Frontier Airlines has (again) announced three new routes from New York Kennedy (JFK) that will directly challenge legacy carriers on bread-and-butter routes.
Frontier Adds Three New JFK Routes
Like its “ultra-low-cost” peers, Frontier Airlines has struggled in recent years and sought to reinvent itself in hopes of returning to profitability. Rather than simply be a budget carrier known for its complete unbundling of anything beyond a seat (seat assignment, carry-on bag, checked-bag, drink, snack) it has diversified its fare model and now offers a European-style business class product in which you are guaranteed a middle seat with plans to add “real” business class seats that will be larger than economy class seats.
It’s also going head-to-head with legacy carriers on key routes and its latest announcement, with new services from JFK to Dallas, Los Angeles, and Miami, reinforces that it is willing to compete head-on with routes that are already very busy.
New Frontier Airlines service from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK):
| SERVICE TO: | SERVICE START: | SERVICE FREQUENCY: | INTRO FARE: |
| Miami (MIA) | March 30, 2025 | Daily | $19 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) | April 22, 2025 | 4x/week | $29 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | May 1, 2025 | Daily | $49 |
Even with its upgraded business model, Frontier is a terrible airline with terrible ground service (I’ll explain why in an upcoming post). But the good news is that carriers like Alaska, American, Delta, and JetBlue, which serve these routes, have shown great skill in adjusting basic economy fares such that customers often find a better deal booking with them, unless they truly are traveling with just a small backpack.
For example, would you rather fly Frontier for $49 and pay $50 for a carry-on bag or fly American for $99 with a carry-on bag included (and IFE and plugs onboard and drinks included and a route network that makes irregular operations so much easier to handle). Of course, you choose AA.
That will remain the problem Frontier must reckon with. Its business model banks on ancillary sales and yet the consumers who choose Frontier are more likely to travel light precisely to avoid such fees. Otherwise, they’d just take a legacy carrier…
CONCLUSION
Frontier announced expanded service from JFK in 2024, including transcontinental service to LAX, but eventually rescinded those plans. Let’s see if these new routes actually launch in 2025.
I do wish Frontier success…but consumers will benefit most from full-service carriers matching Frontier fares…keep an eye out not just for what Frontier offers, but how others match.
image: Frontier
Frequency of service matters; and what also matters is network connectivity. Both are still going to be to AA’s advantage as Frontier has to make the O&D traffic work for it and yet it won’t have the schedule depth and network to be as reliable as AA. That said, I welcome additional competition and glad to see it come.
Frontier should add some JFK flights to cities like STL that don’t have non-stop service to JFK.
Problem is American’s one way fare is $159 (starting) from JFK to Los Angeles.
Matthew, praying for you and your family seeing the wildfires. I believe you’ve in the past alluded to being in the San Fernando valley.
I’m near Pasadena and the Altadena fire.
All okay, so far.
I find it odd that they bother competing with AA fortress hubs out of JFK because most O/D traffic from MIA and DFW surely is going out of LGA, right? The int’l experience out of T8 is great; domestic not so much. OTOH, the domestic experience out of LGA is fantastic nowadays.
Agreed.
Frontier and Spirit are flying to DFW from LaGuardia.
Frontier flies to Miami from LaGuardia during the winter months (now).