Frontier Airlines, known for its unbundled pricing and aggressive ancillary product pricing, revised its strategy on May 17 to align more with traditional U.S. carriers. The airline now offers three bundled fare options: Basic, Economy, and Business, aimed at making it easier and cheaper for customers to select desired services. This move, led by CEO Barry Biffle, aims to appeal to a wider range of flyers and improve customer satisfaction. Frontier also reintroduced phone support for elite members and extended flight credit lifetimes, while maintaining some low-cost carrier characteristics.
Frontier's new strategy comes as the airline seeks to improve its market position post-pandemic, following a small loss in 2023. The new bundles are designed to be competitive and attractive, with the Economy bundle including carry-on bags and no change or cancel fees. The Premier bundle adds early boarding and extra-legroom seats, while the Business bundle includes two checked bags and premium seating.
Biffle expects the new approach to increase ancillary revenue by offering more affordable bundled options at the start of the booking process. Despite these changes, Frontier will continue to charge for snacks and beverages, maintain higher checked bag fees outside the Business bundle, and offer more densely configured cabins without WiFi. Industry analysts believe the new strategy could attract more customers, though Frontier must also work on improving its operational reliability and overall reputation.
