Frontier Airlines to launch 22 new routes in December, including first to Colorado's Vail
Even as Frontier Airlines executives say they're seeing the budget carrier's finances improve, the airline is making another sweeping network adjustment as the winter months approach.
The Denver-based low-cost airline announced nearly two dozen routes Tuesday, each of which will launch in mid-December.
As part of the changes, Frontier will launch a handful of new flights between New England and Florida. It'll also double down on its fast growth in cities like Chicago, Houston, Cleveland and Cincinnati.
And it'll begin all-new service to one of Colorado's most popular skiing destinations: Just ahead of the holiday season, the carrier will launch three new routes from major U.S. cities to Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) near Vail.
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In all, Frontier is launching 22 new routes between Dec. 17 and Dec. 20. Among those routes, the carrier has previously flown about half within the past decade. The rest are entirely new to the airline.
The biggest winner? It's a tie between Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which each get four new pins on Frontier's route map.
The new service adds to already-fast growth for Frontier at both airports. This year, the airline's total number of seats departing O'Hare will rise 125% over 2023, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Meanwhile, Frontier will operate more than 4,300 flights from LAX this year after not serving the airport in 2023.
Another winner in Frontier's latest update: California's Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), which returns to the carrier's route map for the first time since 2021 with flights to both Denver and San Francisco.
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Frontier's 22 routes added
Here's the full rundown of Frontier's 22 new (or resumed) routes:
| Route | Launches | Frequency | Last served |
|---|---|---|---|
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Miami International Airport (MIA) | Dec. 17 | Four weekly round trips | 2023 |
BOS to Tampa International Airport (TPA) | Dec. 17 | Daily | 2020-21 |
Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (BTV) to Orlando International Airport (MCO) | Dec. 20 | Four weekly round trips | 2022 |
BTV-TPA | Dec. 20 | Three weekly round trips | New |
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) to Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) | Dec. 21 | Weekly | 2020 |
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) to PBI | Dec. 21 | Weekly | New |
Denver International Airport (DEN) to PSP | Dec. 12 | Three weekly round trips | 2021, and more regularly before the pandemic |
DEN-EGE | Dec. 19 | Twice weekly | New |
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to EGE | Dec. 16 | Twice weekly | New |
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to EGE | Dec. 21 | Weekly | New |
Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to LAX | Dec. 17 | Daily | New |
IAH-MIA | Dec. 17 | Three weekly round trips | New |
LAX to Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon | Dec. 17 | Daily | New |
LAX to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) | Dec. 17 | Daily | New |
LAX to Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) | Dec. 17 | Daily | New |
ORD to Fort Myers' Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) | Dec. 17 | Four weekly round trips | Last regularly scheduled service in 2021 |
ORD-TPA | Dec. 17 | Daily | Last regularly scheduled service in 2021 |
ORD-PBI | Dec. 18 | Three weekly round trips | 2017 |
ORD to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) | Dec. 18 | Three weekly round trips | 2020-21 |
PSP-SFO | Dec. 12 | Three weekly round trips | New |
Portland International Jetport (PWM) in Maine to TPA | Dec. 18 | Three weekly round trips | 2022 |
Washington's Dulles International Airport (IAD) to TPA | Dec. 17 | Daily | 2015 |
Just the latest network shakeup for Frontier
Frontier kicked off 2024 by announcing 54 new routes in January, and has not let up since. The carrier has announced one major network adjustment after another as part of an effort to boost profitability; the airline has been aiming to steer clear of surging competition on domestic routes.
Related: Frontier slashes midweek flying and delays new jets but insists things are looking up
After consecutive quarters of lackluster financial performance, CEO Barry Biffle recently noted the carrier is starting to see some more promising results — which coincides with numerous U.S. carriers trimming their schedules to better meet demand from customers.
"We're seeing, over the last six weeks, a pretty good improvement versus where we expected," Biffle told Wall Street analysts at the Sept. 11 Morgan Stanley Laguna Conference.
To date in 2024, Frontier had announced 114 new routes as of early August — and the shakeup has continued since then.
The airline did not specify what, if any, route cuts might coincide with this latest tranche of changes by Frontier. The carrier has routinely slashed scores of routes so far this year as part of its larger network shakeup.
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