Citing “high airport costs,” Frontier Airlines will suspend service to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) in early 2022. The decision represents a victory for United Airlines.
Frontier Airlines Will End Service To Newark, Washington Dulles
Speaking during a third quarter conference call, Daniel Shurz, Senior Vice President of Commercial at Frontier Airlines, said:
“We’re taking action on the significant increase we’re seeing in the cost pressures at airports. Following our decision to exit LAX and San Jose, California earlier this year, in the first quarter of 2022, we will be ending service to Washington-Dulles and Newark. As with any airport, if the fare and cost relationship improves, we will revisit the decision.”
Frontier entered both markets hoping to pick off traffic from United, which operates East Coast hubs from both airports.
At Washington Dulles, Frontier Airlines is operating up to three flights per week to Orlando (MCO). Flights are no longer bookable after January 4, 2022.
Frontier’s schedule from Newark is more robust, with service to:
- Atlanta (ATL)
- Cancun (CUN)
- Dallas (DFW)
- Miami (MIA)
- Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ)
- Nassau, Bahamas (NAS)
- Orlando (MCO)
- Palm Beach (PBI)
- San Juan (SJU)
- Tampa (TPA)
Service will end by the end of the first quarter in 2022.
Shurz downplayed the move, noting the many other opportunities Frontier has:
“We have so many growth opportunities, as we said multiple times this year. We have lots of places to put our aircraft and so we’re finding more cost-effective places in the short term. And look, a number of the airports we’ve made decisions on are in multi-airport cities and there are much more cost effective airports for us to fly from in those cities in those metro regions. And if that’s if that’s ultimately what we have to do for the long term, we’ll do it for the long term.”
Frontier also serves Baltimore (BWI) and Washington National (DCA) in the Washington area and serves New York La Guardia (with limited flights), Stewart (SWF), and Islip (ISP) in the New York area.
Big Victory For United Airlines…Probably Not For Consumers
United has competed hard with Frontier, matching and even beating pricing on many head-to-head routes. Cheap flights between Newark and Florida may not be going away, but expect fares to go up as Frontier vacates its routes.
Currently, fares are so cheap you can often get walk-up fares of $50 on United, which may not have been sustainable but certainly were an attractive option for consumers. The beauty of budget carriers is not always that you actually fly on them, but that they force legacy airlines to match pricing.
But with higher costs out of the main airports and aggressive pricing from United, Frontier Airlines did not see a path forward.
CONCLUSION
Just as Southwest struggled in Newark, so did Frontier. Frontier’s departures from Newark and Washington will strengthen United’s positions at both airports. It will also lead to higher fares. Even if that simply represents equilibrium being restored, consumers may soon notice prices rise rapidly on many routes to Florida and may wish to lock in 2022 reservations now.
image: Tomás Del Coro
In listing the other airports that Frontier serves in each area, you failed to mention that Frontier also flies to Washington National – DCA – in the Washington area, in addition to BWI.
Um, did you read the story: “Frontier also serves Baltimore (BWI) and Washington National (DCA) in the Washington area and serves New York La Guardia (with limited flights), Stewart (SWF), and Islip (ISP) in the New York area.”
In Jason’s defense, I had inadvertently left out DCA and later added it.
Arguably Trenton (TTN) is also in the EWR catchment area (maybe not for NYC flyers) but central/north Jersey people. It’s only about an hour away and has a fairly robust Frontier presence.
On the other hand TTN is probably better considered in the PHL area since it’s 30-45 min away depending on traffic.
With United’s Basic Economy product they might as well be a ULCC. With DL and AA you at least get to bring an carry-on.
True, but UA has power outlets, free snacks and drinks, and even screens on many aircraft.
The MWAA chases out most LCC’s becasue of their corruption and ridiculous enplanement fees. All political appointees. they spend money like drunken sailors (zero accountability for costs) and then just hand the bill to the passengers. Seems to be a thing in Washington DC lately.
how can you possibly spend $1.5 billion on a 1 mile train to nowhere? it was the most expensive public works project per foot foot at the time. Why do you think United won’t give them a blank check for a terminal C/D replacement?
United is terrible but they are not stupid.
If pulling out of Newark & D.C. because of United Airlines competition than why is this not true at DIA (Denver International) which United has a massive hub & Frontier Airlines is based at Denver. This is an ultra competitive Airport which is also a large hub for South West Airlines. United does match competitive Airlines fares or beat them @ at DIA. Are DIA Airport costs really that low.
Hopefully Frontier will beef up its flight schedule at Reagan airport to compensate.
They cannot expand anymore at National airport because they do not have the slots to do so.
If pulling out of Newark & D.C. because of United Airlines competition than why is this not true at DIA (Denver International) which United has a massive hub & Frontier Airlines is based at Denver. This is an ultra competitive Airport which is also a large hub for South West Airlines. United does match competitive Airlines fares or beat them @ at DIA. Are DIA Airport costs really that low?
Frontier isn’t very good in marketing TTN as a nice alternative to EWR and PHL. I don’t think the casual traveler knows about this option which might pull them along more traffic from both.
Seriously. I live in Center City, Philly, and I had no idea about TTN until it popped up randomly on an flight search on a recent trip to Chicago. While PHL is still closer and easier, when I could get the “Works” for about $100 one-way vs about $450 for the next cheapest flight in basic economy, I jumped on it.
Flights aren’t regular enough for it to consistently be an option but now I at least check.
UNITED rising
Frontier started with some business destinations from Newark, like Chicago and Los Angeles but retreated to leisure destinations before doing a Kabul/Saigon.
I am part of the problem. I have only flown Frontier twice and that was more than 10 years ago.
Chased out and not wanting to pay ridiculous money to stay at airports that have close, less expensive, options is a nothing more then a click bait headline. Gotta get those clicks some how right?
So sad that Frontier will no longer service IAD, I took advantage of ultra low fares to Austin TX (non stop and roundtrip for less than $100). Hope they will be back and I have to agree with the assessment given here about MPAA – the most incompetent scumbags on the planet.
Correction – meant to say MWAA (not MPAA)