Brent Pinheiro
brent.pinheiro@guardian.co.tt
On April 20, Frontier Airlines will operate its last flight out of T&T. The Denver-based ultra low-cost carrier will end service between Trinidad and its Puerto Rico hub, nine months after launching the route.
In a statement to Guardian Media, Rob Harris, Frontier Airlines’ corporate communications manager said, “We periodically review and update our routes based on demand, seasonality, and other factors”. Harris did not rule out the possibility of the airline returning to T&T saying, Frontier “will continue to evaluate a potential return in the future”. The Airport’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago also confirmed it will “continue to work together with Frontier Airlines,” in a statement to the newspaper.
According to well-placed aviation sources with knowledge of the situation, the country’s ongoing foreign exchange challenges played a role in Frontier’s decision to exit the market.
As a US airline, Frontier’s operating currency is US dollars and would-be travellers reported balked at paying for tickets in US dollars over concerns that it would affect their monthly credit card limits. Frontier did not immediately respond to follow-up questions sent by Guardian Media.
On July 11, 2024, Frontier began service to T&T – part of the airline’s expansion in the Eastern Caribbean. The airline flew a three-times weekly schedule with onward connections from Puerto Rico – adding over 600 seats to the market.
In November, a Frontier representative told Guardian Media the airline was doing “pretty well” with a lot of growth since the start of service and an average load factor of “around 85 per cent”. Shortly afterwards the airline adjusted its schedule, reducing the number of flights to T&T to twice weekly. Frontier will continue that schedule until April 20.
Frontier’s exit leaves local carrier, majority state-owned Caribbean Airlines as the only airline operating the route between T&T and Puerto Rico.
