brent.pinheiro@guardian.co.tt
With complaints of high regional airfares throughout the Caribbean, Frontier Airlines is on a mission: to get people in the air at the lowest price possible. And that’s how Frontier has plans to establish itself – in underserved and overpriced markets.
With six North American routes out of Trinidad’s Piarco International Airport, T&T is not exactly underserved. Overpriced? That would depend on who you talk to as T&T has some of the lowest taxes and fees in the region.
But on July 11, Denver-based Frontier Airlines plans to reintroduce ultra-low-cost travel to T&T, a concept unfamiliar to some. It’s where you, the passenger, control the final ticket price.
This won’t be the first time an ultra-low cost carrier has operated in the country though. In 2008, Florida-based carrier Spirit Airlines began operating flights between Port-of-Spain and Fort Lauderdale. That didn’t last very long. Spirit shut down the service shortly after, leaving behind a market mostly served by full-service carriers.
In 2023, at the Routes conference in Chicago, a government team, led by the Airports Authority of T&T (AATT), approached Frontier to service T&T in 2024. According to Fernando Vazquez, Frontier’s regional manager for field marketing and international sales, the decision was an easy one.
“We believe the time is right to introduce this service. Frontier offers great value with the service connecting to our major operational base in San Juan (SJU). We are confident that it will be successful.” says Vazquez.
The airline intends to operate direct flights to/from Puerto Rico, and despite having different target markets, will directly compete with local carrier Caribbean Airlines (CAL). CAL initially planned to operate flights to Puerto Rico via Barbados but later adjusted its schedule, dropping the Barbados leg and retiming the flights.
Despite Frontier needing to fill a minimum of 680+ seats weekly compared to CAL’s just over 400, Vazquez is not worried.
Unlike CAL’s service, which terminates in San Juan, Frontier offers connections to over 25 destinations from SJU, several on the US mainland including New York, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Tampa.
For travellers, this means skipping traditional connection gateways like Miami International, which has suffered congestion issues in recent times sparking complaints from irate flyers.
Puerto Rico as a hub has seen renewed interest with over 4.9 million passengers passing through Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport’s doors in 2023. In May Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR), the Mexico-based international airport group that operates SJU through local company Aerostar, reported that passenger traffic was up 4.3 per cent compared to last May with 1,136,672 passengers travelling internationally and domestically.
Once the stronghold of American Eagle, the regional branch of American Airlines, both JetBlue and Frontier have announced intentions to open crew bases at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport.
According to a Frontier statement, their base would employ up to 90 pilots, 200 flight attendants, and several airport and maintenance workers with a projected US$84 million annually in local wages.
T&T will not see that level of investment, but the region stands to benefit as a whole. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade association of the world’s airlines, air transport is a significant driver of regional economic growth, generating US$156 billion of GDP in Latin America & the Caribbean.
Ultra-low-cost carriers promise low fares to the price-sensitive, no-frills passenger. Top low-cost European carriers such as Ryanair and Wizz Air keep costs low by, among many other things, operating one aircraft family and charging for all ancillary services including seat selection and baggage.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary even once floated the idea of charging to use the toilet and having standing-only areas on the plane. Those plans never saw the light of day, but Ryanair still manages to offer flights from as little as €12.99 or $95.
Frontier operates with a similar model to its European counterparts; a basic ticket gets you a seat on the plane with only a personal item. But if you want a say in where you sit, carry a piece of carry-on luggage, check baggage, or even get a printed boarding pass then prepare to fork over the cash.
Even the onboard experience is no frills, seats don’t recline, there’s no inflight entertainment or WiFi, and the airline operates a credit card only buy-on-board service meaning there’s no such thing as a free meal. There is the option of a free cup of water, but you’ll have to request it.
Still, Vazquez says fliers are happy to accept the limitations because it translates to lower fares.
“If you’re flying and you don’t mind being seated in any seat, then you don’t have to pay for that. You just pay for the baggage, for the carry-on or, whatever is most convenient for you. We all like to save some money. Especially if you want to save some money and probably spend it on a great dinner. So instead of paying X amount for premium on another airline, you will go with us and probably have a bigger dinner.”
And with one of the youngest fleets of all North American carriers, Vazquez says their fuel bill is about 43 per cent less than the competition. Those savings too are passed on to the customers.
According to the 2023-24 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), Frontier ranked 9th on the list with a score of 69, up by just two points from the previous year. In tenth and last position, Spirit Airlines. But according to Vazquez, the airline is making sure that its fleet of Airbus aircraft is safe and dependable, and the crew makes passengers feel at home at 40,000 feet.
To attract business travellers as well as the visiting friends and relatives (VFR) market to fly one or more of their routes across the continental US, Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean, Frontier has introduced a slew of changes to its product offering. This includes three new pricing bundles that promise more transparency, flexibility with no change fees, and a ‘“for less” price guarantee.
These changes may enhance the appeal of flying an ultra-low-cost carrier, but this kind of travel certainly isn’t for everyone. Only time will tell if notoriously “champagne taste but mauby pocket” Trinbagonians are ready to once again embrace the ultra-low cost experience.