded us and after an hour we had to change planes cause they said it failed inspection.Isn’t there a rule you shouldn’t have boarded anyone on that plane.Then I finally got a flight five hrs later with not even giving any information why and not a single voucher for a pop or water .
From what I heard there is now a class action lawsuit, started with a woman from Florida. Wow wonder if its anyone on the conversation feed…lol
I agree..we need a class action suit. The following is my description of what happened to me in Cancun on January 3rd 2024:
I have flown for 50 years including on other low budget airlines such as Ryanair, Volaris, Lynx and I have never had any airline check the size of my luggage at the check-in gate like Frontier!!! I only have a very small tennis bag that is the same size as a school backpack. I have 2 tennis racquets which ALL other airlines have always allowed me to put in the overhead compartment since the racquets do not interfere with passengers placing their carry-on in the overhead compartments.
At the check-in gate in Cancun I have never witnessed a systematic money making scheme as I will describe: there were 4 workers wearing Frontier uniforms who spoke very good English. The 1st worker asked everyone individually in line if they are carrying their own personal items!!- I have never witnessed this in all my years of flying. The next worker then told me to put my bag in the personal item SIZER. I succeeded in fitting it in but the racquets of course extended outside the bag sizer. So the 3rd worker seemed strangely happy and told me to pay the $114.84 USD carry-on fee which i did very reluctantly. I tried to pay the lower baggage fee on line with my phone but it was not successful. When the plane landed in Orlando i waited to talk to the pilot who told me those 4 workers were NOT FRONTIER employees, but contracted out. He said those 4 “outside” workers are on an INCENTIVE PLAN where they each receive a commission of about $10 each for the upgraded baggage charges!! The pilot said its not a very good system. They were rude and all of them seemed far too happy to make this money at my expense. So in reality it cost me $114.84 to put my 2 racquets in the overhead compartments which don’t interfere with other carry-ons.
Other airline employees at the check in gate use their discretion but that’s non negotiable in Cancun with Frontier because as I said these workers are looking for every opportunity to make a commission at our expense.
So I am asking Frontier to please refund the $114.84 that was unfairly taken from me. nothing has happened..I can’t talk to a human being and I doubt they will ever reply and refund me. WORST AIRLINE IN THE WORLD..HANDS DOWN.!..Criminals in action
AMEN , I’M ON BOARD BUT I’M NOT A LAWYER!!
Travel with them from Cleveland to California, had paid for my luggage both ways and on the return trip I had to pay $79 again and I got home and 4 days later I still have not received my luggage yet
Please, let me know if you are able to start a class action suit against them. I’ll join in a heartbeat!!
I empathize with you but you are daydreaming. Under the contract of carriage, they are under no obligation to refund a ticket because someone is unable to travel.. it is purely up to the company and their customer service policy.
Yes I agree, i changed flights and they still asked me for more money. I could get in touch with customer service to correct this issue
I live in Long Island. It’s super easy no stress flying out of MacArthur airport. I get it. What you said is pretty accurate considering I fly frontier probably 16 times a year. And believe me. One time flight kept getting delayed and then they cancelled! I was livid. But like you say. I keep going back. The combination of lower prices. And the ease of driving and flying out of islip MacArthur airport keeps me coming back. Don’t care about the a la carte thing and and I have a place in Florida so I don’t need any luggage , nothing. For me it works. Even with the sometime delays. Will still continue to fly frontier. Plus they have new planes which I like
Same, same! I also live on Long Island, just 20 mins from MacArthur and the reason I keep going back to Frontier is because I don’t want to drive all the way to JFK and deal with that hustle and bustle. I have had delayed and cancelled flights dealing with Frontier but I keep going back for the ease of leaving and returning to MacArthur and also the inexpensive prices to go back and forth to Georgia….it’s such a conundrum!
I filled out this form and submitted for refunds on my canceled flights, twice, and received refunds rather quickly
https://frontiercswprod.powerappsportals.com/contact-us/request-refund/
I’ve paid $900 to frontier and never flown in their planes . I’m an idiot I booked the go-wild pass witch is completely useless then I booked a flight with them but I was tricked into purchasing it for the wrong day and didn’t get a refund or credit. So yeah about $900 basically donated to their sh***y airline that I will NEVER set foot on.
I was the first passenger to use the restroom and it was discusting.
Frontiers go wild promotion to fly anywhere for one year seems to be a gimmick the restrictions are so great and then I realized that they do not fly out of Providence any longer leaving the promotion useless to me I’ve tried to cancel it it doesn’t take effect until January and I get the same response as one of the other people where the customer service the minute you mention the word refund mysteriously hangs up I think I will deal with my credit card company to resolve this
I’ve been flying with the frontior go wild pass for close to a year now and absolutely love it! I fly 3 to 4 times a month. A few delays, but most of the time they’re on time or early The seats are uncomfortable for a four hour flight but you can upgrade to the roomier front seat for very little. If you overpack your backpack it will not fit into their standard bin. Thus you will have to pay. As of now I haven’t noticed any bad or rude service with frontier…. however when flying with Spirit I’ve seen the flight attendants have to yell at some of their customers that were acting like idiots…
Frontier is full of shit.luggage it’s true charge for everything.too many hiding fees.173.00 for a supposed 71.00 flight and staff very disrespectful.never again.
Extortion is the game. Even with receipt of purchase and acknowledgement of this! We were told we have to pay for baggage another time! Incentive?????? Of course there is!
I made reservation on the 5th from Raleigh,NC to Atlanta, GA. My sister told me on the 14 she is going to Atlanta, so within 3 hours on the 5th I call to cancel. He told me I will not be refunded any more. I call my bank to dispute the charges. Maybe people can call their bank to dispute the charges.
You can dispute the charges on your credit card or contact the consumer protection agency.
OMG…End of June, return flight from Long Island, NY, to Orlando, FL. I arrived at airport 2 hours before flight, as instructed. There was no one behind Frontier counter to check my bag ??? After about a half hour, I finally see someone, who advised I was NOT boarding that plane…BECAUSE I WAS LATE ???
Then I was charged an additional $99 to rebook the flight ??? I have sent out many letters to various agency to complain…so far nothing. You cannot speak to a live person , so I have sent countless emails. They are robots, all were responded by saying I was late…I disputed the $99 with my bank, pending result of their decision. They sided with Frontier & took the $ back out of my account. This was not just an inconvenience, I had family visiting Fl, from Long Island to see me. But because I lost two days due to this travesty, that I DIDN’T GET TO SEE.
P.S . While rebooting, there were 8 people in line behind, that were sent back FROM THE GATE to the counter, where NOBODY was working at the counter to help them. BOTTOM LINE, THEY OVERBOOKED the flight, and eventhough flights were purchased in advance. NICE RACKET !!!!
