Frontier adds 17 routes, slashes 16 in big route-map shakeup

Frontier Airlines is making some big adjustments to its network.

The Denver-based carrier announced more than two dozen route changes Wednesday. The moves include 17 new routes that will launch in May. Plus, Frontier also filed plans in recent days to drop another 16 routes, including eliminating service to two cities. The schedule changes were first seen in Cirium timetables and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.

It's the latest in a series of changes the ultra-low-cost carrier has made to its route map in recent months as the airline aims for more profitable flying.

Frontier's new routes

In total, Frontier announced 17 new routes Wednesday. In keeping with a slew of recent changes it's made, Frontier is shifting its attention to many of the nation's largest hub airports. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), for instance, will get the largest influx of new flights as part of this latest announcement, with four routes added to the carrier's schedule there.

Frontier is also expanding service to some smaller cities, from Missoula, Montana to Syracuse, New York and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

All of the new routes launch later this spring. Here's a full rundown:

• Atlanta to Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) in Grand Rapids, Michigan — launches May 16, operates three times weekly
• Atlanta to Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) — launches May 16, operates three times weekly
• Atlanta to Norfolk International Airport (ORF) — launches May 17, operates three times weekly
• Atlanta to Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) — launches May 17, operates three times weekly
• Nashville International Airport (BNA) to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) — launches May 16, operates three times weekly
• John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) — launches May 22, operates three times weekly
• Denver International Airport (DEN) to Missoula Montana Airport (MSO) — launches May 3, operates four times weekly
• El Paso International Airport (ELP) to Ontario International Airport (ONT) — launches May 17, operates three times weekly
• El Paso to San Diego International Airport (SAN) — launches May 16, operates three times weekly
• Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to Chicago O'Hare — launches May 17, operates four times weekly
• Houston to Ontario — launches May 17, operates four times weekly
• Indianapolis International Airport (IND) to New Orleans — launches May 21, operates three times weekly
• Orlando International Airport (MCO) to Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX) in St. Croix, USVI — launches May 25, operates once weekly (pending government approval)
• Ontario to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) — launches May 16, operates daily
• Chicago O'Hare to Portland International Jetport (PWM) — launches May 16, operates three times weekly
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) to Missoula — launches May 2, operates twice weekly
• Portland International Airport (PDX) to Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) — launches May 16, operates three times weekly

Here's a map, below, of the 17 new routes:

Frontier eliminates routes, too

While adding 17 routes, Frontier is also eliminating nearly as many.

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Frontier's cuts are pretty far-reaching, but the two most impacted cities are Orlando and Las Vegas.

Six of the 16 affected routes touch one of Frontier's busiest operating bases at Orlando. Four of the others originate from the carrier's base at the Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas.

Furthermore, Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) in Pennsylvania and Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) in Mexico represent station exits for Frontier, meaning that the airline will no longer serve either airport.

You can find the full list of cuts at the bottom of this story, as well as a map of all 16 routes below.

For its part, Frontier cited a broader shift in network strategy as being behind the cuts.

"These changes are both a reflection of our current strategy to shift capacity away from saturated markets such as LAS and MCO, as well as a periodic review and updating of routes based on demand, seasonality, and other factors," said Frontier spokesperson Jen de la Cruz.

In fact, these cuts are indeed in concert with remarks shared by airline CEO Barry Biffle during the carrier's fourth-quarter earnings call earlier this month.

According to Biffle, "No one is more aggressive in engaging in self-help to address overcapacity in leisure markets than Frontier. By summer, we plan to reduce Las Vegas and Orlando combined capacity by 11 points," he said on the call.

Las Vegas and Orlando are popular markets for ultra-low-cost carriers like Frontier, who have historically been able to stimulate demand with rock-bottom prices. However, that strategy hasn't worked in recent months, partially because the larger legacy network carriers have also grown or added capacity in these markets.

Instead of simply hoping for a change in customer sentiment, Frontier will slash "marginal unprofitable flying" in Las Vegas and Orlando, but it won't "retreat from our network footprint in either market," according to Biffle.

This strategy shift has led Frontier to announce a whopping 54 new routes across 38 airports in just a single announcement in January.

Many of these routes, including those from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Chicago's O'Hare and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), compete head-to-head with some of Frontier's largest U.S. competitors, like American Airlines and United Airlines.

By connecting larger cities, Frontier hopes to attract a segment of traffic known in the industry as "VFR," or visiting friends and relatives.

These are "high-fare VFR markets" that should "mature" faster and should yield profitability sooner than the "oversupplied leisure markets" that Frontier is exiting, Biffle said.

Frontier's 16 route cuts

• Atlanta - San Antonio
• Atlanta - Salt Lake City
• Denver - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
• Denver - San José del Cabo
• Las Vegas - Charlotte
• Las Vegas - Indianapolis
• Las Vegas - Sacramento
• Las Vegas - Tampa
• Orlando - Boston
• Orlando - Columbus, Ohio
• Orlando - Harrisburg
• Orlando - New Orleans
• Orlando - Pittsburgh
• Orlando - Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic
• West Palm Beach - Trenton, New Jersey
• Tampa - Montego Bay, Jamaica

Related reading:

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• Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
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Sean Cudahy contributed reporting to this story.