Trip Report: Frontier Airlines, Atlanta to New Orleans
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)
I was looking to fly from Atlanta to New Orleans and
originally had looked at Delta and Southwest, as those were the carriers I knew
that flew that route. The average price
on both carriers for a one-way flight ranged from $160-$200. I then went to online travel sites and did a
search and that is when I discovered that Frontier Airlines also flies the
route – at a much lower cost. Even
booking two days before, a one-way flight
on a Sunday costs $99 (including taxes) which is extremely inexpensive, so I
investigated why it was so inexpensive – Frontier is an ultra LCC. This is flying on the new Frontier
I had previously flown Frontier about 10 years ago through
their Denver hub and that is when they were more of a standard carrier; flying
on them now, things are a little different as an ultra LCC. In this model, everything is considered extra
and has a charge associated with it. A
carry-on that will fit in the overhead compartment – a charge; a checked-bag – a
charge; choosing your own seat – a charge; drinks and food on board – a charge. The only items that are not charged are a
carryon bag that can fit underneath the seat, and a glass of water on
board. While all the ‘extra charges’ may
be obnoxious to some, to others it may be the best deal because you only pay
for what you need. For me, it was a good
deal given my travel time and needs.
I was flying one-way from Atlanta to New Orleans and was looking
for a decent airline that provided a decent service at a reasonable price. When I looked online, the fare for Frontier
was $99 (including taxes). If I wanted to choose a seat, that would cost $5
extra ($10 if I did it at check-in). I
could also choose a seat with extra legroom, and that would cost $12 extra ($20
if I did it at check-in). If I wanted to
bring a bigger carryon and stow it in the overhead, that was a charge of $35
(more if I did at check-in, even more if it was gate-checked). If I wanted to check a bag, that was a charge
of $20 (more if I did at check-in, even more if I did it at the counter). This is
something which surprised me – the checked bag was $15 less than the charge for
the carryon. I guess this means less
carryon luggage so faster boarding – just seemed interesting to me. If I wanted to add all of these items into
the price, then the Frontier fare would be comparable to what the other
carriers would be charging; however, I did not need any of that stuff so I did
not choose that option and my fare was $99.
I booked my ticket and received my confirmation.
24-hours prior to boarding I received an email reminding me
to check-in. Frontier strongly
encourages online check-in and printing boarding passes at home – with no
check-in luggage and only carryon, printing everything at home meant going
directly to security. I did not pay for
a seat when I booked my ticket, nor did I pay for a seat when I checked-in so
after check-in and when the boarding pass was ready, that is when I found out
my seat number. Frontier flies all
Airbus planes and usually in a 3-3 layout, so if you do not pay for the seat
and play the lottery you could end up with a window, middle or aisle. I was lucky and got an aisle, but it was all
the way in the back of the plane. For
some of my family, who prefer an aisle and want to sit closer to the plane we
paid the $5 to reserve the seat. Also, if you do not want to be separated from your group you need to pay.
Boarding pass in hand and with only a carryon (a laptop bag)
I went past the airline counters and went directly to security. This is the only negative I see with Frontier
– they do NOT participate in TSA pre-check so if you are part of that (or of
Global Entry) then you cannot avail yourself of this option while flying
Frontier. TSA pre-check saves so much time so I am not sure why they do not
partake, since it would be a benefit to their customers who choose to pay for
it. Since they do not participate in TSA
precheck, you have to wait in the long security lines (and they are long at
ATL). The departure time was scheduled
for 7:05pm but that is not what is printed on the boarding pass – what is
printed are the timings the boarding starts and the time the door closes (which
is 15 minutes prior to departure). This
is to ensure an on-time or early departure.
This new process seemed to have worked as we boarded early,
and we were able to push back from the gate early. In regards to the on-board service, Frontier
has talked about ‘reinventing the on-board experience’ which meant slim-line
seats, less cushion, already pre-reclined seats that could not be adjusted, less
leg room, and other cost-cutting measures.
I am not sure how far into the implementation of this ‘reinvention’ they
are in because the plane we flew did not have the new seats. Rather, this plane had the older green,
leather seats which are wide, can be reclined, have some padding, and have a
lot of legroom (I am 6ft and I had enough legroom so where my knees were NOT
hitting the seat in front of me – whereas on other carriers my knees have been
squashed by the seat in front of me).
