Frontier Airlines Rant - What a mess!

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We wanted a direct flight from Boston to Cancun and the only airline that offers this is Frontier. I usually try and fly JetBlue domestically and stick to major carriers for international but we were only going for a week and so didn't want to waste two entire days flying.

The trip down was ok, gorgeous sunny day, plane sitting at gate and we had already watched the luggage be loaded. Take off time comes and goes with no explanation and board still says, "On-time". About 45 mins after our scheduled takeoff time two agents come slowly sauntering down to the gate, they make some announcements and being boarding. We take off about 90 mins late. The flight attendants look like they all had felony convictions. The very first thing said was, "Look people, you all checked off a box on the website stating you agreed to wear a mask so I'm not going to ask you more than once." To this point it appeared to me that everyone was behaving and wearing a mask.

Trip back was a cluster. Cancun airport was packed and we were told we needed to get there 4-hours early - sure, no problem. We get in line and it took about 2 ½ hours to check-in including two checked bags. As we were in line I was getting texts that our plane was delayed 30mins, then 45mins, then 90mins and so from the time we checked our bags until the time we boarded was several hours. As we're in line there's a man from Frontier telling us we needed our passports, VISAs and boarding passes out but 7 feet behind him the agent is only asking for passports and VISA, and he's visibly annoyed everyone is trying to show him their passports. We get on the plane and then they announce someone got on the plane without handing in their VISA and that we can't leave until someone produces that paper. Roughly 15 mins goes by before the captain comes on and says they're already to go but, "We are waiting for headquarters to fax over a piece of paper". Thirty mins later he comes back on and we're still waiting. Another 30 mins later we are still waiting. A full 75 mins after boarding plane we are ready!

We get into Boston at 10:45PM on Sunday, out comes bag #1 but no bag #2. We are the last people there and then the belt stops. There is no one in the airport at this point except for TSA. I file a missing bag online and it says you will be contacted in 4-6 hours. Next day, on Monday we had to drive to CT to get the dog. A full 16 hours after filing we call Frontier at 4PM on Monday where a women with an accent so think she is virtually not understandable tells us our bag is in Orlando and it's not scheduled to come in until 10:30PM on Tuesday and then someone will call us. She takes our original lost bag confirmation # and confirms the telephone number and email address.

Wednesday morning, I get an email confirming the lost luggage claim from Monday night but no call. Thursday we call Frontier, the bag is in Boston but we have to wait for someone from Logan to call us. Friday, no call. There is no way to call Frontier at Boston directly. This morning, Saturday, I call Frontier and express my frustration, I'm again told the bag has been in Boston since Wednesday and I have to wait for a call. I insist this is NOT going to work and the woman puts me on hold and tells me there will only be a crew at the desk until 10:45AM and if I can make it there I can get my bag. It's now 8:30am and Logan is 60 mins away so no problem.

I get to Logan and she looks on the computer and says it here but they didn't call because they didn't have our contact info? They sent me an email confirming my contact info AND it's on the tag including a phone number. She goes in back and comes back to say it's not there. It's a big BRIGHT RED suitcase. She speaks to another person who then goes into the back to confirm it's not there and they don't know where it is. Then a third person comes out and the first two people ask her if she's seen the bag and she says, "Yes, it's right in the back". She goes back for about 8 seconds and returns with the bag.

Frontier is a broken airline, it's personnel and systems in place are inadequate, and I would avoid them at all costs, and yes you get what you pay for in life.

P.S. These tickets were not $79 specials and for a family of 5 we paid several thousand dollars for the direct flight.
 
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To be fair alot of Airlines have this issue. The problem is that once you're International all "employees" except the flight crew are contractors. Even in the US all mechanics are contractors except for Denver and Phoenix. Id call Frontiers customer service number. I worked there for seven months until covid hit.
 
To be fair alot of Airlines have this issue. The problem is that once you're International all "employees" except the flight crew are contractors. Even in the US all mechanics are contractors except for Denver and Phoenix. Id call Frontiers customer service number. I worked there for seven months until covid hit.
I think that was the case here, and with airlines like Spirit and Frontier, outsourcing is common. I’ve seen uniformed international agents at SFO for the Asian airlines and even Air Canada/WestJet. But it would make sense to have contractors at airports where there isn’t a major presence(not a hub).
 
I have flown millions of miles - 95% of the time it goes well and of the 5% - there is not much I can control - but for my own behavior … and the length of connections I will accept …
 
If I had to chose between myself or my luggage making it mostly on time I'd have gone with what you experienced.

They are literally promising clients an adventure by branding themselves "Frontier." Remember when U-haul used to brag about "Adventures in Moving" then retracted when people really were having unwanted adventures?

