On a prior post, Abe Carson wrote about the trials and tribulations he encountered on a misguided trip to Orlando in the midst of Hurricane Irma (see, A Hurricane of a Trip to Orlando, Florida). Today he writes about another adventure – flying to Orlando on Frontier Airlines.
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I Flew on Frontier Airlines and This is What Happened by Abe Carson:
Having never flown Frontier Airlines, but encountering almost too-good-to-be-true airfare deals, I decided to experiment and take advantage of one of their 90%-off (or was it 99%?) airfare deals for a very short Florida getaway.
So…in early October I booked a $69 round-trip excursion from LaGuardia to Orlando, flying early December. Yes, you read that correctly, $69 r/t, including all taxes and fees.
It should be noted that Frontier is a no-frills airline and charges extra for everything. Want to use an overhead bin…extra. Want an assigned seat…extra. Desire a cup of coffee aboard the flight, you got it…an additional $2.99 for the caffeine.
Frontier will assign a free seat upon check-in but my research indicated they do so using a unique process. Apparently, seats are assigned sequentially from back-to-front upon check-in. Consequently, one has a real chance of being assigned a middle seat. So…perceiving a significant chance that I would not be assigned my preferred window seat (a 66% chance, by my calculation), I succumbed three weeks after booking my $69 flight and added assigned seats, for a fee of $26 r/t. Essentially, my round-trip fare became $95.
Arriving at LaGuardia at 7:45 AM, I was immediately confronted with the worst news of my trip…no vendor within the terminal was able to sell hot coffee (“our water is dirty”). And, since I wasn’t going to splurge onboard the flight for a beverage…no coffee for me till Orlando.
On the other hand, the Frontier experience was fine. The boarding staff, the flight attendants, were all cheerful and pleasant. The seats were not horrible and not terribly squished. No entertainment onboard. Flight attendants come out with a cart full of snacks and beverages, but only water is free. All snacks, soft drinks, juices and hot beverages are $2.99. Adult beverages are $7.99. After ordering, the flight attendant gives the passenger an I-Pad to sign for the purchase. The first screen gives the passenger an option to add a tip to their purchase…I guess the flight staff really is working for tips.
Return flight was also eventless.
One major difference between the two flights- on the return flight, we had to endure a hard-sell for Frontier’s branded credit card. And the card did not appear to offer a great deal in terms of benefits.
I did hear some grumbling about “paying $50” and not being allowed to place one’s overhead-bin carry-on where one likes. I was surprised how full the overhead bin space was- apparently many passengers pay the extra fee to bring a carry-on onboard. Both flights appeared to be full, so don’t expect too many empty seats.
All in all, if one knows what to expect and doesn’t need extras, Frontier’s flight deals can be a phenomenal bargain.
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
I have taken about 6 Frontier flights between Summer 2018 and early Winter 2018. All flights took off on time, landed on time. Great airline, great fares. I just hope they don’t go belly up offering these ultra low fares.
I agree…my Frontier experience was better than I anticipated.
Whiners… Looking for reasons to criticize everyone and everything…
Did you stop to count your blessings for those that have given their lives to defend your right to bitch about everything…?
Did yo you thank a president who has challenged our enemies foreign and domestic that wish to strip your ability to have these rights..
Yes, it is easier to complain about the plane, the, flight, the costs,.. but how many people’s jobs does your negative self importance affect…
I have no idea, or even care about how you made your living to provide for your family, to be so shallow as not to be thankful to all those who have served you.
Everyday, you should rise, see the sun, breathe the air, be able to come and go freely.. you should fall on your knees and give thanks , and as you rise be glad that you live in a great country of America
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Somebody forgot to take his nice pills today….
(and fyi, the president has nothing to do with this post)
I find it mind-boggling that “phenomenal bargain” can be interpreted as a negative review.
Maybe he thought he was responding to a different post – because there is simply nothing in his comment that relates to the blog post. I’m sorry he harbors so much anger. Eh, so what else is new?
I am happy that someone can make Frontier work for them. My market is small and they are just about useless.
I’m based in Denver, so Frontier is an obvious choice for a lot of flights. And I often find that booking smartly, you can pair a very low fare with their “Works” bundle and wind up with a checked bag, an extra legroom assigned seat, and an overhead carry-on for about the same as basic economy on United.
The biggest problem with them for many destinations is weird schedules. For instance, I recently went to Reno for a long weekend. I wanted to leave on Thursday and return Sunday. Frontier didn’t have any flight at all on Thursday and their Sunday RNO-DEN flight left early in the morning. I wound up on DL through SLC for a higher fare and a connection, but at least they could get me out Thursday morning and back Sunday night.
That’s a deal killer as far as I’m concerned.