The older seat was comfortable and decent for the duration of the
flight.
The older plane also had the personal IFE which can provide
live DirectTV for a fee. From my
understanding Frontier is discontinuing this service in the ‘reinvention’. The fee to access the TV is $5 and you can
swipe your card to access the TV – the flight path map can be viewed for
free. The screens are fine for a
longer-haul journey, but they are small (tiny in fact) and the controls for the
system are on the armrest so you can accidentally hit the controls when you are
resting your arm (which I did many times).
What was part of the ‘new’ Frontier was the service on board
– as it’s a paid service so if you would like food or drink, you have to
pay. The prices vary from $1.99 for a
soft drink to higher for other drinks and snacks. They will provide a glass of water for
free. I had brought my own drink and
food at the airport so I did not buy anything on board – this is the biggest
instance where some are complaining about Frontier. I have been on longer flights – about 2.5
hours – on mainline carriers where for that long duration you only get one free
drink and that is it, and for that they charge a lot. I do not mind brining my own drink if I am
getting a lower fare – and that is what Frontier offers.
Overall, given the short duration and the low fare it was a
really good flight that left on time and arrived early! Given Frontier is moving to the ultra LCC
model, I was expecting a lot worse so maybe that is why my expectations were
exceeded. If you know what to expect,
then you can get a decent flight on a very inexpensive fare.
Based on this experience, would I book Frontier again? If the fare was low and my travel needs were
the same then definitely yes. The $99
fare was extremely low given that Southwest and Delta were charging between
$160-$260 for the same route and time.
Given that and given the travel time and my travel needs, Frontier was
the best option. My family has booked future
flights on the same route, and sometimes we have booked Frontier while other
times we have booked Southwest. Sometimes
Frontier provided the best fare while other times their fare was comparable to
Southwest, but Southwest provided additional services (free luggage and free
changing of travel plans) which Frontier does not so based on those extra and
our travel needs, we made the decision.
Hope this review helps you in your decision making.
I was looking to fly from Atlanta to New Orleans and
originally had looked at Delta and Southwest, as those were the carriers I knew
that flew that route. The average price
on both carriers for a one-way flight ranged from $160-$200. I then went to online travel sites and did a
search and that is when I discovered that Frontier Airlines also flies the
route – at a much lower cost. Even
booking two days before, a one-way flight
on a Sunday costs $99 (including taxes) which is extremely inexpensive, so I
investigated why it was so inexpensive – Frontier is an ultra LCC. This is flying on the new Frontier
I was flying one-way from Atlanta to New Orleans and was looking
for a decent airline that provided a decent service at a reasonable price. When I looked online, the fare for Frontier
was $99 (including taxes). If I wanted to choose a seat, that would cost $5
extra ($10 if I did it at check-in). I
could also choose a seat with extra legroom, and that would cost $12 extra ($20
if I did it at check-in). If I wanted to
bring a bigger carryon and stow it in the overhead, that was a charge of $35
(more if I did at check-in, even more if it was gate-checked). If I wanted to check a bag, that was a charge
of $20 (more if I did at check-in, even more if I did it at the counter). This is
something which surprised me – the checked bag was $15 less than the charge for
the carryon. I guess this means less
carryon luggage so faster boarding – just seemed interesting to me. If I wanted to add all of these items into
the price, then the Frontier fare would be comparable to what the other
carriers would be charging; however, I did not need any of that stuff so I did
not choose that option and my fare was $99.
I booked my ticket and received my confirmation.
What was part of the ‘new’ Frontier was the service on board
– as it’s a paid service so if you would like food or drink, you have to
pay. The prices vary from $1.99 for a
soft drink to higher for other drinks and snacks. They will provide a glass of water for
free. I had brought my own drink and
food at the airport so I did not buy anything on board – this is the biggest
instance where some are complaining about Frontier. I have been on longer flights – about 2.5
hours – on mainline carriers where for that long duration you only get one free
drink and that is it, and for that they charge a lot. I do not mind brining my own drink if I am
getting a lower fare – and that is what Frontier offers. 