I just had the same experience. International flight I made on time and refused to give me a credit or change my flight! Lied to me about who the on site supervisor was. Still have not got the 700 dollars I spent credited or refunded. My proclaim is real…ain’t buying another flight from them.
I’m crying. This is the funniest tweet! What lve learned to do is report it to my bank and let them dispute it . At least you will get a refund and they will respond to your bank . That’s the real hood of the airline service . Haven’t you notice there gate is always the furthest away and then you get to gate 1A they make an announcement the gate just changed to another gate all the way on the other side of the airport. Loi hope theres time to get to that side on time . So much traffic in the airport, l be running into people by mistake . Not to mention the people’s in the wheelchair. They be saying EXCUSE ME
Wheelchair coming through. Like where the hell we supposed to move too .
I also start paying for that help for assistance and let them push me around. Loii
The best way is contac them thru Instagram, you get a faster replay, I’m a Silver frequent traveler with them with over 60K miles on my account, to me it’s the best airline for the buck.
What your saying goes without saying. I fly Delta, even when I have First Class or Comfort, I bring my own food and I buy a drink. Obviously, there should be a charge for more weight being placed on the plane. Frontier is my 2nd choice of flying, so please ?, rather than complain, just buy a more expensive ticket on another carrier especially If you don’t appreciate the savings. It’s time for people to be a little more positive in life, it will take you so much further and increase your life span.
Very true – pay more for an airline that will have a more comfortable seat, uphold their policy’s and not try to cheat you at every turn.
Try contacting whoever whatever way you pay for the tickets especially if it was through your bank or credit union and let them see if they can get your money back if you don’t get no response properly from them that’s all I can say and hope for the best.
Dispute the transaction to your credit card for refund.
Frontier canceled my flight twice, I still couldn’t get my refund instead they gave me voucher to use but when I wanted to use voucher I could not book another flight until after April 9th 2024 but only had until 12/10/23 to use voucher, so I feel they stole my money also.
5/27/24-Terrible. I booked a rt flight from San Francisco to Las Vegas for $58! I was pretty psyched that it was so cheap. The refund policy (as stated on their site as well as a national law) states that you can get a full refund within 24 hours. I had to move my return flight up one day and choose another carrier for the return so I had to cancel the whole ticket then book only a one way on Frontier. It seemed less risky than modifying the current ticket. I didn’t have the app (and if I did maybe this would have been avoided) so I called to cancel the rt. The customer service guy said “we’ll do this as a one-time courtesy.” I was like “What? This is your policy and its mandated by the government that you can cancel within 24 hours with no penalty.” He replied “We’ll allow this as a courtesy.” I said “OK, but it’s not really a courtesy.” Two days later, after I booked a one-way to Vegas on Frontier for $28 I looked to see if my rt had been cancelled as I didn’t recall getting any confirmation. And guess what, not cancelled and now it’s way over 24 hours. I called and they were useless and unfriendly. I asked for a supervisor and this agent said “We’re all supervisors.” I said the call had to be recorded, can’t you look that up?” “I’m sorry sir, there is no way you’re getting a refund.” I said some not so nice things. Anyway… crooks. I reported it to my credit card and they refunded the $ immediately. I see the flight is still booked. So now I have two seats on the same flight going to Las Vegas. Totally frustrating and shady. Let’s see how the flight goes.
I purchased a ticket one way for $38.03 one check bag later noticed it was the wrong flight ended up paying $49.00 change flight for a grand total of $196.98. Can’t talk to anyone for an explanation as there is no customer service just AI, whom you takes you around in circles with NO RESOLUTION.
Hi. You really don’t have to fight with them on the phone. Go to your bank, show them proof of purchase and cacellation ans let your bank work for you. If you used a CC, then let your CC company work for you; it’s the same working system. Call the company card company, bant etc. that you used to purchase your ticket and let them know what happened and they will fight for you.
Just returned from Las Vegas what a miserable trip. Every employee was unhappy, no friendly smiles, could not understand the announcements because the attendants talked so fast. No heat on the plane, thought we were going to freeze to death. To the Frontier employees…if you are dissatisfied get another job, don’t make your passengers pay for your misery. Oh will NEVER fly Frontier again!
Grounded employees are horrible. Flight attendants use to be friendly. I had flown Fro tier more than 20 times.
I won’t fly with them in the next life time.
I recently flew frontier from Chicago to Seattle and it was the worst flight I’ve ever had there was screaming of children the seats were crammed and the airline stewardess seem to not really give attention to the passengers even when I asked for a cup of water they had like an attitude like can you get him some water and then it was only a half a cup of water so I would never fly frontier again
You can almost depend on problems with your luggage. Even with a nonstop direct flight, you can’t depend on your luggage to fly with you. On top of it, they damage your baggage. Mine almost looked like they hit it hard with a baseball bat. THEN, good luck getting any kind of service. I bought their Go Wild Pass. I regret it. When you consider all things, they are an expensive airline to fly .
I fly Frontier between MCO and CVG on a regular basis.
I have been paying between $19 and $38 per flight.
They have a decent rewards program and with their credit card I made elite status.
I pick my seat – free -and get a carry on – free.
Seats are bad, planes are packed, but the flight is under two hours.
The route I take is rarely late.
I use them to get me back and forth and they use me to cover overhead.
Cannot speak to the rest of their locations.
#15….. you CANNOT CALL THEM! They don’t have a phone system to speak to a live customer service representative…. ??♀️
Try 833-439-2672. I just called them and they answered immediately. Although they are super-crappy at their job and basically useless.
Price has me coming back quite often. I find planes are clean and crews are friendly. I fly primarily between PHL to MCO. A couple times out of Trenton TTN. TTN is the smallest airport ever and only flys Frontier. 2 gates and just enough seats for 1 gate. Security, and baggage pick up is a breeze.
I would also warn people that online prices can differ from the Frontier app. Oh and if you need to call a human, forget it. Wait until you get to the airport check in, they can be helpful but may charge you for the service. Overall though I’m OK with Frontier!
This Airline sucks, scammer like operation. avoid use it if you can!
Terrible carrier, I did not have my ticket on my phone so they printed one out for and charged me $125.00
I never had a problem flying frontier people are always friendly no problem at all good job
You did not mention the issue with even if you buy for luggage on Frontier they will charge you saying the bag weight is over the 40lbs limit. This is because they count the weight of your suitcase as part of cost!!
