As part of an expected surge in domestic summer travel, Frontier Airlines has announced 16 new routes this week, with a variety of new flights including six new routes from Atlanta. 

New Seasonal Routes

From a future crew base in Atlanta, the low-cost carrier plans to add six routes. With the addition of these six routes, Frontier Airlines expands to 22 routes in the Delta Air Lines hub. In addition to heavy Delta competition on all six of its additions, the airline will face competition on its Cleveland, Ohio and Dallas/Fort Worth routes via its low-cost carrier counterparts Spirit and Southwest.

“We’re excited to expand in Atlanta with six new nonstop routes,” states Daniel Shurz, Frontier Airlines’ senior vice president of commercial. “At Frontier, we’re focused on delivering ‘Low Fares Done Right,’ and constantly look for new travel opportunities for our customers. These new routes will now provide an affordable and convenient option for Atlantans to visit six popular cities. Additionally, we’re looking forward to further deepening our roots in the community with our first-ever ATL crew base opening later this year.”

Meanwhile, from Philadelphia, Frontier Airlines will fly two new routes: to Portland, Maine – four times a week – and Providence, Rhode Island – three times a week. These moves expand its base to 25 connections.

While facing competition from hub-carrier American Airlines, Frontier Airlines faces no low-cost carriers on its routes. Portland, Maine is a popular Northeast destination this year, due to its presence as an outdoors destination in Maine. In a recent route announcement, United Airlines focused on Portland, Maine, adding six Midwest destinations to the airport.

Additionally, Frontier Airlines is launching new flights from Myrtle Beach and Orlando, focused on taking advantage of leisure travel to warmer destinations. Places in the Northeast United States like Buffalo, New York and Providence, Rhode Island will see a new connection to the beach town of Myrtle Beach. These routes will face no competition at all. In the summer of 2021, Myrtle Beach will receive new services on Southwest and point-to-point Midwest flights on United, among other new routes. Meanwhile, Frontier Airlines will launch a new destination – Rochester, New York – with flights to Orlando.

The only international flight in the route announcements added to Frontier’s route network is between Miami and Montego Bay, Jamaica. Currently, the airline serves Montego Bay seasonally via Philadelphia. The main competition Frontier will face is American Airlines.

Shurz states, “We’re excited to grow again in Miami with new nonstop flights to Montego Bay. ‘Mobay’ is an incredibly unique destination with countless activities, extraordinary scenery and plenty of warm sunshine. This new service offers travelers unprecedented affordability and convenience to visit this top vacation spot.”

Finally, Chicago secures new services to Dallas/Fort Worth and St. Louis, Missouri on Frontier Airlines, adding to make a total of 19 destinations. Meanwhile, Dallas/Fort Worth receives new flights to Nashville, Tennessee in addition to the Chicago flight mentioned above. Besides pressure from hub carriers American Airlines and United Airlines on its routes from Chicago, Frontier Airlines will face competition via Spirit Airlines on its flight to Dallas/Fort Worth and Southwest Airlines on its flight to St. Louis.

Summer Expansion

Many U.S. airlines are banking on a recovery in the domestic sector during the summer. For example, low-cost startup Avelo Airlines announced $19 fares from Burbank, Calif. to 11 destinations in the Western United States. Another U.S. startup, Breeze Airways, is looking to start flights to underserved destinations this summer.

Meanwhile, legacy carriers like American Airlines are strengthening their core hubs in preparation for rising leisure demand. In May, American Airlines expects to utilize 100% of its aircraft. Meanwhile, Delta Airlines has announced a route expansion to destinations it believes will see higher demand this summer, including Iceland and Alaska. As mentioned above, United Airlines announced a point-to-point expansion focused on leisure travel.

Other carriers have taken advantage of the situation to enter new airports which previously were not possible. For example, JetBlue has utilized current travel restrictions to obtain temporary slots at London Gatwick and London Heathrow. Meanwhile, a lack of traffic at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport allowed Southwest Airlines to establish a sizable presence at the airport, complementing its operation at Midway.

Low-cost carriers have continually added new point-to-point routes throughout the pandemic, which they believe can attract leisure traffic. Frontier Airlines is following in these footsteps, adding point-to-point flights to places it believes can profit for the low-cost carrier.

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Winston Shek

Ever since Winston was a toddler, he has always had a fascination for airplanes.From watching widebodies land at Washington Dulles to traveling the world, Winston has always had his eyes towards the skies.Winston began aviation photography in 2018 and now posts his photos occasionally on his Instagram account.He previously wrote for a blog.In his free time, Winston loves to play chess, do recreational activities, and watch sports.Looking into the future, Winston plans to service the aviation industry.

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