Tell me about Frontier Airlines

Nohal

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 28, 2008
I posted on SW thread that my non stop flights say sold out for the 2 flights I'm interested in. I either have to pay through the nose or find another flight or change my Disney reservation>:(. American is to expensive and there are no direct flights from PHL. Looking for other options. We are going May 26 and flights haven't opened yet for Frontier.

I've never flown with Frontier but have heard negative things about them. Like flights cancelled or delayed. Do they charge for a personal item and a carry on?
 
All I know is they're similar to Spirit and Allegiant where you have to pay for everything. I looked at using them for thanksgiving but just to get a carryon made the total $300 more than Southwest. At least with SW I could pick my own seat for free.
 
American is expensive, but they offer many direct flights throughout the day from PHL (seven flights, actually, on the day you want to fly out). We prefer Southwest for their prices, but their choice of direct flights from PHL stink. We usually go with American.
 
I have flown with frontier a few times.yes you pay for anything ice was free but they did charge for water.that being said they are cheap my wife and I are fling from Maine to Mco for $92.00 that is for two both ways.but they did change the flight on us, but it was easy to reschedule.
 


They are a huge risk but if you feel comfortable with all the risks they are adequate. They should get you from point A to point B
It may feel like you are sitting on concrete and they'll nickel and dime you to the point that you half expect to see coin-operated toilets. Most of the time, by the time you pay for all the things that other airlines include in the ticket cost, you are not saving any money, or little. I think they only thing included in the base ticket is a purse. Something that fits under the seat.
Where the biggest problem is if something happens to the 1 flight a day that they often have. You are screwed if that 1 flight is canceled because there sometimes isn't another for 2 or 3 days. THIS is the main reason I won't touch these no frills airlines. I can handle no frills. I can't gamble on not getting to where I want to go when I want to go there.
 
The bag charges are crazy. I've heard they are getting slightly better with reliability and service than in the past, but they're still too unreliable for me to use on an expensive WDW trip. With limited flights going out, a delay might mean waiting to tomorrow. That's too much time and money wasted to get back to the airport and rearranging my trip plans.

The potential hassle isn't worth the savings to us, and in many cases they still costs more after paying carry-on fees 2 way per person.

JetBlue is my go to carrier for the most economical to WDW.
 
I see you are flying out of PHL, is it feasible for you to fly out of BWI? If so they may have more Southwest options.
I know a few people who have flown Spirit out of AC, a bit of nickle & dime going on for sure, and at the end of the day I'm not sure that super cheap fare ended up being very cheap,but they got there.
 


Also remember, no RAC with them.

The bag charges are crazy. I've heard they are getting slightly better with reliability and service than in the past, but they're still too unreliable for me to use on an expensive WDW trip. With limited flights going out, a delay might mean waiting to tomorrow. That's too much time and money wasted to get back to the airport and rearranging my trip plans.

The potential hassle isn't worth the savings to us, and in many cases they still costs more after paying carry-on fees 2 way per person.

JetBlue is my go to carrier for the most economical to WDW.
Heck, here they only fly in and out 3 days a week. So you can't even wait till tomorrow. They offer 1 flight a day, every other day. That's it.
 
The 'personal bag' is basically a back pack size. Maybe fit an outfit. But that's it, you don't also get a purse. For a carry-on, they wanted $70 more per head.

Jet blue, we get a free carry-on, a free personal bag like back pack or large purse, and a small bag. When we want to use a large check-in luggage, we don't buy it with our tickets because then you need to buy it for each member in your party. We just share one and check it in right before the flight for $50 each way. We never need more than one because we each can carry 3 bags for free onto the plane.
 
I used to be a Frontier fan, happy with the prices since I could live out of an under seat bag for a 3 day weekend - then I got the shaft. Had a flight booked to Buffalo next weekend and two weeks ago they decided they did not want to service Buffalo anymore, and I can expect my refund in 2 months. I was past my AirBnB full refund date and wound up rebooking on Southwest. A popular route like MCO should be safe, but there was a story about a high school team going to Disney for a competition and being stranded by Frontier. Delta stepped in an flew a plane from Atlanta to pick them up (from Philly or Pittsburgh I think) and fly them down. A big negative with Frontier is the lack of daily flights from many locations if a flight gets cancelled. Until this trip, they had always been on time with my trips. I personally would not use them again unless I have a Freebird purchase to back the flight up.
 
If you are renting a car, you might also check nonstops to Sanford (east of Orlando) or Tampa.
 
Just for a little info, Frontier and Spirit have been tied at the bottom of the customer satisfaction lists for years. Just so you know.
 
I don’t have experience yet, but I just used them to book a quick trip to Disney, roundtrip, non stop, Providence to orlando was under $225 for two,adults. We are literally going for one day so no bags. we are going, knowing that nothing is included, but are ok with that
 
Just for a little info, Frontier and Spirit have been tied at the bottom of the customer satisfaction lists for years. Just so you know.

Yes but American is giving them both a run for their money. I heard that Spirit is improving lately and American is going down the drain.
 
I've flown Frontier from California to Orlando a couple of times, and haven't experienced anything worse than what I've experienced with United or Delta. Specifically, due to weather, Frontier got me to Orlando 16 hours later than expected so we missed a day, but Lindberg field in San Diego closes when there is less than 1 mile visibilty, and that sure happened. Just a few months ago, I was 6 hours late on a flight from Dulles to LAX due to thunderstorms on United. Only difference was Frontier didn't keep us on the plane!!