Every airline counts the weight of you suitcase in the cost per required weight
I was going to miss my flight because they close the doors 20 minutes before they leave and I was cutting it close. I knew I couldn’t make it so I called in on the way to the airport and the customer service agent said it is what it is and then later On started laughing at me. I asked to speak to a supervisor and he just sat there for five minutes. You could tell he was there, but didn’t say anything and then finally it went to music and then another guy picked it up said the same thing and it went back-and-forth and finally he said he’s gonna check something and Call me back in a half an hour and of course never did. It’s a garbage airline but I guess you get what you pay for. Like everyone else I swear them off and then end up going back and often regretting it.
I agree with you. Same status (all you can fly). Have renewed for next year. Have seat selection , but it is impossible to use it. (Of course, you can talk to a live Larson for $20. (RIGHT). Getting to fly for 1 cent and booking the day before is worthless for me. They have been offering some deals before March 6 though. Picking a seat cost me $36 one leg of a trip. Try to talk to a real person or figure out how to cancel is impossible
I would never ever fly Frontier again. They have insulting flight attendants. I’ve been in the travel industry for over twenty years and never had such a horrible experience on Frontier. They wouldn’t let anyone go the the bathroom and would give you water.
WORST flight experience EVER. $4 for water, rude attendants, tons of crying and screaming kids. Loud-talking parents. I’ll NEVER fly Frontier again!!!
I bought the discount den
Got a 50% voucher that has to be used on base fare before a certain date. The base fare is always under 50 $ so I can nevet use it before it expires. Other than that They have been ok with me for the cheap prices .I fly every 3 month from Philadelphia to Sarasota FL. Havenhad any other issues. Hope it stays that way.
Same. I bought discount den and cannot use the voucher for the same reason . But have made my money back. It usually saves me 40$ round trip and I fly from Philadelphia to Sarasota about every 3 months too.
I’ve actually flew frontier quite a lot, I’ve never had any issues or problems
I like Frontier had no problem ? fley around 5 to 6 times to pr great air lines
They have horrible flight attendants. I can tell a 30-minute story around how they wanted to handle my full barf bag. Most of them wanted me to sit in my seat with the full bag for 2 hours until I advocated for myself and said I wouldn’t go back to my seat until they took it. They didn’t even care how I was feeling. And then one of them was complaining how “passengers are horrible animals” as we were deplaning. Never again.
I hope they get me to my baby brother Ronald Gene White funeral on Monday April 30th at 12;30 pm coming from Dallas Texas to Portland Oregon. I leave on April 29th going to Portland Oregon suppose to be there by 4 :30 pm. Putting it in to God hand. Pray for me.
I travel with my children from Raleigh NC to San Juan Puerto Rico and the cancel my Flight I did check in , And they Cancel I wait 8 hour in the airports with my children, to wait someone from the airline Was a able to speak with me. Tired, hungry, I need help for they can reimburse my money, My Uber, food . This is a bad idea if you decide to travel with FRONTIER AIRLINES.Bad Bad, Irresponsible.
I STILl have not flown FronTEARS and I NEVER WILL. What you left out is if you do not purchase a seat selection, you may not get a seat. Since my boarding pass didn’t designate a seat, i was told to stand in a corner while they boarded the rest of the passengers. Then they left. There was no seat left for me. I had to purchase an expensive last-minute ticket on a REAL airline. FronTEARS never even refunded my ticket. Traveling is stressful enough without putting up with CRAP. I’ll gladly pay more for Delta or United any day of the week than try THAT again. And comparing FronTEARS or Dis-Spirited to Greyhound IS a huge insult to Greyhound. NEVER AGAIN.
Forget trying to understand announcements, unless you speak FRONTIEREES. We were shuffled back and forth between terminals, at Vegas, which necessitated long walks and taking the tram to another gate, twice. Nickel and diming you for everything you carry onto the plane. Never again, I’d rather pay double the price of a ticket.
I will never recommend them to anyone. My husband and me call our flight to Las Vegas the million dollar trip. We bought our tickets on line a pop-up came asking us to buy our seats. At the time we thought nothing of it. Then another pop-up came up to pay for our luggage, we paid it. The day of our flight they told us we only paid for luggage for a 1 way flight. So frontier told us we paid for our luggage to fly back from Las Vegas back to Houston? So they changed it so our bags could fly with us but here’s the TOPPER our 2 bag didn’t get on the plane (WTH) . When we had a couple of questions they charged me $25.00 to talk to them. Coming back from Vegas I had to pay another $208.00 for our luggage to come back. They don’t have a customer service number to talk to anyone.
WORST AIRLINE EVER! DO NOT USE THEM!!
Horrid horror horrid!! Fly ,if you want to hear the flight attendants converse half the trip. If you want to add up complaint rewards points for a flight one would prefer on another airline. Fly if you like getting your luggage lost for 24hours and not so much as a toothbrush to brush your teeth while you wait on delivery. Fly , it one prefer a landing that feels like a flat tire explosion. Fly if you have paid checked bags, but have to wait in line of already 250 people, just to get a printed luggage tag ,along with others in line for other reasons. Fly if you prefer not to use your overhead bin because the flight attendant says your overhead bin is for row 1seat 1, and you’re assigned to row 2, using your o overhead bin, Not!!
Fly if you thinking the whole while, why the heck did I buy the pass, nothing that sounds this good is ever true cause you never can book a flight without a 7hour to 24 hour layover else where out of the way opposite direction one paid to go.
Enjoy your flight, I didn’t!!
Sincere regards,
I flew Frontier Airline for the first time in my life I didn’t had no problem with anything going or coming I will be glad to fly them over and over next year in Sept 25. 2024 we will be flying with them if u don’t like the way they do fly somebody else they not making u get on be bless
I found the article, while generally accurate, overly critical and somewhat misleading . I fly Frontier because it’s the cheapest way to fly. In return, I’m prepared to accept all its limitations.
Their Web site is very clear and up front about options and charges but you have to navigate it carefully to avoid surprises. It reminds flyers many times about charges for luggage, seats, ticket changes (pay $6/ flight for the option of cost free ticket changes), etc. While it encourages you to buy their “Bundle”, it also allows you to customize you options and only pay for what you need or want.
If you want various perks included in your ticket (including a more comfortable seat), by all means fly on a competing air carrier but you’ll pay a lot more for the ticket.
Frontier delivers on providing no frills air transportation at a rock bottom price. Just read the small print and you won’t be disappointed.
This article peaked my curiosity so I clicked on it. I don’t know the route you fly, but everything you said is what I would have said. I fly Cincinnati to Tampa or Orlando to visit and take care of elderly parents and have had a few glitches but nothing I was not willing to put up with for the price(and honestly nothing that hasn’t happened on Delta). And I highly disagree about the flight attendants. I have had wonderful, cheerful, helpful flight attendants. I have not flown Frontier since last May so sounds like a lot has changed and I hope my next flight won’t be a horror story like some of the others.
