Frontier's new first-class seats now slated for early 2026 debut
Frontier Airlines expects to begin installing its new first-class seats shortly after the start of the new year, the carrier told TPG this week.
It will mark the first true premium seat the budget airline has offered — and a major shift for an airline long known for its no-frills onboard experience.
It's also a bit of a delay.
Frontier first announced plans to launch a true first-class product a year ago this week. At the time, CEO Barry Biffle told TPG the carrier hoped to begin installing the seats in September and add them to its planes over a two-month period.
But on last month's earnings call, Biffle told analysts the Denver-based airline instead expected the full first-class rollout to happen by the spring of 2026.
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The entire global airline industry has been affected by delays to the seat supply chain, so it's not surprising that Frontier didn't meet its original time frame for debuting the new front-cabin product.
Still, that travelers will see the new recliner seats on board its Airbus A320 and A321 planes in the coming months should be an enticing new development for both passengers and the airline.
Frontier is hoping to tap into a premium wave that's seen customers prove more willing, in recent years, to pay more for higher-end products.
The carrier is sourcing its new first-class seats from Italian seatmaker Geven, as first announced this past spring. Once the airline's first-class rollout is complete, these seats are expected to occupy the first two rows of every Frontier plane.
Frontier plans to offer complimentary, space-available first-class upgrades to the new seats to members of its Frontier Miles loyalty program who reach Gold status or higher.
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