Anyway, flying sucks.
 
You have me a bit scared...

Next week, my wife and I are meeting my parents down in Orlando to take a cruise.

My wife and I are flying Southwest, direct STL-MCO on Thursday night. We've taken this flight a fair few times, and she's taken it a LOT. I have zero reservations that it will go perfectly. Heck, since it's Southwest, even if we take off late we'll probably still be there on time.

My parents decided didn't want to pay Southwest or Delta/American/US prices, and are flying out of CVG (Cincinnatti) on Frontier Friday morning. We've arranged everything to get them to the hotel where we're staying, have dinner that night, and then travel with us to the port on Saturday morning.

For one thing, by the time they added in two checked bags(we are going to be gone for over a week after all) they're honestly not far off what they probably could have paid on Delta(albeit with a layover) or could have driven to us in St. Louis and flow Southwest with us.

My parents are in their 70s and maybe fly once every 5 years at that. Actually, come to think of it, I think 2019 was my mom's first flight since the 80s.

If the late take-offs are the norm, well for one my dad's going to be grouchy if they miss dinner with us. For another, though, losing checked luggage(which I realize can happen on any airline-it's why I always make sure I have medicine and a change of clothes in my carry-on, and cross-pack underwear and regular clothes if I'm checking two bags so that I won't be completely up a creek if I lose one) the day before getting on a boat would be a mess.

Just hoping it all goes okay. I don't want to deal with my dad being grouchy if he has to buy clothes on the boat :) .

Also, they generally request assistance at the airport, and I hope that Frontier's people treat them as well as other airlines have in the past.
 
Email customer care and they will give you credit to fly with them again.

I go through the song and dance with them about once a year myself. I only use them for direct flights from SAT to LAS, because their flights fit my schedule.

About 25 percent of the time, the flight gets cancelled all together, and they say come back tomorrow.

Customer care throws 100 bucks at me, and I fly them again. It's a cycle of abuse to say the least.

I find it quite interesting that they treat customers like dogs, but that is how american discount domestic flying is these days.

They are so bad that I have started getting travel insurance that pays for cancelled flights, and cashing in on that as well.

I told my wife its bad that Frontier makes Southwest seem like a Rolls-Royce airline.

I have been dealing with Southwest as much as possible because they take care of us if a change is needed, and usually aren't too bad.

I only have two complaints in to southwest all year, and about 250 in credit from their misdeeds.
 
It's not the fact that the luggage went missing...it's the fact it takes 6 days and I had to drive 2 1/2 hours to get it back. I've had bags go missing in the past only to have them show up at my front door the next day. I'm annoyed that no one seems to know what's going on and that bags just sit there and customers have to spend time figuring out what's going on to get them back.
 
I told my wife its bad that Frontier makes Southwest seem like a Rolls-Royce airline.
Flew Southwest PWM through BWI to RDU twice and because of their logistics my luggage made an earlier flight that I did. Normally you'd think that was sweet but instead of routing it to my carousel they put it in their lost luggage limbo.
 
I told my wife its bad that Frontier makes Southwest seem like a Rolls-Royce airline.
The ironic part is Southwest invented the low-cost carrier category. Ryanair took the Southwest model and bastardized it to create the ultra-low cost carrier, which spawned the Asian ULCCs and Spirit.

With all the fees Spirit and Frontier slap on, the cost isn’t much different than Southwest or even a legacy carrier.
 
I read half and just nodded my head, yeah this is why I don't fly.
Yeah, well, that’s why you’ve never seen France, or Hawaii, or Greece, or Portugal, Spain, England, Scotland, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Germany, Poland, Austria, Italy, China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, just to name a few.

It‘s a big, wide, amazing world full of wonderful places to visit.

And you cannot get there by driving.
 
Yeah, well, that’s why you’ve never seen France, or Hawaii, or Greece, or Portugal, Spain, England, Scotland, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Germany, Poland, Austria, Italy, China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, just to name a few.

It‘s a big, wide, amazing world full of wonderful places to visit.

And you cannot get there by driving.
If I ever get the budget to, then I will fly - if I'm not just road-tripping the big wide open Continental U.S. a la Rainman.

But, what you said is true about you cannot drive over the ocean, and I ever do need to fly, and there have been times.. I will chose United! And not Frontier lol.
 
Travel and especially international travel is always an adventure. You never know what will happen.
Had fantastic experiences between Thailand and Laos.. Lao Air, Nok Air. Guess we were lucky. But I know from other experiences Frontier is terrible. Had to ship my wife's aunt back to California I was really tempted to knock that ticket agent out... and I never go that low. It was bad.
 
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