No one is speaking in the fact that their seats don’t recline. Not even a little bit. To me that means a lot.
Do everything online because if you actually speak to a human being at the airport who works for frontier, you will be charged. If you have a backpack (be very careful of its size and weight) and a two MAYBE three hour flight, you are ok. Other than that stay away, Hirrible airline that nickel and domes you,
Recently flew to San Juan with my spouse from Tampa, we paid to sit together and also paid for three checked bags. Those charges actually cost more then the seats themselves, I couldn’t believe it . I also couldn’t believe the lack of room .I’ve honestly never seen half-sized tray tables before ,so much for using my laptop on this flight . I will say though the flights were on time but when I go back to PR in July I will not be flying this carrier . As a side note because of the 40 lbs. weight limit I put a handheld fishing scale in my checked bag to ensure no extra over weight fees. My bag weighed in @ 39.5 lbs. They seemed disappointed it wasn’t overweight. Safe travels to all.
The worst of the worst ? never ever ever again I went through a nightmare
Nov 20,2023 at 5:30 PM! I suppose to travel to Tampa Fl but they airline never( Frontier) came and they have so many excuses, I have 67 years old with Fybromialgia, Diabetes and pain every where in my body , they gave me $15.00 to buy something to eat, I’m sleeping in the airport in one of the hard chairs bc the have no room in the airport. Stay in the airport for 24 hours ; 11/21/2023 at 5:30 PM and waiting in Tampa airport about 2 hours to receive the package.
They don’t even call me to say sorry or gave me my money back. Worst, Worst, Worst, Worst
I purchased the go wild pass and have been using it successfully. However the last leg of a flight was from Denver. They made everyone use the sizer I had to put my backpack in it 3 times and she almost failed me because the straps were hanging out. I’m almost to the never again because that after a 9 hr overnight layover put my stress levels almost into the anger zone. It was the first time to take the sizer assault but it was too much.
This may have been the worst flying experience of my entire life I have traveled through over 30 years dirty planes crappy seats horrible service I’ll walk next time
Don’t fly Frontier they will cancel your flight at the last dam minute. Then you have to sample to find another flight. This will cost you additional money on arrangements at your destination. Yes I lost our of on $500 on travel arrangements in Miami. Airline is full of shit. Then they don’t want to refund your dam money back.
I’ve flown MULTIPLE times in the past 2 years from central PA -dead center of Philadelphia or Pittsburgh. Amish country (where my entire family still lives) with no major airports, but, I am used to long travel times. Pittsburgh to LA or Philadelphia to San Diego (where I moved to) are the cheapest cross country routes. Somehow I always have a crazy long layover in Vegas (normally 12 hours, but the most recent one 38 hours).
I don’t mind flying with frontier. I’ve bought my tickets anywhere from 2 weeks to 1 day early, but never paid over $80.
I DO HAVE ONE fairly important note however
On the plane, there is no electricity. My last flight I was using a backup phone with an almost dead battery, so that kinda sucked.
But I have literally had people checking luggage tell me that my bag was too large and give me the option to pay for it or remove items.
I’ve had seats that were NOT with my travel companion, and either traded with a passenger (unless you are splitting up a family, most people are still kind enough to do this), or on a half full flight, small jet, when seats are assigned to keep the balance, I’ve seen helpful flight attendants sorting out multiple couples separation issues.
Like anywhere else, people behave certain ways in response to the way they are treated.
Try being kind.
Even if the person APPEARS rude or just plain mean.
For worse cases, go with a joke. EVERYONE loves to laugh.
Maybe the psycho TSA agent is screaming at the guy 4 people ahead of you because THAT guy was being a total d*ck.
Aside from the longer layovers, I’ve had great experiences with Frontier. San Diego an Philly airports I can especially say are FANTASTIC for them. Vegas too, although security is a little more strict in Vegas, then again, in Vegas, I’m usually a little bit drunk and probably annoying as hell to the sober people who are at work. Trying to help me, while I totally ignore the instructions to “stop trying to grab my bag while they are searching it”. See … From behind me in line, that super nice agent would appear to be a b**ch if you didn’t know how obnoxious I can be.
Okay…so I really feel I will have to try and channel your attitude my dear. I am taking a trip with 5 friends on the 20th of Jan. You guessed it I’m flying Frontier. Not sure it was wise to read this before hand or not…lol
Me and my husband have flown Frontier since 2012 several time. Each time we say no more, but we keep coming back . They get u because of the low prices, Not worth the headache. They busted our luggage up twice. One luggage was a hard shell I just got for Christmas, spinner wheels when we got to Florida there was only 1 wheel on it(which left me in tears). I called IMMEDIATELY same day as soon as we got to my sister’s and made a report. They txt me and said replace/denied. The refuse to take ownership for damaging my luggage. So on return flight I got my bag and the other wheel was damaged hanging on barely. This time I went straight to the frontier office to complain. The guy got real nasty, belligerent with me causing my husband to step in. He was saying nothing they can do, that your bags fly at your own risk. My husband said we paid you guys you should at least take care of them. REP just rolled his eyes and walked off. Second time my husband’s duffle bag was ripped to shreds the zippers was busted, look like they threw it around it was so dirty. When we got the luggage they had put it in a clear plastic bag. Clothes was hanging out. Again they refused th pay for it. They lost his crutches one time. No one to call or speak to. We’re over them. We’re going back to Southwest. We have had so many problems with this airlines, we’re in our late 50s to old to go through this mess. To much money lost. To save a few pennies. Hell we’re is the Owner of this airlines!! Needs to be held accountable!!
I went to Florida to visit my sister in September 2023 to visit my sister. A Strom came in and all flights were cancelled. Frontier wouldn’t put me on another flight out or issue a refund. Oh by the way my luggage which I used for the first time was torn.
