Frontier adding LA, San Francisco flights
Frontier Airlines plans to launch nonstop flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco and two other major U.S. cities from Cincinnati this spring, the Denver-based carrier announced Thursday.
The low-cost airline also is planning to start service to Houston and Philadelphia, in addition to reinstating nonstop flights to Atlanta, Dallas and Phoenix. All flights start in mid-April, except the Philadelphia service, which is scheduled to launch May 13.
Frontier has been unpredictable at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport over the past year, often adding and cutting flights. But the latest expansion seems to leave little doubt that the airline remains committed to CVG after news earlier this week that Frontier had cut nonstop flights to Dallas and Phoenix.
“In total, Frontier will be offering more than 50 weekly flights to 11 destinations and are growing their CVG service year-over-year by approximately 6 to 8 percent,” airport CEO Candace McGraw said.
Frontier's expansion also is another sign that carriers no longer fear competing with Delta Air Lines at its once-booming CVG hub. Delta will no longer be the only carrier to offer nonstop flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco from CVG after Frontier launches service to both cities April 15 – potentially lowering ticket prices to the traditionally high-fare West Coast cities.
San Francisco and Phoenix flights are scheduled to be offered each Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Dallas flights are scheduled for each Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Frontier is offering an introductory sale on a limited number of seats to the four new cities, ranging from $39 to $79 one-way. Flights can be booked at flyfrontier.com.
Changes to Frontier's flight offerings across the U.S. have been volatile. It has been in a months-long process of shifting from a traditional discount airline that offers daily nonstop flights to a so-called ultra-low-cost carrier that flies only on certain days and charges a la carte for most everything beyond the base ticket price.
Ultra-low-cost carriers are known for abruptly discontinuing flights if they're not making enough money or the airline sees that its limited resources could be better used elsewhere. Frontier also has a penchant for initially announcing flights as year-round and then making service seasonal without letting the public know, and that's been the case with several flights at CVG.
Last January, the airline offered nonstop flights to eight U.S. cities, the most since Frontier's ballyhooed arrival at high-priced CVG in May 2013. But Frontier currently is down to offering flights to four cities – Denver, Las Vegas, Orlando and Fort Myers, Florida – after cuts in October and this week.
Still, it's turned out to be a big week for CVG. American Airlines launched daily nonstop flights to New York City on Tuesday, becoming the first carrier to compete head-to-head with Delta on a major U.S. business route from Cincinnati.
All the new flights come in the wake of CVG officially entering a new five-year contract with the airlines last Friday. Delta does not hold nearly as much decision-making power on business decisions at the airport in the new contract, although the Atlanta-based airline continues to be CVG's dominant carrier.
In addition to Delta, United Airlines, American and Allegiant Air are among the commercial carriers that have signed the new deal. Frontier had given CVG officials word that it also planned to sign the contract, but that has not become official yet.