The Denver-based ultra-low-cost carrier announced on Tuesday that it's adding service from JFK to the following airports:
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), starting April 22.
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), starting May 1.
- Miami International Airpoirt (MIA), starting March 30.
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The Los Angeles and Miami flights will operate once daily, while service to DFW will fly four days a week.
Frontier's new flights will all have plenty of competition, though none of the other carriers operating these routes currently match the newcomer's rock-bottom introductory fares.
Flights to Miami start at $19, to Dallas/Fort Worth at $29 and to Los Angeles at $49.
Of course, Frontier's entry-level intro fares don't include bags or seat assignments, but they might be low enough to stimulate some additional demand in these markets. Hopefully, they'll also help drive down the fares on flights operated by the incumbents.
Frontier first entered JFK last June, and its presence there has since expanded to include five cities: Atlanta, Las Vegas, Orlando, Tampa and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
At the time, the move to enter JFK — one of the most expensive airports to operate from in the country — was puzzling, especially for a discount carrier. Furthermore, it remains unclear how Frontier got slots (takeoff and landing permissions) to operate from JFK, which is one of the most capacity-constrained airports in the country. Slots are needed for airlines to operate flights from the airport, and they aren't generally available to new entrants.
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Perhaps one of the most interesting new routes is the addition of flights to Los Angeles, which is considered one of the most competitive routes in the country, especially in the premium cabin. American, Delta and JetBlue all operate some of their poshest planes on this 2,475-mile route, featuring lie-flat seats, indulgent meals and comfy bedding.
Frontier's nicest product, the newly announced first-class-style seats debuting later this year, won't compete with the lie-flats offered by the incumbents, but it will offer a domestic first-class-style experience that some flyers will surely appreciate.
Additionally, the 2,475-mile route from JFK to Los Angeles will become the longest in the Frontier network, according to Cirium schedules. Frontier's existing longest flight from Atlanta to San Francisco measures 2,445 miles.
Meanwhile, flights from JFK to DFW and Miami will compete against American's hub-to-hub service on those two routes and Delta's service to both cities. (JetBlue recently exited the JFK-Miami market.)
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