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NMMR - Frontier Airlines
Not really MM related but I was wondering if anyone has flown with Frontier Airlines recently and can talk me off the ledge...
Backstory: H and I booked a trip thru Apple Vacations for his brother's wedding in 2 weeks in Punta Cana. It was an all inclusive trip, including flights which Apple selected for us. We happened to get flights on Frontier Airlines. I've been reading reviews on Frontier and they have really awful reviews. I'm not sure if there is anything I can do at this point to get the flights changed (anyone have experience with Apple from that respect?) I'm really hoping that someone on here has maybe flown Frontier and had a decent experience that can keep me from panicking.. So far from what I've read most of the customer service people are rude, nothing is included, the seats are uncomfortable and do not recline, there is no leg room unless you pay $60 extra per person for the first 3 rows of seats, the flights are usually delayed sometimes by hours, and they change gate/flight information without telling the passengers resulting in missed flights. Others have reported really rough flights, light outages on flights, and a lot of lost bags some of which were never returned.
I'd really appreciate any insight if anyone has it. I can deal with some of the things above like paying for snacks (or bringing my own) but some of the other things are big red flags for me...
Thanks in advance!
Re: NMMR - Frontier Airlines
Now, Frontier used to have really cheap flights to where my folks live, I'd fly on them for that, because I wouldn't have to take a lot of luggage and it's a pretty short flight from here... I can tolerate a middle seat with little leg room for 2 hours
Also, keep in mind, you rarely read reviews from people who had a good experience, it's the people who have a bad one that spend the time to write a review.
I think there is a good chance I'm stuck, so I guess I just need to prepare myself mentally for that. I absolutely HATE flying, so being on a crappy airline might just do me in... haha. I should probably call my doctor to get Xanax. I would be willing to pay more to get on a different flight, but I'm not sure that's possible. I know there is an American Airlines flight both ways the same dates because that's what my in-laws are on... and they only booked a week before us at the same price
Our flight is a little over 4 hours.. yikes.
Normally I would agree with the bolded but their 1.5 star rating on Yelp with over 1700 reviews has me a little worried, especially because so many of the complaints are repeated... Like flight delays, crappy customer service, poor communication, etc.
Side note: I will never book thru Apple Vacations again after this trip, it's been a pain since day 1. I'll probably go thru Southwest Vacations from now on so I'm at least guaranteed to get a Southwest flight.
Personally, I have no problems with Frontier's model because with a little due diligence you can find out the fees in advance and either decide to incur them or not. H and I travel very light (carry-ons for 10 days, etc.), and I appreciate the ability to have lower fares if you play by their rules. The major complaints I read from them are from people who don't read the rules and then are shocked when their huge checked bag for a 4 day trip costs them as much as the base fare costs. I have flown them a couple of times and haven't had an issue. Is it kind of grim? Sure. But economy is always grim, and frankly, I think the price I paid for those flights was fair given what I they were.
As for the other complaints... I would take them with a grain of salt. You can find out if Frontier really does cancel flights more often than other airlines based on published flight stats. But for stuff like uncomfortable seats, lost bags, etc... that's just part of flying. I suggest having trip insurance which covers you in those situations. You should always have trip insurance when leaving the country anyway to cover you for medical emergencies.
H and I are definitely going to try to minimize fees as much as we can. I'm not as concerned about the nickel and diming. My main concerns are flight delays, lack of customer service/communication, and lost baggage being reported by everyone. I'm going to pay more to carry on a bag to avoid having our bags lost. But the other things I guess are unavoidable.
I completely agree with the bolded. That is one of my issues with Apple Vacations right now, we requested trip insurance be added for this trip and they said it was and said it was included in the price they gave me over the phone (I confirmed 3 times). When I finally got my booking confirmation after calling and requesting it 5 times, they had not added trip insurance like they said. When I called to add it they said we couldn't. It was frustrating to say the least.
I guess we will see how this plays out. Normally I'm terrified traveling anyway, so I'm hoping it's not as bad I'm thinking it's going to be.. In the future I'll just pay a little more to book everything separately so I can choose my flight/airline myself versus doing all inclusive..
Keep in mind that this is an all inclusive package. Double check with your travel agent, but all of those "nickel and dime" things were already part of our package. So luggage was free to check, H had a window seat and I a middle seat, and I don't remember paying for drinks on the plane either. Granted it very well could be that way because it's an international flight.
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I literally just stepped off of a Frontier flight 2 and a half hours ago. I haven't flown them in years so the last time I flew their model was different I guess...or maybe I just don't remember right anymore. I always had a good experience back then and this one was just fine too. In fact, I would call the stewardesses on my outgoing flight exceptional and a lot of fun. The ones coming back home were ok.
Yes they nickel and dime you, but if you're prepared for it and willing to not pay for all the extras, then their flights are very reasonable. I managed to get a semi last minute flight for $57 from ATL to MKE for a surprise visit to see a friend.
I'm a woman and only 5'4 (ish, but the ish is important!). I found the seats on the plane very comfortable. I had plenty of legroom even on my flight earlier this weekend when I was placed in the middle row with the seats on either side of me filled. It was only a 2 hour flight, but I had no issues.
