When it comes to booking air travel, it can sometimes be challenging to understand exactly what you’re getting for a given type of fare. Different airlines have different policies around the fare categories that allow for seat selection, carry-on bags and change fees — and even experienced travelers can be challenged by the array of options out there.
It’s not hard to see the appeal of a more streamlined fare structure — and that seems to be the thinking behind a recent announcement from Frontier about its own change in pricing, which the airline announced on Friday. The change involves simplifying their airline’s fare types down to four categories: Basic, Economy, Premium and Business. This includes eliminating change fees for all types of fares except for the Basic tier.
“This enhancement is a key part of our promise to make travel with Frontier as flexible and worry-free as possible,” said the airline’s CEO, Barry Biffle, in a statement. “We understand that plans can change, and we want to ensure that when they do, our passengers can adjust their bookings without the stress of additional fees.”
Frontier’s Business fares also feature “a guaranteed empty middle seat at the front of the aircraft,” as per the announcement. Keeping airfares low also factors into one of the other parts of this announcement — namely, that Frontier will award 2,500 miles to travelers who can find lower airfares elsewhere.
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It could lead to changes down the lineAs Sean Cudahy explained in an article at The Points Guy, these changes represent part of a larger effort to upgrade the airline’s booking experience — and potentially become more compliant with a Department of Transportation rule governing fare transparency. With this announcement, the next big question becomes whether or travelers will be on board with it — both literally and metaphorically.
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