Categories: TRAVEL

Frontier Airlines is OK for Short Flights

After a wonderful six days with my son in the greater Los Angeles area, I flew with Frontier Airlines from LAX to Denver (DEN), and then switched planes and flew from Denver to OKC. I have mixed emotions about this U.S. airline company.

The Frontier staff at both LAX and DEN were exceptionally nice. I am handicapped and had been assigned an emergency exit seat for the first leg of my journey. The LAX staff was fairly quick to pull me away from the e-ticket machine and give me personal attention on the seat change. They brought up a wheel chair quick, and got me through security rapidly.

Boarding at LAX was very fast and efficient, but not at DEN. They were nice enough in Denver, don’t get me wrong, but this was onto a very small commuter plane which meant climbing stairs to board. They did not have the ramp handy and I had to climb the stairs. Not a problem for most people, but it is if you are handicapped. After I was already boarded, they brought the ramp. DOH!

The seats on both Frontier planes were a bit worn, but surprising comfortable. Well ok, comfortable for my 5’2 self on short flights. Had my 6’6 husband been with me, he would have had major problems with the seating. Of course, if that were the case, we would have kept the emergency exit seats. Airlines usually let me sit in those with him there as he can pop those doors in a heartbeat if need be.

My main problem with Frontier is the on-board entertainment. Most airlines incorporate this in the price of the tickets. Part of the reason Frontier is cheaper than most other domestic U.S. airlines is that they charge extra for everything… and I do mean every little thing. They kind of remind me of Ryanair in that respect, only nobody warned me about that when I booked these tickets. So, you have to swipe your credit card on the back of the seat to watch anything on that screen, including just the in-flight map thingy. That irritated me no end.

Then there was the food. On these short flights Frontier has no real food service, just the usual drinks and snacks… which you will pay for if you want them. I think it was like 2 or 3 USD for a soda. I was starving and wanted one of the sandwich deals they have listed in the magazine. They had none available on either of these flights. FAIL. I ended up buying one of the listed large snack boxes instead. It was ok, but it was not a sandwich.

When I arrived at Denver my wheelchair was already there waiting for me, but not when I arrived at OKC. I am not sure though if that wheelchair service is a function of the individual airlines or of the airport, so I don’t hold that against them.

So, Frontier Airlines had several fails, but the staff was always so upbeat and friendly that they almost made up for it. Would I use Frontier again next time I’m flying around the USA visiting my scattered children? Probably so. They are cheap… so yes for a short hop, but I would not use them for a coast-to-coast flight.