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Frontier takes on American in Miami, adds Aruba in new 15-route expansion

Ben Mutzabaugh
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Ben Mutzabaugh is the senior aviation editor and heads TPG’s airline coverage. Ben joined TPG in March 2019 after nearly 19 years at USA Today, where he launched the long-running, industry-leading Today in the Sky blog in 2002.
Aug. 03, 2021
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4 min read
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Frontier takes on American in Miami, adds Aruba in new 15-route expansion
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Frontier Airlines is adding new service to Aruba as part of a 15-route expansion that also will see the carrier step up competition in the already hot aviation market of Miami.

Frontier’s first flights to Aruba will begin Nov. 20, when the ultra low-cost carrier launches twice-weekly service from Miami.

However, it’s Frontier’s broader ramp-up in Miami that will likely draw the most attention from Tuesday’s expansion news.

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Aruba is just one of nine new nonstop routes Frontier will add from Miami. Two are international — Turks and Caicos service begins Dec. 18 — but all nine will compete head-to-head against American Airlines, which operates a fortress hub in Miami.

Two of Frontier’s new routes from Miami — to Albany and Syracuse in New York state — will go up against new service that American announced just last month. American plans to begin Saturday-only flights on both routes starting Nov. 6, with the seasonal service currently scheduled to run through April 2. Frontier's service on the same routes will start the same week with twice-weekly service.

Frontier’s new Miami routes are just the latest incursion to what’s historically been a safe market for American, which is now facing a dramatic uptick in competition there.

More: Everything you should know before flying Frontier Airlines

Perhaps the most notable new entrant is Spirit Airlines, which will enter Miami with a whopping 30 routes that are set to begin there this fall.

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And it’s not just Spirit and Frontier growing in Miami.

Both Southwest and JetBlue made headlines during the pandemic for starting service to Miami, a city each had long avoided in favor of nearby Fort Lauderdale due to its historically lower operating costs.

Delta also has its eye on Miami. The carrier has said it plans to add numerous new routes as part of a “gateway hub” there, an effort to capitalize on its new tie-up with South American giant LATAM Airlines.

And, even before Tuesday’s announcement, Frontier already has a large presence in Miami with nonstop service to nearly three dozen destinations.

Beyond Miami, Frontier also will add new routes from Denver, Newark, Philadelphia and Jacksonville, Florida. The growth includes two new routes to Nassau in the Bahamas — one each from Newark and Philadelphia — pending regulatory approval.

The new routes keep fast-expanding Frontier in growth mode. It was just last week that the carrier announced another enlargement, revealing 20 new routes and five new cities. That followed a springtime expansion spree in which Frontier announced 32 routes and eight new cities during a two-week stretch in April.

A full list of Frontier’s new routes announced on Tuesday is below.

Frontier Airlines' new nonstop routes

Denver (DEN)

  • Los Cabos, Mexico (SJD): Service begins Oct. 9; three weekly flights.

Jacksonville, Florida (JAX)

  • San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU): Service begins Nov. 1; three weekly flights.

Miami (MIA)

  • Albany, New York (ALB): Service begins Nov. 4; two weekly flights.
  • Aruba (AUA): Service begins Nov. 20; two weekly flights.
  • Memphis (MEM): Service begins Nov. 1; Saturdays only.
  • Norfolk, Virginia (ORF): Service begins Nov. 2; three weekly flights.
  • Portland, Maine (PWM): Service begins Nov. 1; three weekly flights.
  • Rochester, New York (ROC): Service begins Nov. 4; two weekly flights.
  • St. Louis (STL): Service begins Nov. 1; three weekly flights.
  • Syracuse, New York (SYR): Service begins Nov. 1; two weekly flights.
  • Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (PLS): Service begins Dec. 18; Saturdays only.

Newark (EWR)

  • Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ): Service begins Dec. 17; three weekly flights.
  • Nassau, Bahamas (NAS): Service begins Dec. 19; three weekly flights.
  • Providenciales, Turks and Caicos (PLS): Service begins Dec. 18; Saturdays only.

Philadelphia (PHL)

  • Nassau, Bahamas (NAS): Service begins Nov. 2; three weekly flights.

Additional reporting by Zach Griff, TPG.

Featured image by A Frontier Airlines A320 takes off in Denver. (Image courtesy of Frontier Airlines)
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