Summary
- Frontier Airlines is moving away from traditional ultra-low-cost practices.
- New booking classes will offer unique benefits, replicating legacy carrier models.
- The carrier’s introduction of a transparent booking system aims to prevent passenger unhappiness with high add-on fees.
Frontier Airlines has thrown the commercial aviation world a curveball today by scrapping several fees that have increasingly become the industry standard for ultra-low-cost airlines like the Denver-based carrier. With a new customer-friendly attitude, many have come to wonder what Frontier’s latest move will mean regarding the airline’s long-term strategy.
The nature of the ultra-low-cost experience is self-describing: carriers forsake all other customer benefits in favor of offering passengers the lowest possible upfront ticket costs. At the end of the day, these ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs as the industry denotes them) have historically served one purpose and one purpose only, offering the lowest possible fares.
Photo: Carlos Yudica | Shutterstock
Frontier’s decision, however, challenges this notion as it has pushed the airline beyond the traditional boundaries of where ultra-low-cost carriers typically choose to go. Offering passenger-friendly flexibility is something that airlines like Southwest and JetBlue do, not ultra-low-cost players like Frontier and Spirit. In this article, we will examine how impactful Frontier’s latest decision will be and what it could mean for the airline moving forward.
The ULCC booking model
Traditionally, ultra-low-cost carriers have focused on offering the lowest possible ticket prices, allowing passengers to make add-on purchases that evidently raise the total cost of their flight experience. For example, a passenger could pay extra for any of the following:
- Seat selection
- Carry-on bags
- Checked bags
On the contrary, legacy airlines like United and Delta and some hybrid carriers like JetBlue have traditionally aimed to offer several different purchase classes. On the lowest-priced economy class tickets, passengers do not enjoy any flexibility and are often forced to pay for everything from seat selection to their carry-on bags.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
However, in other fare classes, such as standard economy bookings, passengers can bring checked bags, select their own seats, and much more. Frontier has decided to replicate this by introducing a system of four booking classes offering unique benefits. These new booking classes will offer four “bundles,” each of which will offer passengers different benefits.
Why the change?
In a statement regarding the announcement, the carrier’s CEO, Barry Biffle, noted the importance of transparency in offering passengers the lowest price possible. This new change could make a key difference in helping the airline compete for passengers who have been scared off by high add-on fees.
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Which do you think they are?
At the bottom of the market, the booking experience is roughly the same between legacy and ultra-low-cost carriers in basic economy classes on commercial airlines. One pays a single price and pretty much gets exactly what they expect, which is a no-frills ticket at the lowest fare.
Photo: The Toidi | Shutterstock
However, when it comes to passengers looking to make seat selections and traveling together or bringing a carry-on or checked baggage, the experience is slightly different. Passengers traveling on Frontier might pay a single price before being slammed with extra fees for bags.
On legacy airlines, bundling the booking process makes it clear exactly what passengers will pay, limiting a potentially negative experience later. With a new passenger-friendly booking system, Frontier will now be in a stronger position to offer customers a clearer idea of exactly what they will be paying.