Here, I will contrast what it is like to fly United Airlines economy class versus Frontier Airlines economy class on the same route. The differences are substantial, but then again so was the price.
Frontier Vs. United: An Economy Class Comparison Between Ontario, CA ⇄ Denver
I flew from Ontario to Denver on Frontier Airlines in seat 30C and from Denver to Ontario on United Airlines in seat 7C. I was moved up to the bulkhead on United, which gave me extra legroom, but I’ll compare Frontier to what a regular United economy class seat looks like.
Check-In
Frontier charges $30 to check-in with an agent. Otherwise, you can choose “self-service” check-in, print your own boarding pass at home or use the mobile app, and bypass interaction with a check-in agent other than dropping off a checked bag.
United still offers a full-service check-in for those who want it, but also offers mobile check-in and increasingly the ability to print your own tag. At United, you will be directed to use a kiosk to check-in and only be directed to an agent if you run into compilations there.
Security
Both Frontier and United participate in TSA PreCheck.
Aircraft
Frontier boasts that it has the “youngest and most fuel-efficient” fleet in the nation. My Frontier Airbus A320 (N351FR) was 4.6 years old. It included personal vents onboard and we experienced no aircraft-related delays.
My United flight was operated by a Boeing 737-900 (N38467) that was 10.8 years old. it also had personal vents and we encountered no mechanical delays.
Both aircraft were clean, though the United cabin was clearly showing its age, with the carpeting, bulkhead, and overhead bins appearing discolored.
Seat
United and Frontier both use a slimline seat. The Frontier seat has virtually zero padding and a tray table not much larger than my hand. There are no power outlets in the cabin. The seat pitch on Frontier was 28 inches, but the seats are so thin it felt like there was more. Despite the thin padding, I got through the two-hour flight without feeling discomfort.
The United seat is still slimline but better padded and has a larger tray table and literature pocket. Legroom was much greater in my bulkhead seat, but is 30-31 inches in a typical economy class row. These seats recline while Frontier seats do not. The United seat also had a shared power port (two power ports for every three seats).
The United seat is certainly more comfortable, but the Frontier seat is not a dealbreaker.
IFE
United offered wi-fi onboard, streaming in-flight-entertainment on the aircraft intranet system (complimentary), live TV via seatback monitors, and complimentary headsets.
Frontier offers no IFE onboard.
Lavatory
Both United and Frontier have cramped lavatories. The United lavatory was in poorer condition, with abrasion to the mirror and a sloppy paint job above the toilet. The sink also splashed on United (because the pressure was higher).
Frontier:
United:
Food + Drink
Frontier sells food and beverages, offering only water on a complimentary basis.
I tried a “Griz” snack box ($9.39) and found the contents acceptable for snacking.
United offers free non-alcoholic beverages and snacks onboard.
It also sells alcoholic drinks and snack boxes (and full meals on longer flights). I tried a comparable snack box ($9) and liked the fig spread and salami, which were not present in the comparable snack box on Frontier.
Service
Service was actually quite pleasant on both carriers. The flight attendants on Frontier were cheerful enough despite the early morning hour of the flight and quite chatty in a good way, proactively moving several people around the cabin so as to maximize open middle seats on a flight that was about 70% full.
The United flight attendants were not overly friendly, but efficient and by no means hostile, doing what was required of them in an efficient way. As a frequent United flyer, the service tends to be inconsistent, though usually just fine and always acceptable.
On-Time
Both flights departed and arrived on-time.
I did not check baggage, so it was not clear whether baggage service on one was faster than the other.
So Who You Should Choose?
If you are a discerning airline passenger and have no loyalty to any carrier, the calculation comes down to the cost difference between Frontier and United.
If doing a pure apples-to-apple comparison (with a Basic Economy fare on United), you know that United will provide 1.) wi-fi, 2.) streaming IFE, 3.) maybe a screen, 5.) in-seat power, 5.) free snacks and drinks, 6.) easier back-up in case of a delay or cancellation.
So how much is that worth? If you don’t care about IFE or drinks onboard, perhaps the single most important factor is your willingness to gamble on operational reliably. If your United flight is canceled, there’s a good chance you can still get to your destination same-day on a different routing or with a different airline. On Frontier, a flight cancellation typically will mean a delay of at least one day and in some markets one week…and you have no recourse.
So if I have to be at a place, I would be much more likely to book on a legacy carrier like United (or perhaps use miles and have a back-up ticket booked if the Frontier flight falters).
It is easy enough to check the math to see how much extra (often doubling or tripling your ticket price) a carry-on bag and checked bag will be on Frontier. If you travel heavy, Frontier is best avoided because once all is factored in versus a standard United economy fare.
Sometimes too you do not find the stark difference between ticket prices ($425 on Untied versus $63 on Frontier) that I did. Sometimes it may be $289 for United and $150 for for Frontier. That’s a different calculation. In each case, you will need to run the numbers.
CONCLUSION
It’s not a surprise that the in-flight experience on United was better than Frontier. For that higher price is darn well better have been. But the question of which carrier to choose if you’re quite agnostic to airline loyalty is a more difficult one and should be made on a case-by-case basis. Frontier is a great value when you score a cheap ticket and it operates on-time. But your biggest “travel insurance policy” is booking on a network carrier like United which generally has many options to get you to your destination if something goes wrong.
Nice comparison.
For a medium haul domestic flight to a spoke city, Frontier is better because the plane is newer. United might have a more robust network but alternative flights to a spoke city may not be there. On the other hand, a SFO-DEN-LGA routing would have more alternative flights on United if there is a day of travel problem.
For DEN-DCA, Frontier may be better because it has 3 flights, which is more than the one flight United has.
Disclaimer: I fly United occasionally and have flown Frontier only one round trip in recent years. I’m a little nervous about Frontier.
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Frontier has been a nightmare every time I have flown them.
That ‘wait a week with no recourse ‘ thing sounds mad. I appreciate that in the USA there’s no legislation specifically protecting passengers from flight disruptions, but isn’t there any protection under standard contract/consumer law?
Most standard contract / consumer law is preempted by federal law when it comes to aviation. Regardless, what do you think is appropriate? Buy a cheap fare on Frontier with once daily (or weekly!) service, but if flight is cancelled you should be accommodated on a full-service carrier with multiple daily flights? If that is what you want – pay for it.
That’s exactly what does happen in Europe under EU261 legislation !
Just a heads up that as a fellow United elite who perpetually sits in E+ or forwards, there are some mainline narrowbody configs (319. 320, 737, 738 comes to mind pre-Next retrofit) where regular economy does not actually have inseat power but E+ does. Something to keep in mind that it’s not necessarily guaranteed.
Friends don’t let friends fly Low Cost Carriers.