<p>I think the news story said those charges -at least the baggage - are for those who don’t book through Frontier directly.</p>
<p>Supposedly also charging $1.99 for coffee!</p>
<p>Internet, I know, it’s ridiculous, but they are considered rodents (which they are not exactly - they are cavyomorphs), and no rodents are allowed in the cabins of most airlines :(</p>
<p>It looks like the carry-on fee is only if you book using a third party. I always book directly in case there are any problems. This article mentions that the airline is for sale.</p>
<p>[Frontier</a> Airlines to charge for drinks, carry-on bags | Fox News](<a href=“http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2013/05/01/frontier-airlines-to-charge-for-drinks-overhead-space/]Frontier”>Frontier Airlines to charge for drinks, carry-on bags | Fox News)</p>
<p>Frontier has really gone downhill since its early days. Since they have been ‘on the market’ evidence of cost cutting is everywhere. I recently flew to Mexico on Frontier and the condition of the interior of the plane was abysmal. Overhead compartments that wouldn’t close properly and were thus unusable (they were blocked from being used by garish yellow warning tape), my arm rests on both departing and returning flights were broken (different planes, different seats). The material on the seats was torn in some places, it was awful. </p>
<p>The problem is, when you fly in a plane that’s clearly falling apart on the inside, it makes you wonder what level of care and attention they’re giving the engines and cockpit instruments… :eek:</p>
<p>Now that is scary, yalemom.</p>
<p>The intent to charge for carryon and soft drink is an indication of their direr financial problems.</p>
<p>there are only a few airlines left and soon maybe more mergers. on most routes…minus nyc-LA or Fort lauderdale -NYC you have very very few choices if any. frontier is fine, not 5 stars but, they are ok. spirit airlines is the bottom of the pile.</p>
<p>
I once needed to fly from Venezuela to Buenos Aries and did so on some South American airline. Before boarding I looked at it through the terminal window and saw it was an old 707 (remember those?). When seated I looked at the underside of the belt buckle and imprinted there faintly, like an old coin, was the impression of Pan Am and the globe logo they used. </p>
<p>Given that, I just told myself, well, it made it this far and this long so the odds of something happening while I happen to be seated ‘must’ be low (mustn’t it?) - I didn’t have to worry about any early life failures on the parts.</p>
<p>The flight was no problem and I made it to the destination fine although the stop in Santiago where the plane was surrounded on the tarmac by Chilean military with automatic weapons was a bit strange (they were having some coup or another at the time). </p>
<p>I saw that article on Frontier about charging for soda, carry-on bags, etc. as well and personally would avoid them if there’s a reasonable alternative. I don’t like it when an airline is trying to save every penny it can scrape up - like old coins.</p>
<p>Checking back in for my recent Frontier flight this past weekend (I KNOW I wasn’t happy with them, but sometimes when the price is right I can’t help myself!). They are indeed charging people $1.99 for any beverages. The ridiculous thing is they have a list on the beverage cart, and for some passengers (I’m assuming they are frequent flyers or business travelers), they say “Mr. Fatcat, you have a free beverage, what would you like?”, then to the person right next to him/her, “would you like to purchase a beverage for $1.99?”. It’s like a real-life caste system right there in the airplane…SO STUPID and shortsighted, I can’t imagine what real revenue they generate from $2 beverages, because, by the way, NO ONE was buying the beverages if they had to pay for them…</p>
<p>And one more stupid thing: Why would you price your Cokes, Diet Cokes, etc at $1.99? They won’t take cash, it’s only credit card, just take the hit and charge $2. Do you think the passengers are that dumb?</p>
<p>And one MORE stupid thing: They are charging people for CARRY-ON bags…and if you manage to get to the gate without having paid for your carry on they repeatedly announce over the loudspeaker that you will not be allowed to board until you pay for your carry on at the gate counter. I know they’re in receivership, and their Board must be trying to squeeze every penny, but, seriously…wow.</p>
<p>I suppose I’ll still be tempted by their lower fares, but in the future the difference between fares needs to be pretty significant before I book with them again.</p>
<p>Thanks for the update Yalemom15.</p>
<p>OP here. I just returned from our first trip on Frontier and it won’t be the last. We were really impressed. We took S to college, so you can imagine how much luggage we had. We checked 4 bags and two large boxes. Checked luggage cost us $20 each, which is reasonable in today’s market. It was a lot less expensive than shipping it through the Post Office. They allowed us to carry on a guitar and place it in the overhead bin. Overhead bins were spacious, as was the seating. Carry-ons are free if you book directly with Frontier. If you don’t have a carry-on, they actually allow you early boarding. We flew from Detroit to Bozeman, with a layover in Denver. Planes were newer. All flights were full, but left on time. All 6 checked luggage items made it to the final destination. Very few people ordered drinks/food on board. We purchased our drinks (paid at least $2) in the airport and carried them on. The flight attendants were friendly and seemed to enjoy their jobs. We’re flying them again in October for parents weekend, but may opt for a larger carrier once the snow flies.</p>
<p>My daughter, her husband, and their gerbils travel Frontier between their home in Alaska and our in Pennsylvania, this summer using the airport in Trenton NJ. It’s the cheapest airline by far, and as pointed out, the only one that allows rodents on the plane.</p>
<p>They didn’t have any problems or complaints. They’ll probably continue using them after the gerbils’ cross country trips have ended (or they move to a larger community and find someone to trust with the gerbs over summer breaks).</p>
<p>A family member just used Frontier recently and it didn’t end well - cancelled flight due to non-weather issue (which is especially a problem with an airline with a small fleet and small number of flights), wouldn’t accommodate them on other airlines still flying out of that airport, weren’t pro-active in letting people know the flight was actually cancelled when it already was, didn’t put adequate resources on the desk to handle the rebooking/etc., and were rude to the stranded people.</p>
<p>Luckily, the family member, with no help from Frontier, managed to find their own other flight out of there that night with some additional cost. </p>
<p>I think Frontier goes to the bottom of list for that person now.</p>
This is an old thread but I wanted to know if anyone has had any recent experience with Frontier. We are thinking about flying Frontier to San Fran for kiddos internship.
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@agentninetynine - I’ve traveled the Denver to Casper route many times, and every time the pilot looked like a teenager! maybe it’s a training ground for young pilots. Never had any problems. Now we fly out of Trenton Mercer if we can - free parking and easier to get to than Newark or Philadelphia!
My S flew them last year and said they were no-frills but fine. You can look online so you know in advance what the extra charges will be.
Flew on this airline from Boston to Akron to visit relatives in rural OH. It’s an airline that nickel and dimes you to death. Look at the rules so you’ll know everything that’s extra.
@stevienj I love that Trenton Mercer Airport. Since my first post, I’ve flown Frontier 3 or 4 times. The last time was to Trenton. It is such a small airport. We exited onto the runway and walked around into the front door of the airport. The rental car company brought the car right to the curb. It was so nice, plus the airfare was so reasonable.