My girlfriend’s and I missed our flight coming back from Vegas we had a ticket for a basically two and a half hour flight because of the time difference to Orlando Florida we got to the airport in plenty of time but the lady on the loudspeaker kept calling for our plane saying boring for Oakland so we didn’t think that it was our plane we weren’t the only ones they had a list of like 20 people that had missed the flight due to this they finally agreed to put us on another flight but we had to wait at the airport for 6 hours and then the flight was delayed for another hour and a half we were sent to Texas and had a delay there of 6 hours until we finally got home this is the worst airline I have ever flew on and like you’re saying I couldn’t fit everything in a backpack for our trip so I ended up paying out the butt for an extra suitcase as I seriously thought I could fit it in a backpack and carry on that was not the case so just be aware that their flights are leaving on time not 5 minutes late you better be there you better be at that gate ready to board the plane because they do leave exactly on time I figured out the cost of my suitcases and the snacks that I had gotten on the way home and it would have been much cheaper and way better for me to fly Southeastern like I always is due on southeastern you get one carry-on one personal and two check-ins plus you get free snack and drink and the people are very nice and friendly and I’ve never had a problem with any kind of delays from them that they’ve never lost my luggage and the experience is just so much better so the hell with your cheap ass tickets I don’t want to be cramped in a tiny seat I don’t want to have to pay for my drinks and snacks or bring some with me and I don’t want to have to cram all my shit on the plane or towed everything with me whenever I go I will never ever ever fly them again it was a worst experience flying in my life I don’t care how cheap they are it’s not cheap in the long run
I fly Frontier frequently. Yes, they make you size your bag if it appear oversized. Yes they give you bag dimensions on the website. Yes you will pay dearly if it doesn’t fit in the sizer. No, don’t say they didn’t let you know that beforehand. Yes their website is designed to make you think you have to pay to choose your seat in order to fly. No you absolutely don’t have to choose your seat but Yes, he will 90% of the time not be seated with anyone in your party even if they’re empty seats right in your row. I believe this is done to get you to pay for a seat, but it’s pretty easy to make it on a two or three hour flight without sitting with your husband. Yes, the seats are narrow, there’s not much leg room, there’s no Wi-Fi, the tray table is tiny and they don’t serve you free snacks or drink, but how hard is it to pack a water and a bag of chips, stay off your phone, I’m just sit back and relax. Most of my flights from New England to Florida cost me between $19 and $39 one way,. That’s cheaper than a 5 minute Uber ride!
I’m not loyal to Frontier and also fly Southwest. To me it truly depends on being able to get a convenient flight at a reasonable price. I one thing that I love the most about Southwest is that I can change my ticket right up until flight time and not be penalized. Yes it becomes a flight credit but it doesn’t disappear. Frontier allows me to be able to fly every couple months with minimal expense and a nice getaway. Thank you Frontier and thank you for finally adding and non-stop flight from Hartford to Tampa starting in March 2024.
I don’t remember if I’ve flown Frontier before (don’t think so…). I recently went on a short trip from CLT (Charlotte) to PHL (Philadelphia- bought a ticket through my work’s benefit program. Saw that they only allowed 1 free personal item, thought hmm will use my backpack for everything (clothes & laptop).
Flight CLT – PHL- Discovered that the “test bin” for personal item size is ridiculously small (maybe a laptop in a laptop bag would fit…?), obviously my backpack would not have fit(even I had used a smaller backpack likely it still would not fit). But it did fit in the ‘Carry on” bin….and cost me money, I was lucky enough (?!!) to quickly pay online 68.00ish for,…BOTH WAYS?! sigh… it would have cost me 99.00 each way if I had done it at the counter.
Had my boarding pass on phone so good there. Unfortunately little did I know what adventures awaited me. Flight got delayed first time due to incoming plane to that gate being late. It got delayed at least 2 more times due to that. THEN they delayed AGAIN due to maintenance (WHY couldn’t they have just done the maintenance WHILE waiting for the incoming plane to get there?). All told I was at the airport for about 5 hours and we finally left…AFTER the original arrival time in PHL! Counted 6 emails for it all…. and they gave everyone a 50.00 voucher for the ‘trouble’.
return flight PHL-CLT- Even before I left for the airport, I get an email saying that the flight has been delayed (oh nooo not again). Get to airport- Gate was changed so hopped over there. Delayed again (and there was no plane at the gate either). Sent back to original gate. We managed to get onboard… yay. Then I noticed everyone getting up (I’m deaf so had hard time hearing anything), a woman behind me kindly told me why we were getting off (I think maintenance again?). Waited some more, then Oh sorry flight was canceled! The frontier folks did rebook us all on another flight; at first wasn’t sure what was going on. Same woman I talked to early explained what was going on. Oooh okay. So tried to pull up my boarding pass to show the agent to get a new ticket; nope it disappears once you board. AUGH. After fiddling around, a guy told me that all I needed was the confirmation number (had that). He also said that he always screenshot the boarding pass as a safety measure (Gonna remember that one). By this point I’d been in the airport for….oh 5 hours again and it was somewhere around 1 -2 AM but the new flight was at 7 AM! I was lucky that I have a relative who could come get me (I think I saw more of them than I had in a long time). Next flight was fine phew. Frontier also gave everybody a 100.00 voucher for this flight.
Gonna try to redeem those suckers but goodness I hope I never go through that again…Twice on the same trip.
I agree on the point about the ‘nag popups’ to pay for seat or purchase a plan…have to be careful to avoid those if you don’t want them…the app is a little wonky to get around (and if I recall it is not a responsive app that adjusts to the system’s font size setting!)
I’m so old I remember flying pre-ULCC Frontier. When I see what it’s become, makes me want to just about cry. Pre-ULCC Frontier was an awesome airline to fly with.
Frontier is my go to. You can’t beat the price… and for people to complain about a 30 minute delay on a $35 non-stop round-trip flight ifrom Cleveland to Orlando s crazy to me. The last time I flew delta from Cleveland to NY JFK there was a 10 hour delay on the departing flight because the pilot timed out. They clearly didn’t plan accordingly. On the way back JFK to CLE the delta flight was delayed an hour. I never had issues like that with frontier. Ever.
Good for some people yes but my fiance and I had a 13 hour delay that caused us to buy separate tickets because waiting would have caused us to miss our transfer departure. Which we didn’t even get a full refund for, only one of our tickets were refunded. I believe it’s just a different experience for everyone and the people who complain have good reason just as well as the people who love the price have good reason to do so.
My fiance and I were flying to Florida with a 3 hour layover in Denver, CO. When we got to the airport things seemed to go smoothly.. up until boarding time. Mind you, our boarding time was 12:14 am pst. and we had gotten there at 10:30 to get past tsa and find our gate in time for our flight.
Now we were waiting for a good hour and a half to two hours past our boarding time and finally get an announcement that our flight had been delayed. Seeing as though our layover was 3 hours we thought as long as it doesn’t run over that 3 hour mark we should be fine. Boy were we in for a surprise.
About and hour later we get another announcement. By this time my fiance and I were panicking because we were going to miss our flight and be stuck in Denver with no way to Florida where we were supposed to be moving. The announcement said our flight would be delayed till 1pm that day. Our boarding time in Denver was 8:45am.
