Blockbuster expansion: Frontier to add 21 cities, 85 routes

Frontier Airlines revealed a massive route expansion Tuesday that the company says will add 21 new destinations and 85 new routes to the carrier’s network. With that, the number of cities on Frontier’s route map will swell to 82 by next summer.

Also set for a dramatic increase is Frontier’s overall flight schedule. The airline will add dozens of non-stop flights between other cities that it already serves.

Frontier's biggest expansion surge will come in Denver, the carrier's hometown and biggest hub. With the move, Frontier appears to be refocusing on its Denver hub after several years of emphasizing growth elsewhere. Frontier will be adding more than 20 new destinations to its Denver flight schedule, suggesting that it's looking to funnel more connecting passengers through the airport.

In fact, Frontier seems to be trying to add connectivity for passengers throughout its network.  The company says its total number of routes – including connections – will increase to “well over 1,000 by summer 2018.” That, the carrier says, is “more than double the current number of total routes.”

“Customers will benefit not only from the broad new selection of nonstop routes, but our growing network will provide more than 1,000 new connecting route options,” Frontier CEO Barry Biffle says in a statement. “By taking advantage of our natural share of connecting passengers, we can offer our low fares to even more of America. This is particularly important through our largest hub and our home in Denver.”

As for Frontier's 21 “new” destinations, 18 are cities that the company had served previously before discontinuing service. The five entirely new cities joining Frontier’s route map are Buffalo; Charleston, S.C.; and Pensacola, Fla. (Editor's note: Frontier originally identified other cities as new, but these are the only three it had not previously served.)

The 18 that Frontier is restoring service to are: Albuquerque; Boise; Calgary; El Paso; Fargo, N.D.; Fresno; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Jackson Hole, Wyo.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Little Rock; Louisville; Oklahoma City; Ontario, Calif.; Palm Springs, Calif.; Reno; San Jose, Calif.; Spokane, Wash.; and Tulsa.

Elsewhere, Frontier is adding dozens of routes between cities it already serves. Among destinations getting a significant bump-up in new service are Austin, Cincinnati, Long Island/Islip, N.Y., Miami, Orlando, Providence, San Antonio and Tampa. Each of those cities is slated to get anywhere from six to 12 new routes in Frontier's latest expansion.

In a somewhat unusual move, however, Frontier listed a number of new routes without providing specific start dates. Those routes will launch in the spring, though the exact dates are still to be determined.

Frontier's latest growth spurt will be enabled both by an expanding fleet and by adjusting frequencies on existing routes. On the fleet side, Frontier's all-Airbus fleet is expected to grow to 76 jets by the end of 2018 -- up from 63 at the end of 2016, according to the airline.

The carrier also will trim schedules on existing routes to free up planes for its latest expansion. Frontier's Denver-Las Vegas schedule, for example, will go from four daily flights to three once the new schedules begin. Other routes, such as Denver-Memphis, will go from daily service to a less-than-daily schedule. The planes freed up from those adjustments will be used to help launch the new routes detailed Tuesday.

Scroll down for a city-by-city summary of the new routes announced by Frontier on Tuesday. The start dates for each of the new routes is in parentheses; cities without dates have not been given a firm launch date by the airline. Service on some of the routes may be seasonal and/or less-than-daily.

Source:  USAtoday.com