Frontier Airlines announces customer-friendly changes to its fare buckets and policies

• Frontier Airlines is simplifying its fare offerings with three new ticket tiers.
• All Frontier passengers will be able to cancel or change their tickets without having to pay an extra fee.
• The airline is also bringing back its customer service phone line.

Frontier Airlines announced a major streamlining of its fare offerings on Friday, as well as other customer-friendly changes that it said are meant to improve the experience of purchasing tickets and flying on the ultra low-cost carrier.

"Today marks the beginning of a new era for Frontier – one with transparency in our prices, no change fees and the lowest total price," Barry Biffle, Frontier’s CEO, said in a statement. "This is 'The New Frontier' and we are committed to offering more than the lowest fares – we deliver the best price for all the options you want and the customer support you need, when you need it. No gimmicks, just really low prices and good customer service."

Here are the changes that go into effect on Friday.

New fare bundles

Travelers frequently complained that Frontier’s pricing structure was opaque. Its a la carte model meant passengers had to buy bundles or individual extras in addition to their ticket for things like seat assignments and carry-on or checked baggage.

While that for-purchase product will still be available with Frontier’s lowest-priced Basic tickets under the new structure, the airline is simplifying its pricing with three new ticket tiers that include more amenities and services in the bundled price:

• Economy bundle, starting at $30 per person per direction, includes a carry-on bag and seat selection. Customers can still pay extra to check a bag with an economy ticket as well.
• Premium bundle, starting at $50 per person per direction, includes premium seat selection and early boarding as well as all the perks of economy tickets. 
• Business bundle, starting at $100 per person per direction, includes all the previously mentioned perks as well as UpFront Plus seat selection (Frontier’s extra legroom rows, which also keep the middle seat empty), as well as up to two 50-pound checked bags.

No change fees

Aside from travelers buying the lowest-price Basic tickets, all Frontier passengers will be able to cancel or change their tickets without having to pay an extra fee. The airline is also extending the validity period for flight credits to give passengers whose plans change even more flexibility. Newly-issued Frontier credits will be valid for 12 months. Previously, they expired after three months.

Customer service phone line

Frontier caught a lot of flak for nixing its customer service phone line in 2022, and now the airline is reversing course.

All travelers whose flights are within 24 hours will be able to call for live phone assistance if they encounter issues with their trip, and elite frequent flyer members can call any time. The airline will also soon offer a callback service for other inquiries, though a date for that has yet to be announced. 

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Low price guarantee

Frontier is also hoping to entice travelers with a low price guarantee. The new policy will award passengers 2,500 frequent flyer miles if they find a lower price for a comparable flight on another airline on the same route and date. In order to claim the miles, travelers will still have to complete their trip on Frontier. Full conditions of the guarantee can be found here on the airline’s website.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.