Frontier Airlines executives say they are seeing an improvement in the budget carrier’s finances, but the airline is making another extensive network adjustment as the winter months approach.
The Denver-based low-cost airline announced Tuesday about two dozen routes, each starting in mid-December.
As part of the changes, Frontier will launch a handful of new flights between New England and Florida. It will also double down on its rapid growth in cities like Chicago, Houston, Cleveland and Cincinnati.
And it will launch new service to one of Colorado’s most popular skiing destinations: Just ahead of the holiday season, the carrier will launch three new routes from major US cities to Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) near Vail.
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In all, Frontier is launching 22 new routes between December 17 and December 20. Of those routes, the carrier has previously flown more than half in the past decade. The rest are completely new to the airline.
The biggest winner? It’s a tie between Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which each get four new pins on Frontier’s route map.
The new service adds to Frontier’s already rapid growth at both airports. This year, the total number of airline seats departing from O’Hare will increase 125% compared to 2023, according to data from aviation analytics firm Sirius. Meanwhile, Frontier will operate more than 4,300 flights from LAX this year after ceasing service to the airport in 2023.
Another winner in Frontier’s latest update: California’s Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), which returns to the carrier’s route map for the first time since 2021 with flights to both Denver and San Francisco.
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Added 22 Frontier routes
Here’s complete information on Frontier’s 22 new (or relaunched) routes:
| route | launches | frequency | Last served |
| Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Miami International Airport (MIA) | 17 December | Four weekly round trips | 2023 |
| BOS to Tampa International Airport (TPA) | 17 December | Daily | 2020-21 |
| Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (BTV) to Orlando International Airport (MCO) | 20 December | Four weekly round trips | 2022 |
| BTV-TPA | 20 December | Three weekly round trips | New |
| Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) to Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) | 21 December | weekly | 2020 |
| Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) to PBI | 21 December | weekly | New |
| Denver International Airport (DEN) to PSP | 12 Dec | Three weekly round trips | 2021, and more regularly before the pandemic |
| Dan-Ege | 19 Dec | twice a week | New |
| Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to EGE | 16 Dec | twice a week | New |
| San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to EGE | 21 December | weekly | New |
| Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to LAX | 17 December | Daily | New |
| IAH-MIA | 17 December | Three weekly round trips | New |
| LAX to Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon | 17 December | Daily | New |
| LAX to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) | 17 December | Daily | New |
| LAX to Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) | 17 December | Daily | New |
| ORD to Fort Myers Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) | 17 December | Four weekly round trips | Last regularly scheduled service in 2021 |
| ORD-TPA | 17 December | Daily | Last regularly scheduled service in 2021 |
| ORD-PBI | 18 December | Three weekly round trips | 2017 |
| ORD to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) | 18 December | Three weekly round trips | 2020-21 |
| PSP-SFO | 12 Dec | Three weekly round trips | New |
| Portland International Jetport (PWM) in Maine to TPA. | 18 December | Three weekly round trips | 2022 |
| Washington’s Dulles International Airport (IAD) to TPA | 17 December | Daily | 2015 |
Just the latest network shakeup for Frontier
Frontier kicked off 2024 by announcing 54 new routes in January and hasn’t let up since. The carrier has announced a series of major network adjustments as part of an effort to boost profitability; The airline is aiming to fend off growing competition on domestic routes.
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After consecutive quarters of weak financial performance, CEO Barry Biffle recently noted that the carrier is starting to see some more promising results — consistent with a number of US carriers trimming their schedules to better meet customer demand.
“We’re seeing, over the last six weeks, a very good improvement against where we expected,” Biffle told Wall Street analysts at the Sept. 11 Morgan Stanley Laguna conference.
To date in 2024, Frontier announced 114 new routes in early August — and the shakeup has been ongoing ever since.
The airline did not specify what, if any, route cuts might accompany this latest phase of changes by Frontier. The carrier has regularly cut several routes so far this year as part of its major network shakeup.
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