Sure, it's just a bus where people get on, sit down, and stay quiet for the duration of the flight. But when it's that cheap, I have no problem with it! Gives me more time to focus on my plans for WDW!
 
I have found with additional fees it ends up being the same or negligible between Frontier and American or Southwest.

I actually just booked BWI to MCO for less than what Frontier would be.

I will say, to keep checking. I checked the flights I just booked periodically and the flight I ended up booking was fully sold out a few weeks ago.

I booked 4 weeks ahead of time and am traveling during the holiday season so peak times.

It really does seem like a great deal. But when you add in the extras, and you add in the fact that they don't have a lot of code share partners, it can be expensive and difficult.

If your flight is canceled due to some issue, they don't have agreements with as many other bigger airlines to get you to your destination the same day, you may be rebooked on another flight another day. So if it is a flight they only run 3 or 4 days a week, you may be stranded until their next flight out.

If you're feeling flexible, and are a seasoned traveler, sure go for it.

But sometimes peace of mind is worth the financial investment.
 
My issue with them was there was only two flights a day so if something happens im on a diffrent flight for a long time
 
I'm a pretty big fan of Frontier myself and PHL is one of the airports I use the most with them. They've been my go-to choice for airlines the past 5 years or so, and I flew with them 5 times last year and next week will be my 6th time this year. My boyfriend also uses them now and has flown with them at least 6 times this year. I finally reached elite status so I no longer pay for a seat selection or carry on bag, but I'll share my experiences.

Aside from one major delay, for mechanical issues, knock on wood we haven't had any issues. Occasional slight delays, but more often than not we are on time if not early. The one time we had a major delay was PHL to Orlando, but I felt they handled it very well. We were very quickly issued a meal voucher so we could eat dinner while waiting. They were apologetic and provided information as they were able to. And in the end, without having to complain, we received $75 vouchers for another flight for our trouble. Which was enough for another round trip flight to Orlando.

I also had an issue where I had to cancel a flight last minute for being sick and I found their emergency cancellation policy to be extremely helpful. I faxed them a doctor's note that I had the flu and couldn't fly and they issued me a credit right away and waived the cancellation/change fee.

The airline is a no frills discount airline so you need to know how that works. You buy the flight, but that gets you on the plane with a personal item (decent sized bag dimensions are online but I have been able to manage up to a 4-5 day trip using just my free personal item). Carry on and checked bags otherwise cost more. So if you need 2 checked bags or one of each make sure to factor that into your costs. If you want to guarantee your seat selection you pay for that as well. We stopped doing that a while ago though and so far so good as we've always been seated together. Pro tip - you can do online check in 24 hours before your flight, get a seat assignment automatically and if you don't like it, you can still opt to pay then to change it online.

Seats don't recline and tray tables are tiny, but I don't find that to be an issue. Especially when I can fly for as cheap as $50 round trip at times. Flight attendants have always been friendly and helpful. I've even seen a few go above and beyond for someone with a sick child on the plane.

Aside from making sure you know all the prices ahead of time, the only other drawback is the lack of flight times available, particularly in some areas. Like others mentioned, if they only fly once a day or once every other day and your flight gets cancelled, you are out of luck. PHL usually has at least 4 flights a day to and from Orlando, but they are no longer all non stop flights. I am usually fairly flexible with dates so I haven't stressed too much about that risk. And, knocking on wood once again, so far so good.

I wouldn't hesitate to give them a try. I think most of the times I read bad reviews they went into it not understanding the pricing structure of a discount airline from the start.
 
The 'personal bag' is basically a back pack size. Maybe fit an outfit. But that's it, you don't also get a purse. For a carry-on, they wanted $70 more per head.

Jet blue, we get a free carry-on, a free personal bag like back pack or large purse, and a small bag. When we want to use a large check-in luggage, we don't buy it with our tickets because then you need to buy it for each member in your party. We just share one and check it in right before the flight for $50 each way. We never need more than one because we each can carry 3 bags for free onto the plane.

FWIW, I use a Vera Bradley Weekender bag that fits their personal size dimensions of 18"x14"x8" and can fit plenty for a trip of up to 5 days depending on my needs. Last week for example, that was 5 pairs of capris, 5 light blouses, an extra pair of shoes, 2 pairs of pjs, a couple tank tops, my purse/backpack that I use in the parks, cosmetic bag w/make up, a small wallet/purse, a pouch of jewelry, a jam packed quart bag with my liquids. a small bag w/ medication, toiletries, etc. It took a little thought and practice at first because I was used to the old days of free bags and packed everything "just in case," but you really can fit quite a bit within the personal size dimensions.
 
FWIW, I use a Vera Bradley Weekender bag that fits their personal size dimensions of 18"x14"x8" and can fit plenty for a trip of up to 5 days depending on my needs. Last week for example, that was 5 pairs of capris, 5 light blouses, an extra pair of shoes, 2 pairs of pjs, a couple tank tops, my purse/backpack that I use in the parks, cosmetic bag w/make up, a small wallet/purse, a pouch of jewelry, a jam packed quart bag with my liquids. a small bag w/ medication, toiletries, etc. It took a little thought and practice at first because I was used to the old days of free bags and packed everything "just in case," but you really can fit quite a bit within the personal size dimensions.
That's impressive! My husband is the over packer. He needs all of his shoes and socks, so he has them. Lol.
 

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