I’d like to have a getaway maybe after the first of the year. Frontier is the only airline that has a direct flight to Florida where I think I’d like to go.
Bad experiences? Decent? Is this airline a hard pass. I really only want to fly direct in the winter. My home airport is pretty good about weather. But lots of airports aren’t.
It’s so difficult to fly direct from where I live.
B-in-law used them last month- only catch was St Pete airport and we live in Tampa- extra time to/from airport. Plus he had no checked luggage. Last year sister used really cheap Spirit- I think they paid for carry on luggage. In the past Allegiant has had a poor maintenance reputation (to St Pete) but buying new planes so maybe their reliability will improve.
I agree about winter direct flights- son once had a late fall (Nov or Dec) Seattle to Tampa via Phoenix red eye that was delayed because the airplane was caught in New York snow before heading to Seattle (who knew that would be a problem???) , missed connection by a couple of hours, finally got here hours late. Going home via Minneapolis was no problem. Thank goodness he’s taking Alaska Airlines this trip- there’s been snow up north already.
That’s a yes to Frontier currently.
Our experience with Frontier was super negative. They had very limited flights from our city so if they had a mechanical problem and cancelled, it could be days and days to get rebooked on another of their flights. We had friends who ended up having to drive 8 hours to another airport to get on another Frontier flight to make a wedding because Frontier couldn’t get them where they needed to be until AFTER the wedding from their original departure city.
There are also tons of extra fees so sometimes it doesn’t even end up being less expensive.
Be sure to see how many flights Frontier funs from your airport to your destination!
You can check flight data on the Flight Aware website- plug in your proposed flight and see how often it is on time et al.
I fly Frontier as they have direct flights from my home city at a reasonable price to my essential destinations at a fraction of what United charges. I pay for a checked bag, and have a massive purse/tote as my “personal item.” It necessitates shoving most of the normal carry on stuff into my checked bag for the $25 fee, cheaper when booked in advance. The flights are fine, no issues with timeliness or the lack.
Flown many times. Seats are tiny, flights are full, luggage costs extra. But it’s cheap and they often have better schedules than other airlines. So I keep flying them.
Frontier is fine as long as you know in advance what you are getting yourself into. Like most domestic airlines, you pay extra for checkin baggage, but Frontier goes the “extra mile” and you also pay for carry-on as well, save for a small backpack. I would perhaps invest in a Scotte Vest or hoodie to save on luggage costs. All kinds of extra little charges, familiarize yourself with them. The seats generally have narrower pitches than most airlines and lack much cushioning. Other than that, it’s a pretty decent airlines. I fly to Denver a lot and a lot of times I can get a RT flight from California for under $80.
It’s cheap. The seats are close together and do not recline (which I think is a good thing). Nothing free like a soda or snacks. I don’t think they share tickets with other airlines, so if you are delayed you have to wait for another Frontier flight. Take your own blanket to use as a seat cushion.
It’s cheap.
You get what you pay for. ^^^. I’ll add one more observation: not only do the (narrow, hard & hardly comfortable) seats not recline, you don’t get a regular pull-down tray. What you do get is something that’s about the width of a cell phone. So can’t put a laptop on it.
Bottom line: if you get a super cheap flight that’s not too long, Frontier is OK. In all other cicrumstances, I say, pay more and fly something better, if possible.
Flew nonstop roundtrip from Madison to Orlando for $80 (or $140 with a checked bag)! No issues!
I flew a red eye from west to east coast on Frontier. The seats are rigid so it was basically like riding a bus across the country. and for whatever reason my flight wasn’t even particularly cheap so that was disappointing.
But for a short direct hop during the day I’d fly them again. Just know they nickel and dime you for everything so factor those costs in. Next thing you know they will charge for oxygen on the flight! 
One consideration for a smaller airline like frontier should be how limited it’s alternative options are in case of a delay or cancellation. Generally speaking the big three airlines will be able to route you to your destination within the same day, probably less options with frontier depending on where you are. Plane for your flight will originate from another city which might have a weather issue in winter.
I agree with BelmontVA about limited flights being a potential problem. Overall, I like them. My biggest problem has been thin padding on the base of the seat, which AlmostThere2018 mentioned. For longer flights, we now bring our own chair cushions, the type with ties on them. We tie them to our suitcases.
I dislike Frontier but they’re generally OK. I never really noticed them being cheaper than United and they have all these annoying extra fees, plus the website is terrible, so I avoid them if I have a choice but if not, no big deal.
I’ve flown Frontier on many occasions using their promotional low low prices which they offer quite frequently. For example, this past year, I’ve flown to San Diego for $39 round-trip (with “DEN” membership), direct flights. You just CAN’T beat that!! I just carry my own food and drink into the plane. The economy seats are about the same as any others that I’ve flown in, and they have never treated me negatively in any way, so no complaints from me.
^agreed. Things like cancellations and re-routing issues are extraordinary events that could happen on any airlines. The nickel-and-dime stuff and seat comfort are certainly the main issues. One that if you don’t mind, are not really major issues.
I flew last month nonstop got $222 to California nonstop. That included checked bag and I paid for my assigned seat. No problems, on time and comfortable enough. However, since then I’ve heard from friends the issue of cancelled flights and missing important events. So, if it’s somethng you can risk having things go wrong because of the cheap flight, it might be worth it. If you know you really need to be somewhere, maybe not.
I travel a lot. I don’t fly Frontier or any of the other bargain airlines. It’s just not worth it- especially the ones with limited schedules. There is too much chance of something getting cancelled or really screwed up. I try to do all my travel on Southwest where baggage is free, I can cancel or change with full credit and I’m A-List.
I nearly always stick with United. Their fares are generally decent and they nearly always give me economy plus seats for economy prices. For all the bad press, they mostly treat me ok. Switching around to find the cheapest is often not the routing I find most convenient. I prefer fewest stops — direct flights when I can get them. United serves our state generally the best, with the most nonstops.
Thanks, I really need a vacation. So I’m trying to figure out what is best. A non stop with one of these smaller airlines or a connection with a major airline.