Summary

  • Frontier Airlines operates plenty of longer routes, with its longest being Las Vegas to New York JFK at 2,248 miles.
  • Frontier’s expansion includes newer routes like Las Vegas to Philadelphia and Atlanta to San Francisco.
  • Frontier offers competitive prices on its longer routes compared to other airlines.

Many low-cost airlines are known for their extensive short-haul and regional networks – but most these days operate plenty of longer routes.

Frontier Airlines originally started connecting Denver to regional destinations, soon expanding across the West and later further afield. Today, it operates its all-Airbus fleet of A320 and A321 aircraft on plenty of routes, long and short. This includes four that are over 2,000 miles in length – Las Vegas to New York JFK, Philadelphia, and Orlando, plus Atlanta to San Francisco.

We look at these routes, with Frontier operations for October 2024 and other operators on the same routes. All data is based on information from Cirium, an aviation analytics company.

Las Vegas LAS to New York JFK – 2,248 miles

Route

Number of flights (October 2024)

Total seats

Total ASMs

Las Vegas (LAS) and New York (JFK)

31

7,332

16,4872,336

Frontier’s longest route currently is between Las Vegas (LAS) and New York (JFK). Frontier Airlines
is a major operator at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport
(in mid-2022, the airline operated 57 routes and claimed to be the fastest-growing airline at the airport). It opened a crew base there in 2017.

The route was only started in August 2024 as part of an expansion of the airline’s network. It also started several other routes in California, but initial statements about a possible Los Angeles LAX to New York JFK route were later dismissed.

The airline flies from Las Vegas to New York JFK daily in October 2024, using either the A320neo or the A321neo. This is a red-eye eastbound flight with the following schedule:

  • F93238 departs LAS 21:29, arriving in JFK 05:34.
  • F93237 departs JFK 06:59, arriving in LAS 09:32.
Frontier Airlines Airbus A320neo landing at LAS

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

Frontier’s one flight a day hardly makes it a dominant operator on the route. It comes in third, way behind JetBlue and Delta Air Lines. These two airlines have incredible service on this route:

  • JetBlue

    has 176 flights in October 2024, offering a total of 29,008 seats.

  • Delta Air Lines

    is similar to 155 flights (on larger aircraft), offering 30,070 seats.

Las Vegas LAS to Philadelphia PHL – 2,176 miles

Route

Number of flights (October 2024)

Total seats

Total ASMs

Las Vegas (LAS) and Philadelphia (PHL)

7

1,302

2,833,152

Frontier’s second-longest route is just a few miles shorter – flying from Las Vegas to Philadelphia. This operates twice a week using an A320 aircraft – on a Saturday and a Monday from Philadelphia.

  • Flight F9 1601 departs Philadelphia at 19:00 and arrives in Las Vegas at 21:23
  • Flight F9 1601 departs Las Vegas at 22:00 and arrives in Philadelphia at 06:00

Philadelphia has been an important focus city for the airline recently as it seeks to add more routes to underserved larger cities. In February 2024, it announced a major expansion, including eight new routes from the airport (the Las Vegas route was already operating).

Other operators on the route include American Airlines (with four flights a day generally) and Spirit Airlines (with one daily flight).

For schedules, it is, of course, hard for Frontier to compete – but loyalty and the possibility of lower fares no doubt help. Fares on the route with Frontier go as low as $54 for October departures. With American Airlines, rates are more like around $200 with stops or over $500 for direct flights. The searches below show fares two weeks ahead for October with both airlines.

Atlanta ATL to San Fransico SFO – 2,139 miles

Route

Number of flights (October 2024)

Total seats

Total ASMs

Atlanta (ATL) to San Francisco (SFO)

31

5,766

12,333,474

For the third longest route we move to the airline’s Atlanta hub, with its route between Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
ATL and San Francisco SFO.

This is a daily flight, operated using the smaller A320. This is an evening departure from Atlanta, but the time varies during the week. The return to San Francisco is an overnight red-eye flight.

Frontier Airlines

Photo: Frontier Airlines

This is a Delta-heavy route, with the two main other options being:

  • Delta Air Lines

    with 224 flights in the month, offering almost 45,000 seats.

  • A slightly more frequent United Airlines service, with 48 flights in the month.
Delta Boeing 757-300 Atlanta shutterstock_1775501306

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

Las Vegas LAS to Orlando MCO – 2,039 miles

Route

Number of flights (October 2024)

Total seats

Total ASMs

Las Vegas (LAS) and Orlando (MCO)

55

12,768

26,033,952

Returning to Las Vegas, Las Vegas (LAS) to Orlando (MCO) is a busy route for Frontier Airlines, with 55 flights in the month. These multiple daily departures put it at the highest of all the long routes for total seats and ASMs.

Frontier Airlines in Orlando shutterstock_1363147781

Photo: VIAVAL TOURS | Shutterstock

  • There is one flight on a Monday and two every other day.
  • One eastbound flight (departing 23:03 daily from Las Vegas is an overnight red-eye flight.
  • Most of the flights are operated with the A321neo (although some are with the A320neo), which gives Frontier the leading seat count despite not having the most flights.

Rates in October go as low as $54 with Frontier.

Frontier Airlines search

Image: Frontier Airlines

Frontier Airlines also compares well with other carriers on this predominately leisure route. Only Southwest Airlines has slightly more flights, with Spirit Airlines flying daily.

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