Can a low-cost carrier ever really be premium? Frontier Airlines certainly seems to think so.
In recent years, the airline has added front-of-plane seating with extra legroom and blocked middle seats, combined its extras into fare bundles and even announced plans for first class.
You can pay for those bundles with Frontier Miles, too. The top-tier Business Bundle is the closest thing Frontier has to a premium experience, with just about every bell and whistle the airline offers.
The catch? It usually costs more than double the miles of a bare-bones Basic fare.
Are the extra miles worth it? I put it to the test by taking one flight on a Basic fare, then another on the Business Bundle.
What are Frontier’s fare bundles?
Frontier sells a no-frills Basic fare plus three bundles that add bags, seats and flexibility, and you can book any of them with cash or miles.
The amounts below are minimum one-way prices per traveler. Taxes and fees start at $5.60, and miles can only be redeemed for a bundle at the time of the original booking.
- Basic: One personal item only. Carry-on bags, checked bags, and seat selection all cost extra. Frontier Miles members generally board in Group 5 unless they qualify for an earlier group, while remaining Basic-fare passengers board in Groups 6 or 7. Award flights start from 5,000 miles plus $5.60 in taxes and fees.
- Economy Bundle: Also includes a carry-on bag, a standard seat assignment and no change or cancellation fees. Frontier Miles members board in Group 2 (everyone else on this bundle boards in Group 3). Award flights start from 7,000 miles.
- Premium Bundle: Everything in the Economy Bundle, plus a premium seat with extra legroom and Group 1 boarding. Award flights start from 9,000 miles.
- Business Bundle: Everything in the Premium Bundle, plus two checked bags of up to 50 pounds each and an UpFront Plus seat at the front of the plane, with either a guaranteed empty middle seat next to you or a larger 2-2 seat (once they enter service). Award flights start from 13,000 miles.
What it’s like flying on a Basic fare on Frontier
My first Frontier flight was from St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) to Denver International Airport (DEN). I paid for it with the 5,000 miles I’d earned from Frontier Airlines’ Super Bowl promotion earlier this year (offer no longer available), so only the $5.60 in taxes and fees came out of my pocket. Transferring Rove miles to Frontier is also an easy way to top up your balance.
You really can’t argue with that value for a two-hour flight. The trade-off, as anyone who’s flown a low-cost carrier will know, is everything you don’t get.
A Basic fare only covers a personal item. That turned out to be the biggest frustration of my Frontier experience, as this won’t be a realistic option for folks traveling for longer than a day or two.
Boarding in Group 5 as a Frontier Miles member wasn’t an issue, and the process was more orderly and civilized than I expected. With nothing to put in the overhead bins, there wasn’t a need to board early anyway.
I just found my seat all the way back in row 27 (I couldn’t select it myself) and settled in.
The flight itself was uneventful and punctual, which on a low-cost airline is really about all you can ask for.
What it’s like flying with a Business Bundle on Frontier
For my second flight, a short hop from Denver to Kansas City International Airport (MCI), I booked the Business Bundle, and the perks landed before I even got to the airport.
Being able to select Seat 1A during booking sure was convenient. True to the UpFront Plus promise, the seat next to me was empty.
Frontier’s new 2-2 first-class seats had not yet entered service when I flew, so my aircraft retained the existing 3-3 layout.
I boarded in Group 1, right behind preboarding, and didn’t need to pay extra for luggage. The bundle included a full-size carry-on and two checked bags, each weighing up to 50 pounds, which was far more than I needed for this short trip.
What you won’t get, in any bundle, is complimentary food or drinks.
Frontier doesn’t include food, drinks or lounge access with its bundles, so anything you want on board comes at an extra cost, and it was a sobering reminder that this was still a low-cost carrier.
Is it worth redeeming more miles for a Business Bundle on Frontier?
Unless I needed to pack a lot of luggage or particularly valued the extra space of an UpFront Plus seat, I don’t think I’d spring for a Business Bundle again, whether I was paying with cash or redeeming Frontier miles.
For even the cheapest redemptions, the Business Bundle costs 8,000 more miles than a Basic fare, which is more than double the price. For a short domestic flight with nothing to eat or drink, that’s a lot more miles.
Frontier’s Business Bundle is not a bad product. It’s just that a Basic fare for as little as 5,000 miles at that price is terrific value, and that’s a tough act to follow.
For most travelers, the sweet spot is probably the Economy Bundle. It starts at just 2,000 more miles than a Basic fare and fixes the thing I missed most on my first flight, a proper carry-on, while making your booking far more flexible.
I’d be happy with that for my next Frontier flight.
Bottom line
So, can a low-cost carrier be premium? After flying both fares back-to-back, the Business Bundle felt more like paying for convenience, baggage and personal space than a genuinely premium experience.
Your own experience will depend a lot on the route, the dates and how much luggage you need to take, and Frontier’s lowest award rates won’t always be available.
Unless you need two checked bags or place a high value on the extra space of an UpFront Plus seat, the Economy Bundle is probably the better balance of price and useful benefits.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Source: thepointsguy.com