Needless to say we were adamant about a refund. The person at the counter assured us we would get about 4 times the amount our friends paid for the tickets if we got on the chat 24/7. We thought that that was a fair trade and we qould just get new tickets on a different airline with the refund.
We ended up getting a flight the next day thanks to one of the house members we are staying with now. Our main issue was that even after our flight was delayed to the point we missed our flight we received only one of our tickets worth of a refund.
Conclusion: Do NOT fly Frontier unless it is absolutely necessary and you have the time to get delayed and no issues with money.
Don’t plan on getting your money back if you cancel. They will keep all of it or a large portion ,if you don’t buy ” the works”.
The best way to deal with Frontier is to not fly them at all!
In Phoenix they have ex cons as gate agents!! They treat you like prisoners!! Anything about you not to the letter and they extort money or ban you from flying!!
Our son moved to North Carolina almost two years ago, Frontier has direct flights from Denver to Raleigh with various times a day to choose from including mid morning and late afternoon. Much better than the late night or 4am flights weve had to take on other airlines Over this last 18 months, we have flown Frontier six different times. We’ve landed 10 – 20 min early with only one delay. Which was a flight to Cancun last Christmas and considering the hot mess other airlines were having that weekend, we we’re fine with a slight delay.
The flights are basic and there are no-frills. But it definitely gets you from point a to b at a low cost. I have yet to have found a customer service # with a live person, & the text chat is painful but I have had issues resolved this way, even rel
received flight credit promptly after I had to cancel right after booking it. Just plan to have patients. Also, do not pay extra to board first unless you enjoy feeling like a sardine longer than necessary! ?
WOW….I am truly rethinking my decision to read this article. Absolutely no offense to the writer. i enjoy your writing sweetie. But I really debated reading this for the sole reason that I’m booked to fly nonstop from Orlando to Denver in about a week & half on Frontier. I already had a queazy feeling in my stomach while booking flight. I seriously went back & forth in my head for a week prior because navigating the website was a literal nightmare. That cost me to pay 100 more for my ticket. So went ahead & took the plunge. I had to purchase 3 tickets for myself & a couple of girlfriends (no pressure there ) . I was feeling sick because during my travels through the cluster**** of a website I had a bad feeling about the luggage issue. They won’t let you access the concierge contract to get actual dimensions & rules for flying with them until you actually BOOK & once that’s done, clearly your stuck. I’ve never felt like a fish on a hook before, but damn. So here I am again, getting the sweaty palm feeling after reading every single comment on this post. I am definitely getting a shot or 3 of tequila before the flight. I could actually feel everyone’s frustration & anger. I did perk up a little after the few (very few) positive comments from diehard customers that made my tummy settle a little. So thank you to those select lucky travelers. I did get from one of first positives that they flew in & out of Orlando-MCO(I think) so fingers crossed…. My issue is having to tell a 20 something & a 30yr old woman that they will have to pack for a skiing trip in a bag that is basically as big as a glorified lunch box. Now the panic is setting in again. I’ve already told them they will have to probably purchase a carry on “before” we get to the airport, since price like doubles or close enough. Thankfully we are all small-ish. Meaning I’m 5’3 & another is maybe 4’9 (if we stretch her) so neither of us really need leg room. Sadly the 3rd musketeer is like 5’10 or close, she’s beanpole thin but man her poor legs are going to kill her…urgh I might have to try & purchase seats ahead, at least for her. She needs an isle seat. I’m also thinking SERIOUSLY about throwing my excess clothes in a ups box & paying to overnight a box home the day we check our of airbnb. From all the grizzly stories I just read I know it will be cheaper & pretty positive it will be safer. Hell my clothes will be home before me.
This is my 4th time I’ve traveled via air. The first one my girlfriend took care of all booking arrangements, it was a breeze, we all flew Delta..
Second was a 30min puddle hop to the Bahamas out of Mia. That was by far the best one since it was only 17 passenger plane. Everyone got a window/isle seat & no flight attendants, only pilot & copilot. Actually flight in to Nassau, the only passengers on plane were myself, ex-husband, & our two sons, we had this twin engine plane to ourselves. I had envisioned craziness, since our boys were only 10 & 7, had never flown before. I don’t know something about being able to watch the take off, they each sat mesmerized watching their own engine propeller. Until 25min later on the descent the left engine cut out, just stopped. My youngest said. “hey mom maybe we should tell him his engine broke? ” right then the copilot turned around & said we’re all good little man. He said the pilot could put us down if they both had stopped.. I will pass on that please.
My next flight I flew to Pittsburgh from Jax by myself to meet up with a friend who lives there. That was grueling because I didn’t have anyone around to ask for help if needed. Looking back I’m soooo thankful now I didn’t fly frontier that time, I would have been screwed. I was a complete novice but thankfully I flew United. They at least humored me & my billion questions. I was so proud of myself. I even made it through having to catch a connecting flight on the return home. I’m pretty sure it was in Dallas. All I know was the flight attendant told the few of us who needed the connecting flight to Jax that we only had about 20 min to catch it & they were sorry since icy conditions prevented then from getting us any closer than the complete furthest point from where we needed to be. I just remember having to run clear across airport to catch said flight. Which consisted of traversing the flat escalator thing that went on forever at a snail’s pace & riding a mini subway type train. I felt like I like I was a contestant on the “Amazing Race” & won when the gate attendant was waving us on that they were still boarding, they had actually waited. Just to give some context to how I felt, at the time I was 44 yrs old & still a smoker.So yeah, it sucked. But clearly if that had taken place while on Frontier, I’d have probably had a heart attack or would be living in Dallas ‘cuz I was done for.
Basically since I’m now stuck, I will make the best of it. I’ve got this I work in cust service and I’m a Fla native, I’ll just breakout my sunshine, paste on my perma-smile and say of bunch of “Thank you’s..,… and……”Bless your heart, darlin'” Definitely I need to buy a hand scale & tape measure, to check our carry on & personal item, also add that charge before we get to airport. Bring snacks & water bottle. Probably wear just about everything on flight. Then I can ship lightweight stuff & snow boots home before we leave Denver….Okay.
I mean a big thank you to everyone who shared your horrible experiences in previous comments. I’m so glad I read everything & the timing was perfect for me to catch this article. I really hope all of everyone’s issues get resolved or at least listened too. I hope all your misfortunes turn around & your next adventure goes smooth like butter, maybe find some lost money in your sofa or a jacket. Clearly there’s better chance of that or winning the lottery then getting any from Frontier.
Read the fine print on the web site….follow the rules and don’t act like an entitled Karen and you’ll be fine. It was a poor decision to book a tightly spaced seat for someone tall like your friend when all the info is on Frontier’s website. Maybe pay for the stretch seating seats available on Frontier’s flights. No one ever mentions that they just complain the seat pitch is tight. Remember folks, you get what you pay for and Frontier is no different. You can’t expect First Class treatment and amenities on ULCC fares.
