Frontier passengers freaked after email notification ahead of holiday travel

“There has been a change to your upcoming flight” is not an email subject line you want to read ahead of Thanksgiving travel, already anticipated to see over 4.45 million passengers take to the skies next week.

But for scores of Frontier Airlines travelers, they were left confused and scrambling after receiving an alarming email from the low-cost carrier.

Sign up for the free daily TPG newsletter for more travel tips!

With an ominous subject line: “There has been a change to your upcoming flight” the email stated that the airline “made a change that affects a portion of your itinerary.” It was unclear from the email what change had been made or what portion was affected. The email offered a number for Frontier’s re-booking department, distressing holiday travelers worried the airline canceled their tickets.

I received the email myself for my now-canceled-but-still-haven’t-actually-canceled Newark to Las Vegas flight.

Hundreds, if not more, travelers reached out to the airline on social media asking for clarification about the email. TPG Lounge reader Lisa Porch said she received the alarming email for her Christmas Eve Frontier flight.

“I immediately called the number and the recording said, ‘if you were not flying in the next 48 hours to call back at another time,'” she wrote. “I was relieved to see [the] message this morning that it was in error. But, I did have a restless night worrying about our Christmas trip.”

Shortly after the first email, Frontier followed up with a correction.

“Earlier this evening, a technical problem in our reservation system caused an email to be sent to you indicating that a portion of your upcoming travel itinerary had been changed,” the email read, attributed to Josh Flyr, Frontier’s Vice President of Network and Revenue.”

“We apologize for any distress this notification may have caused you and look forward to welcoming you on Frontier Airlines for your upcoming travel,” the statement continued.

Related: Everything You Should Know Before Flying Frontier Airlines

Frontier on Friday morning sent TPG a statement about the error.

“We apologize to our customers for a technical issue in our reservations system that caused an email to be sent Thursday to some customers with reservations on Frontier Airlines erroneously indicating their flight had been changed,” the statement read. “We are investigating the cause and are communicating this error with our customers who can confirm their trip by entering their confirmation number on our website.”

Before you depart for vacation, we suggest checking your reservation ahead of time to ensure dates, times and even departure airports are correct. Always log in into your reservation ahead of your trip, and check that your email and cell phone are correct in case the airline needs to contact you about delays or cancellations (which we hope doesn’t happen).

Featured image courtesy of Robert Alexander/Getty Images