Frontier Airlines adds new Las Vegas, Miami routes this winter
Frontier Airlines is keeping with its growth focus even with the coronavirus pandemic, planning two new routes to Las Vegas and Miami this winter.
The Denver-based discounter will add service between Miami (MIA) and Providence (PVD) on Dec. 17, Frontier said Friday. It will then add new service between Las Vegas (LAS) and Long Island's MacArthur Airport (ISP) on March 18, 2021.
Both routes come even as Frontier only plans to be flying about 80% to 90% of what it planned pre-pandemic by the end of 2020. The airline will also up the number of flights on 12 routes from Cincinnati (CVG) and Orlando (MCO) in addition to Long Island and Providence.
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"Theme parks, resorts and other vacation activities are opening across the country and we recognize there is pent-up demand for travel," said Daniel Shurz, senior vice president of commercial at Frontier, in a statement. "Frontier is offering daily flight options to many of the country's most beloved vacation destinations with low fares to make it even easier to start traveling again."
While an increasing number of Americans are willing to fly even as concerns around COVID-19 remain, nearly all travel is by holidaygoers. Alaska Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines have all announced new routes in an effort to carry more of these travelers.
Alaska will add service between Fresno (FAT), the closest airport to Yosemite National Park, and its Los Angeles (LAX) base in September. JetBlue is adding 30 new routes with many from Newark (EWR), New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) and Philadelphia (PHL), including adding its premium Mint service at Newark, by October. And Southwest will add 11 new routes this winter when it aims to fly a nearly "full" schedule.
Related: Airlines may face a tough fall after that summer uptick
Despite the route additions, some wonder if the recovery will continue into the fall. Typically, leisure travel drops off after Labor Day when business travel picks up. This year, however, it is unclear whether corporate flyers will return in any significant numbers.
In addition, Frontier and JetBlue are taking on much larger competitors with some of their additions. Frontier is challenging Delta Air Lines in Cincinnati where the major carrier has announced cuts and, most recently, Delta CEO Ed Bastian omitted it from a list of focus cities that will return after the pandemic.
JetBlue is challenging United Airlines between Newark and Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) -- two of United's preeminent domestic routes.
Related: Frontier is now screening passengers' temperatures, a first in the US
Frontier, for its part, is targeting markets where holidaygoers want to go and adding new procedures to keep travelers and crews safe. The airline is the only one checking the temperature of each traveler before they board a flight as well as mandating masks onboard all of its planes. It has also introduced enhanced cleaning procedures.
Tickets for Frontier's new routes are already on sale at introductory fares as low as $49 one-way.
Below is a list of Frontier's new and expanded routes this winter.
NEW ROUTES
- Las Vegas - Long Island: Daily from March 18, 2021
- Miami - Providence: Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Dec. 17
EXPANDED ROUTES
- Cincinnati - Denver (DEN): 12 times weekly from July 20
- Cincinnati - Fort Myers (RSW): Twice weekly from Nov. 12
- Cincinnati - Las Vegas: 11 times weekly from Aug. 1
- Cincinnati - Orlando (MCO): Thrice daily from Nov. 12
- Cincinnati - Tampa (TPA): Twice daily from Nov. 12
- Long Island - Orlando: Thrice daily from Nov. 12; Four times daily from Dec. 17
- Long Island - Tampa: Twice daily from Nov. 12
- Long Island - West Palm Beach (PBI): Twice daily from Nov. 12
- Orlando - Albany (ALB): Daily from Dec. 17
- Orlando - Buffalo (BUF): 11 times weekly from Dec. 17
- Providence - Orlando: Twice daily from Dec. 17
- Providence - Tampa: Daily from Dec. 17
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