Frontier Airlines Sucks...

[Hugh Conway]

so one bad experience and they totally suck? Glad you are not my father...

Taken you this long to figure out the bandwagon?

[Big Turns]

Frontier is adding flights to JH in April.

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

Starting when? They still don't show anything in there system.

They haven't officially added it yet, they are still in a permitting process or something but are hoping to have it by this summer/next winter. Or so the article in the other days paper said.

[Osubg1]

Mainly, the agent didn't communicate in Atlanta what the situation was regarding my actual flight plus she mistakenly assured me I'd get my bag, which is kind of important since I have a daily medication that is in that bag.

You're never allowed to get your bag, they should know that... and why pack daily meds in your checked bag? Either way, I agree with you, but that's why they are airline ticket counter workers. If they had better communication skills they would be doing something else.. I think after the customer gets mad they just say whatever it is that will get you out of their face, and the next time you talk to another one of them, they give you some bs about how the other customer service person was wrong.. etc.. I think it's in their training. maybe it's time to carry a voice recorder...

I don't think that it's the specific airlines that are bad, I think it's the airport. I've had the biggest idiots dealing with me at both Chicago and Cleveland... assclowns, no matter who pays their check.

[finbar]

Email today announces new Frontier flights from DIA to A$pen, Bozeman, Colorado Springs, Durango, Fargo, Grand Junction, Jackson and Missoula

[Helldawg]

The scenario you described above really doesn't sound that bad. I've had tons worse on US Scare, and Jet Blew.

Frontier has done me solid the 3 times I used them. The sad realities of life include, weather delays, mechanical issues, and underpaid/overworked folks who really don't care about your problems.

I know, I'm sour.

[Prophet10]

I travel for work a ton as well. United has their problems but they are all I fly. The reason I do that is b/c they give me options. If I miss a flight on Frontier, then I wait many hours for the next one. United, I am wait an hour two and I am on my way. This is assuming the issue isn't weather related in which case everyone is screwed. All that being said, I have status with United (and Frontier too) so I realize my experience will be different from someone who only flies a couple times a year.

[rideit]

However, almost all of those flights (and certainly JH) will be on twin turbo-props.
I hate those things.
Not so bad Denver-Aspen, but Denver JH, or Denver-Bozeman?
Yeesh.

[funkendrenchman]

Agreed, I fly frontier all the time and have never had an issue. Like he says above everyone fucks up once in awhile.

Ditto.... and stoked that they now fly to Aspen.

From the e-mail - "...to/from Aspen, CO, Durango, CO, Grand Junction, CO, and Jackson Hole, WY 5/15/08..."

[DXII]

However, almost all of those flights (and certainly JH) will be on twin turbo-props.
I hate those things.

Yeah, but if the ticket's 5 bucks cheaper, you'll buy it. People bitch about airlines all the time (no leg room, no pillows, no meals, terrible customer service reps, small airplanes, loud airplanes, etc.), but all the legacy airlines either went through bankruptcy and had to cut costs or went under because people would rather save a few bucks than have a quality product.

The operating costs of those turbo-props just can't be beat. They burn very small amounts of fuel, and pay for the pilots starts at under $20,000 a year.

[GoldMember]

Okay, I finally made it home and I'm thinking more rationally now. In spite of my venting here, I never gave any of the agents a hard time. That's not something I would do. The reality is that the customer service agent, NOT a ticket counter agent, is the one who screwed me up. She is one that should have the proper training to deal with the situation properly and she didn't. Everything else that happened was really due to her not communicating well. So, I won't condemn the entire airline based on the actions of one of their 6,000 employees. I too have generally been happy with Frontier and this time it just hit me wrong and at a bad time for that to happen. For one thing, I was planning on skiing tomorrow and now I've lost a day and will be working instead. That's what's most frustrating but I'm over it. I'll still fly them but am going to write in some thoughts about what could have been done differently that would've saved me some grief. My customers let me know when I've screwed up and when that happens, it's an opportunity to make some corrections. if the customers don't let you know, you may not realize there's a problem and it may not get taken care of. I'm done bitching now. Thanks for listening....I think.

[rideit]

$5.00 cheaper, no way...$100 cheaper? Still most likely no.
Depends on how long my itinerary is. I usually am flying from here to Peru, and longer flights that can increase the chances of me missing a connection are not worth the savings...but that's just me.
There is usually only one flight Atlanta-Lima, at 5:00 PM. If I miss it, it's another 24 hours, which is precious time if I am meeting clients, or even just vacation time.

