Remember when American Airlines sold an all-you-can-fly lifetime pass for just $250,000? Then ended up revoking them because, well, allowing the most avid frequent fliers, who have the cash ready, to fly as much as they want wherever they want for a fixed price is not usually a good business decision. It’s been 40 years since then and yesterday Frontier Airlines announced a ‘first-of-its-kind,’ ‘all-you-can-fly’ pass for a year, not without numerous caveats of course. 

The Denver-based carrier announced that starting May 2, 2023, passengers who have purchased the pass will be able to fly on any Frontier flight for just $0.01 plus a variety of taxes and fees per flight. The price is certainly appealing at first glance: $599 for the entire year which for some people could be an incredible bargain. Per Frontier’s website, the  pass is subject to a lengthy list of blackouts and restrictions that depending on your schedule may not make such a pass worth the money: 

• “Flights will be available to book and fly starting May 2, 2023
• Flights can be booked and confirmed the day before flight departure
• Flights must be booked at flyfrontier.com
• Flights are subject to blackout periods:

2023: May 25, 26, 29; June 29, 30; July 1-5, 8, 9; August 31; September 1, 4; October 5, 6, 9; November 18, 22, 24-27; December 16, 17, 22-24, 26-31;

2024: January 1, 15; February 15, 16, 19; March 3, 10, 15-17, 22-24, 29-31; April 5-7, 12-14. Blackout dates for May 2024 and beyond will be posted in advance of accepting any enrollments for pass periods which cover those dates.

• Flights do not include any add-on products (like bags or seats), you can still customize your travel
• Access to all U.S. destinations, including Puerto Rico
• Taxes, fees, and charges apply at the time of booking
• A fare of $0.01 will be charged for each segment booked
• Flights and seats are subject to availability; last seat availability is not guaranteed
• Travel not eligible to earn miles or status
• Travel qualifies as an activity and will extend your FRONTIER Miles expiration
• The GoWild! Pass is non-transferable. The pass holder is the only allowed passenger to travel with GoWild! Pass privileges.
• Your pass will automatically renew for successive one-year terms unless you cancel”

Is it worth it?

The blackout dates shown above unsurprisingly restrict travel before and after many major United States holidays and peak seasons. Whether or not this is a bargain is heavily dependent on the type of traveler. Frontier however sees potential in being the first in a long time to offer such a pass. Barry Biffle, the CEO of Frontier Airlines told Travel and Leisure magazine that “There’s a lot of empty seats that go every year…we’ve seen an explosion in leisure travel,” adding that “It’s probably one of the coolest products we’ve ever offered as an airline. It gives people that freedom of unlimited travel.” The limited $599 price will expire at the end of Thursday, Nov. 17 before being priced at $1,999, a far cry from the promotional offer. 

The move speaks to a greater push from Frontier to capitalize on the high demand for domestic and short-haul international travel in the United States. Whether or not other carriers choose to follow suit remains unclear and for now, Frontier is looking to differentiate itself from its low-cost competition with this unique pass.

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Ezra Gollan

Ezra Gollan is a student, photographer and aviation enthusiast based in New York, New York. He has spent over half a decade around New York City’s airports as a photographer.

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