I hope you and your friends have a pleasant experience on Frontier and a marvelous time on your trip.
The answer to this dilemma we have all been through is to file a class action law suit together against Frontier Airlines, and stick it to the son of a bitch airline. We have all gotten stiffed by them, it’s time they get stiffed back!
My experience which is currently happening is the worst flight experience I’ve ever had.
First flight out was canceled. After they gave me a different flight next day, it was also delayed, causing me to miss my connecting flight, so I had to take a different flight! Again! But it gets more juicy… Once I finally arrived to my destination, I was alerted when it was time to fly back that my flight was again canceled (Return flight this time.)
I finally got my ticket to return, but guess what my flight was delayed, causing me to miss my connecting flight again! Oh I also had to miss work today because I was meant to fly in YESTERDAY!
Spoke to the gate lady, or whatever she was, she wasn’t helpful at all, and literally asked “What do you want me to do”? How about your damn job? I’ll be honest with you, I’d rather waste 500 on my next flight than ever have to deal with Frontier again, I wish we could just shut them down. They don’t deserve to be in business, and customers don’t deserve that kind of garbage service. For 4 Delays, and two cancelations for the same round trip flight? Thats unheard of. What a burning turd.
I don’t have anything to contribute, just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS AWESOME ARTICLE! Everything I wanted to know and more!!
Hey, you get what you pay for. Stop complaining. They delayed my flight and reimbursed me half the cost of my flight without me asking. If I was going to fly for 3 or more hours I would pick my own seat out fly another airline. The last plane I flew on was a new one and comfy seats. So suck it up or move on. Pilots are great.
I love Frontier! I have been flying with them for at least 10 years. I am a frequent flyer. I never had any issues. I have always had great service from staff. Never been over charged. I follow their baggage rules and never pay for a seat. I use the app for all booking and checking in. I have recommend Frontier to friends and family and they to love and continue to fly Frontier.
I have had wonderful experiences flying Frontier for the past several years. Flights are on time, very reasonable priced (agree to skipping the seat selection, bring your own snack/drink, and learn to pack light in a back pack). For those flying with kids, I have seen the flight crews be very accommodating to get families together as everyone boards. Friendly gate agents and flight crews!
Yes, the seats are harder than the larger airlines but not too bad to endure for a flight only a few hours long.
Yup, our never again Frontier moment was being dropped out in Las Venas hours past when we should have arrived, missed our connecting flight and were abandoned for 45 hours before our flight was rescheduled. We were not treated with an ounce of respect by anyone representing the airline.
Deception. Scam. Frontier. These business practices should be against the law imo and I filed a complaint https://secure.dot.gov/air-travel-complaint. Why? Because one cannot easily compare their fares to other airlines. And, of course, that’s why they do it. I got scammed – I didn’t know about Frontier’s deception schemes and I stupidly booked through Expedia. There was no warning that my carry-on bag had to pay too and that I could not sit with my companion. $386 later… 2 people, round trip flights, 2 bags + the ULCC fares $252. A la carte flying == NEVER EVER AGAIN!!!
On their website, since they seated my partner 15 rows away from me on purpose, I went to purchase 2 seats next to each. There were plenty, of course, that their malware could easily have given us, but why would an airline want to give 2 travelers seats next to each other? I clicked the first one and the one right next to it went up in price $1. I swear. Petty. If that doesn’t say it all about this corporation, I don’t know what does. Finally, I hate to say this, because I don’t want to give these robbers any more useless ideas, but I think I know what’s next: a fee to travel on the same plane with your partner. Frontier = Human Cargo.
I’ve flown over 35 flights with Frontier and have no complaints for the airline. My complaints are about the entitled, rude, impatient and self-absorbed passengers who think they’re going to get first-class, red carpet, major carrier service. You know… like most of the people who complained on this article. It’s a discount fare airline, pinheads. Everything you Karens say you were so surprised about – every policy, price and procedure – is clearly stated on their website. Oh you poor things… were the Frontier staff treating you poorly? I’m sure it didn’t have anything to do with YOUR attitude and behavior.
I have social anxiety and PTSD, I just flew from Colorado to Florida…… Maybe I was the only exception in all this but before I got to the airport I made sure to follow the rules as I did in the airport and on the flight and have nothing but good things to say. The stewardess were all very friendly and actually went out of their way to help me. Sorry guys but I greatly feel like the vibe you give is the vibe you get and add much as your are annoyed this went wrong maybe y’all are attacking the wrong people for issues beyond their control that would indeed cause for a bad time. No joke I have severe panic attacks from reading articles like this then I got to the airport and was like hey common curiosity goes a very long way. Might be the one in a million but I greatly appreciate the effort that was put form on my flight. I wish you all happy and safe travels
Frontier horrible experience. Terrible customer service at airport and online AI. I will never fly frontier Again.
Me either I hate frontier airlines the one in Houston Texas they are all so rude for me being a first time flyer they have completely ruined the experience for me ! Delta is better everybody told me delta is the best !
Do not fly this airline. I am writing in regards to their customer service. There is no live person. You will have to chat via text messages to resolve any issues. And this too via WhatsApp. I spent an hour texting when a simple 5 min call would have resolved any issues. Also, if you have no chance but to fly with them, purchase every insurance available. They will gouge you.
The 15th thing that you should know before flying Frontier is that whatever you think you may be saving by buying a cheaper ticket will be more than eaten up by the delays, missed connections, extra costs incurred by your late arrival t your destination and the cost of your time and general aggravation. And that is without even paying for things like seat choices and baggage fees. You are far, far, far better off spending $100, $200, or even $300 more on a regular carrier than this trash heap of an airline. I’m an old fart, and have flown regularly for over 40 years. While I do remeber the days when air travel was actually luxurious, I am OK with it being merely utilitarian. But at least treat me like a human being. That’s the last thing that Frontier will do. Not only is their performance and service bad but poor quality is suffused into their culture. Customer disservice is their motto. If you can find any kind of customer service, it is bad customer service. I was raised to be civil and polite in all my interactions and strive to do so in public. But it is to no avail with Frontier. Everyone is surly at best, disdainful to their customers more often than not. Everyone is scheduled to the max and they clearly hate their job. After one of my delays on the flight that I did book I finally had a gentle conversation with one agent. She confided that things are far worse on her side of table than on the customers and that eevryone is looking for a different job–but good luck having Frontier on your resume! I’d flown Frontier a few years ago and they weren’t that bad. They are VERY bad now. I have flown many budget airlines in the US, Canada, Europe, Central & South America, Europe, Asia and Australia and Frontier gets the award as the worst.