[Anxious Mo-Fo]

Does Frontier's fleet even include turbo-prop planes? I thought they only use 737s, like Southwest.

[DXII]

Does Frontier's fleet even include turbo-prop planes? I thought they only use 737s, like Southwest.

Frontier recently created it's own regional airline, called Lynx Aviation. They will operate 70 seat turbo-props with Frontier paint jobs. They started operations in December. It's a lot cheaper to do this than operate the smaller airplanes themselves.

[Garrett]

However, almost all of those flights (and certainly JH) will be on twin turbo-props.
I hate those things.

Why?

I'd actually rather ride on a Q400 than a CRJ. More room in the cabin in most setups I've seen.. Block time on most routes is not that much different. I guess one disadvantage of the turboprop is the lower altitude and attendant weather, but I don't mind turbulence, and it isn't like fully loaded RJs fly that much higher anyways.

Also, they cost less to operate, in part because they burn a lot less fuel.

[rideit]

Hunh...IME, TP's are a lot slower, noisier, and more prone to turbulence.
I think the noise gets to me more than anything, really.

I guess I could be wrong, but they certainly 'feel' a lot slower to me.
Especially on 'longer' flights.

Roomier, I'll grant you.
Until they get reconfigured for more passengers, and luggage will not be allowed at all.
(you think that's an impossibility?)

I basically envision UPS or Fed Ex having CS counters in terminals, but that is another rant.

[Garrett]

Heh, yeah, I'm actually surprised UPS/FedEx aren't already doing that.

I spend some time in single engine aircraft on bumpy afternoons, so I guess to me by comparison the TPs are like ocean liners...but I can definitely see how the noise/bumps/extra time could get annoying to some.

[Shredhead]

Any additional competition into mountain airports is good! The Q400 looks like a nice aircraft. 400 kts. is fast! One good thing about Turbo Prop's is you can slow them down quickly and shoot the approach at a lower speed than the CRJ's.

Going into Aspen the CRJ's have a three mile vizability minimum and current Dash 8's are only a mile. That's a big difference when your in the soup.

[prmulligan]

Two years ago, I booked a flight through another airline out of SLC and booked my first leg on Frontier. Frontier canceled the first leg of the flight - eliminating my chance of making to SLC on time. At the time, they basically told me to fuck off. I received no compensation for the canceled flight, an no notification either. I checked the flight a couple of days earlier and they basically told me that the flight had been taken off the schedule and there was no recourse - I didn't even get a credit for the flight to be used later.

How's that for service.

[Anxious Mo-Fo]

While living in CO in the 80s, I remember the previous version of Frontier based out of Stapleton had plans to create an international carrier with a separate brand name. They held a contest and the person who entered the winning name would fly for free anywhere they flew in perpetuity.

All of us started thinking about how our lives would change with a lifetime airline pass. Not sure, but I think they eventually settled on the name "Frontier Discovery." I can't remember if Frontier went bankrupt or was absorbed by United or another airline shortly thereafter, but I felt bad for the person who thought he'd be flying all over the world for free.

Hard to believe that Continental used to have a big hub in Denver, but bailed when it saw the fees DIA was going to charge.

[Chugachjed]

When I clicked on this link I thought that somebody was pissed off at the small Fairbanks based airline that serves bush Alaska. Obviously I was mistaken, I've never ridden your big fancy Frontier Airlines down there in America. Oh yea at least you didn't get stuck in Atlanta.

[freshie247]

I gotta say, it's sick that Frontier just added JH to their flight plan...89 bucks each way!!

I've flown TP's a couple of time from Vancouver to Seattle & Portland & while they were loud, It seem all right to me.Granted these are 45-hr flights.

[jrosendahl]

You broke rule 1A of air travel. Never ever book one flight with two carriers unless that is the only possible way to get where you are going.

[pappag]

$198 RT to JH?

Shit ... might have to ski there more often next year.


And JH to Denver flight at 705 PM which means the last day isn't wasted not skiing.

[Ankf00]

I thought they only use 737s, like Southwest.

Frontier itself is exclusively Airbus A320 variants, but it partners with a smaller carrier that uses Embrear 170's. Now there's Lynx and it's Bombardier Q400's.

SW was talking about adding some Embraer to its 737 fleet, don't know where that is now, but it'd be fucking idiotic considering all the additional overhead for 2 different aircraft types.