I packed a backpack with basic toiletries, clothes, my purse, and my laptop for work for a 3 day trip, plus a few extra items, and it fit under the seat no problem so I didn't have to pay their carry-on fees.
The return flight was delayed by 45 minutes which was pretty annoying. However, I got excellent communication about the delay and an easy gate change from Frontier through text messages, intercom announcements, and through the Frontier app on my phone which was also super easy to use for check-in and my electronic ticket.
It's like eating at Denny's versus a nicer neighborhood place. As long as you go in with appropriate expectations for what you are and are not getting for the price, you'll be fine.
One of my good friends is a pilot for Frontier. She has told me recently, unrelated to this post, that they are having some troubles internally, so sadly that can affect customers.
But, I do have to say...and I'm getting on a soap box here, FYI...because I am married to a commercial airline pilot who has been with a major airline for nearly 9 years and has been flying professionally for 16 years, that people need to chillax about delays and such.
I listen to DH's at-home training that he does quarterly, I know his recurrent annual training materials and what they practice in the simulators, and I have quizzed him on memory items for emergencies and I have been around the lifestyle enough to know that first...
Weather is no joke. When they cancel due to it, it's because lives would be at risk if the plane left the ground. It's a metal tube, with thousands of pounds of jet fuel. Would you like to be hit by lightening? Hit a wind sheer? Or, not have your flight crew be able to see the runway?
Secondly, there are just so many systems and pieces and parts to a plane. All it takes is for one little bird to get sucked into an engine and have the whole thing malfunction. Cracked windshields = can't pressurize. Bent pieces on the wings, affect air flow, lift, and drag, which affect taking off and landing. Busted tires mean unstable or crash landings.
Each pilot crew, upon taking over an aircraft, does a walk around looking for problems or damage on the exterior of the plane. The flight attendants have a list of things they have to have in order in the cabins. The pilots also have to do checks and flows inside the flight deck. If certain things are damaged or malfunctioning, they do have to call maintenance.
I get that it's a pain in the butt to be delayed, cancelled or rerouted, I have been there. But, overall I wish people would be more concerned with safety and realize the crews aren't doing this to be jerks.
It's a sheer miriacle that our air traffic system works as finely as it does.
End of soap box. I just can't stand the FB posts I read of people ranting against airlines for this type of stuff.
I don't get upset with the pilots. Nor do I get upset with the rest of the flight crew for the most part. I do, however, get upset with the airlines themselves. Your last statement pretty much sums it up. The system doesn't work by design, it works by sheer luck. There's no slack or redundancy in the system. One little blip and the whole system is hosed. Look at the recent Delta screw up. I work in IT. No excuse for having to shut down every Delta flight because their computer system went down.
Nor do we pay our flight crews enough for what they do and the crap people they have to handle.
And honestly, I do think passenger treatment has a lot to do with it and not all of that is the fault of the airlines.
Thanks! I'm going to look into this. I did not realize you could get trip insurance outside of a travel agent.
We always pick up a policy online through Travel Guard (it's an AIG product). I've never used a travel agent but I assume they wouldn't be able to get you money for lost or stolen personal items or reimbursement for hotel stays due to cancellations. Plus, trip insurance offers extra medical protection and reimbursement for cancellation due to job loss, death in the family, etc. I've never bought it for the Caribbean/Mexico but Europe and Australia/New Zealand ran us about $300.
@mommyliberty5013 - I'm not one to normally worry about delays, I know they happen and I'm OK with that. It was the number of identical complaints that was worrying to me (mainly lack of communication about delays/gate changes), but it's out of my control anyway so it is what it is.
I can't imagine being a pilot, kudos to your husband! I'm sure they have to put up with a lot of crap.
Thanks everyone for your replies! I feel better knowing some have traveled with them and had good experiences.
I despise flying so much, so part of my worry is just my normal anxiety with flying and then seeing all the reviews had me terrified. My anxiety is so bad when flying I'm seriously considering not going on vacations anymore unless I can take a car, train or boat. The slightest bit of turbulence and I have myself convinced the plane is crashing, it's definitely irrational but I can't help it.
Also, the FlightAware app is pretty cool. I've noticed it is even more up to date than the individual carrier's websites. I use it a lot when H is travelling so I can keep track of when he'll be arriving, so I can time leaving the house to go to the airport. It also shows where your plane is coming from, which helps to explain a lot of delays. Like, the weather where you are might be fine, but if the plane is coming from somewhere else where the weather isn't good, then you'll have a delay on your end.
When we took her to Italy a couple months ago we tried to counter this by arriving very early so that we didn't feel rushed at the airport and could easily make gate changes, etc. We did upgrade seats on the way there because it was a redeye, and even my mom managed to sleep a little bit. They served complimentary drinks, which did help her relax a little bit. Also, in-flight entertainment did wonders for her to help pass the time.
Now you will be on a much shorter flight and without some of those amenities, but the point of the story is to give yourself plenty of time so that your anxiety isn't increased by being rushed. Take something you can use in-flight to help distract you (ipad, etc.). Maybe download some podcasts on your phone. And if they offer drinks for a fee, I think that's money well-spent.
I doubt my mom will ever enjoy flying, but when we got off the plane from that very long flight, even she had to admit it wasn't that bad because we were proactive about making the experience as good as it could possibly be (within reason).