My son recently flew with frontier and when he got to the airport 1 hour before his flight. The plane had already left. There was No one at the frontier counter to help. And on top of that they did not reschedule his flight…. He was not the only one that this happened to… He had to pay for other flight.. He will NEVER use this airline again.
March 28,2024 My daughter and family were going to Orlando on flight 1616 and we had 2 babies ages 6 months and 2 years old! We will never fly with them ever. We ended up sleeping in the airport terminal. With other passengers. We can’t believe how they treated everyone. and no human contact at the airport. Horrible experience. You can’t believe the rude
Have flown frontier for years Cleveland to ft Meyers It is the only direct flite so that is why I use it. Always purchase the bundle and seat. This time had a problem with using my credit cards always rejected them. Talked to capital one nothing wrong with cards so told us to call airline. That is impossible no phone numbers cannot speak to a live person. Had to use my son’s cards so I lost my miles credit which amounted to almost the price of my ticket. This was our first experience with a problem with frontier. Yes no frills but it is a direct flite. They need to restore their phone service for customer support. Have always had nice flite. attendants.
I, too, will never fly Frontier again. No food or beverages on a 4.5 hour flight??? And no warning that that would be the case. Ridiculous. Hidden fees…I prefer transparency with everything about the flight. Those are just 2 of the reasons I will not fly Frontier again. After all the hidden fees and barebones service, it simply isn’t worth my time.
I fly Frontier ONLY on DIRECT non-stop flights.
Yes there are lots of rules but they are VERY CLEAR with no exceptions.
There’s a LIVE agent available in my city but there’s a $25 charge for customer assistance
This is not a good airline to use if you are not a SELF SERVICE person…you save the money by doing everything yourself.
The reason I don’t pay for a seat, is I’m going to sit beside somebody I don’t know anyway so why pay extra for a seat and end up next to somebody with a screaming baby or someone that invades my space?
On a straight flight that’s a couple of hours I can deal with the little inconveniences.
I’ve had worse service on some major airlines lately and paid a lot more.
Okay yeah they passed out Biscoff and a canned drink but I can buy those items and bring them with me
All airlines have issues.
We have choices.
And the reason they are STILL in business is because of convenience.
I can pay double/triple the price and get there in 4.5 hours and have a layover.
Or take Frontier and get there in 2 hours or less
Thank you for the review! This really helped me make my decision. If I were flying alone, I’d do it. But not with my husband who would seriously HATE this flying experience and then it would be bad for me. LOL…
Yes, Frontier got me too on nearly all these problems you all have had this week. Unidentified charges to were as my bank called me about them. Purchasing pre-bagge/setting and still having to pay extra. Flight being delayed for 3:30 hrs, then come back and cancel it completely. Also, not having another flight available until 2 days later. Which caused me purchase another ticket with a different airline for a flight the next day, hotel, food and extra parking fees on top of catching covid in the midst of it all. I’m still waiting on a refund and not able to reach out to speak with customer service at all! Very disappointing ?
I regret putting my trust in this airline….No telling what they will do next to get you your monies ……They have good insurance on every person and animal/everything boarding the aircraft….
Frontier is what it is and you shouldn’t expect anything more. I agree that this airline is truly an extreme bare bones flight, but it is also one of the safest records and also most times is one of the cheapest flights you can book. I frequently do short flights with them about 2 hrs. It is not very comfortable but it’s worth it because of price….
I know to never order a coffee or anything else in flight because some of the in flight personnel are no5 to be trusted to not overcharge your cc. My suggestion is make sure if you order anything you get and retain a receipt. You must ask for it otherwise you won’t get one… my experience was ordered a coffee that cost a whopping $5.00 and got no receipt and when I got my statement I was charged $35.00..called them and got no where.. so be aware…!
In March of this year, and a few month later I did a FB post describing the worst service experience of my life.
I had round trip BUF to MCO tickets for a cruise. The morning of departure, I got an email that I was booked to the next day, which I could or accept.
There is literally no phone service at Frontier. I was stuck in an automated chat loop for hours. Feeling I had no choice, i booked all I could find, first class on Delta.
Waiting at the Delta gate, I got into a live Frontier chat. It disconnected three times and I had to board, so I ended up rebooking my return on American.
I got an email from Frontier while on my cruise saying I was still booked for the return.
I sent a letter in demanding reimbursement for the amount I had to pay over the original fare to the other airlines. I complained to the NY Attorney General, the US DOT, and I contacted Flyer’s Rights.
I initiated a dispute with my card issuer. Everyone said it would not go through. Frontier replied with “proof” that I was a no show. I went through an escalation process with the issuer, providing the first email saying I was rebooked. I ultimately did get that credit.
The airport shuttle driver said he hears Frontier horror stories all the time, mostly people being denied boarding right at the gate.
I cannot and will not ever trust Frontier Airlines again a nd I’ll make sure anyone I talk to knows of my experience.
What are some potential hidden fees or unexpected costs that I should be aware of when booking a flight with Frontier Airlines? Are there any tips or tricks for avoiding these extra expenses?”,
“refusal
I think I’ve covered the fees most people are surprised by here in this post (baggage fees, fees for receiving assistance from customer service, seat fees, and costs associated with in-flight food and drink) but I’m happy to provide some extra tips and tricks:
To avoid baggage fees, only bring a personal item that fits their dimensions (I’ve linked my favorite one here in this post). To avoid paying for assistance at the counter or over the phone, make sure you’re booking online and printing your tickets at home or using the app to receive your boarding pass. To avoid seat fees, “skip” selecting seats when purchasing your ticket or checking in (just know you’ll be randomly assigned a seat and it may not be with your companions). To avoid paying for food and drink, including water, bring your own.
Flying Frontier for the best price is all about self-sufficiency and letting go of expectations. By packing light and accepting some inconveniences, your travel dollars can go much further.
There is a company called Take Off that has a suitcase that fits the size dimensions of both Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines for the no-charge personal item. Here is the link: https://amzn.to/3U7P9Gc
It’s a Horrible experience to fly w Frintier 70 people got stranded in Denver because Frontier closed the Dore front of us the connecting flight was late .
Even tho we all got to the gate 5 min before the door closing time was up Frontier said we are full we can’t let anyone else aboard …..Full w what 70 people off who sitting on the plane instead of us who bought ticket……..?????? Shitty people also didn’t want to talk to us at the desk the Manager was a horrible person .
We had disabled kids and baby left on the airport over night ….Some of us got hotel room but the hotels was over booked for this reason so not all got rooms.