Frontier Airlines is a major American ultra low-cost carrier based in Denver, Colorado. As a publicly traded company, Frontier operates flights to over 120 destinations in the United States, Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. The airline employs over 5,000 people and maintains operational bases at Denver International Airport, Orlando International Airport, and eleven other cities located across the Mainland United States and Puerto Rico.
On September 9, 2014, Frontier introduced an updated livery that features the stylized 'F' designed by Saul Bass for the original Frontier when the carrier unveiled a new livery in 1978.
In May 1994, Frontier Airlines was incorporated in February and subsequently went public.
On July 5, 1994, Frontier Airlines commenced scheduled flights using Boeing 737-200 jetliners, connecting Denver with four cities in North Dakota.
From 1994 to 2001, the airline's livery consisted of green script "Frontier" titles on the forward fuselage, a small "Spirit of the West" slogan, and wildlife photography on the tail of each aircraft.
From mid 1997 through mid 1998, Aspen Mountain Air operated codeshare service for Frontier from Denver to Aspen, Bozeman, and Sioux City, flying Dornier 328 prop aircraft.
From mid 1997 through mid 1998, Aspen Mountain Air operated codeshare service for Frontier from Denver to Aspen, Bozeman, and Sioux City, flying Dornier 328 prop aircraft.
By September 1999, Frontier Airlines had expanded its route network to serve destinations from coast to coast in the U.S. from its Denver hub.
Beginning in 2001, a new livery was introduced on the airline's new Airbus A319s, with large silver "FRONTIER" titles on the sides of the aircraft and the airline's "Spirit of the West" slogan.
From 1994 to 2001, the airline's livery consisted of green script "Frontier" titles on the forward fuselage, a small "Spirit of the West" slogan, and wildlife photography on the tail of each aircraft.
In 2001, Frontier took delivery of its first Airbus A319 aircraft and launched DirecTV in-flight television, along with a new company livery.
In February 2002, Frontier launched its first regional product, Frontier JetExpress, initially operated by Mesa Airlines using CRJ-200 regional jets.
In 2002, Jeff Potter was appointed CEO of Frontier Airlines.
Between 2003 and 2007, Frontier Airlines took delivery of eleven Airbus A318 aircraft, being the launch customer of the type.
In 2003, Frontier Airlines was the launch customer of the Airbus A318.
The EarlyReturns program operated from 2003 to 2018, when it was replaced by Frontier Miles.
In January 2004, Horizon Air was selected to operate the Frontier JetExpress routes, replacing Mesa Airlines.
In mid April 2005, Frontier officially became an all-Airbus fleet, retiring its last Boeing 737.
Though the airline's Boeing 737s remained in the fleet until 2005, none were repainted into this new livery.
On April 3, 2006, Frontier created Frontier Airlines Holdings (FRNT), a holding company incorporated in Delaware.
In August 2006, Frontier and Horizon planned to end their partnership regarding the Frontier JetExpress routes.
On September 6, 2006, Frontier created a new division of the holding company, known as Lynx Aviation, to operate Bombardier Q400 aircraft.
On January 11, 2007, Frontier Airlines signed an 11-year service agreement with Republic Airways for Frontier JetExpress operations.
On January 24, 2007, Frontier was designated as a major carrier by the United States Department of Transportation.
On April 1, 2007, the first market created specifically for the Embraer 170 was Louisville, Kentucky.
On September 6, 2006, Frontier created a new division of the holding company, known as Lynx Aviation, to operate Bombardier Q400 aircraft beginning in May 2007.
In November 2007, as the service by Horizon Air was winding down, Frontier had some flights operated by ExpressJet using Embraer 145 regional jets.
On November 30, 2007, the last of the CRJ-700s was returned to the Horizon Air fleet, marking the end of Horizon's operation of Frontier JetExpress routes.
On December 5, 2007, Lynx Aviation received its operating certificate from the FAA.
On December 6, 2007, Lynx Aviation began passenger operations.
Subsequent to the cessation of Horizon's services for Frontier in December 2007, all flights operated by Republic were sold and marketed as "Frontier Airlines, operated by Republic Airways."
Between 2003 and 2007, Frontier Airlines took delivery of eleven Airbus A318 aircraft, being the launch customer of the type.
In 2007, Jeff Potter left the company and was replaced by Air Canada's Sean Menke as CEO.
In 2007, Republic Airways operated Embraer 170 regional jets on behalf of Frontier.
On April 10, 2008, Frontier filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in reaction to First Data withholding significant proceeds from ticket sales.
In April 2008, the contract with Republic Airways was canceled with 11 aircraft operating for Frontier Airlines.
In August 2008, service to Louisville was suspended.
During the month of November 2008, Frontier Airlines reported making their first profit, with US$2.9 million in net income.
By December 2008, the remaining six aircraft were expected to join the Republic Airways fleet.
In 2008, Republic Airways operated Embraer 170 regional jets on behalf of Frontier.
On June 22, 2009, Frontier Airlines announced that Republic Airways Holdings would acquire all assets of Frontier for $108 million, pending bankruptcy court approval.
During a bankruptcy auction on August 13, 2009, Republic Airways Holdings acquired Frontier Airlines and its regional airline, Lynx Aviation, as wholly owned subsidiaries.
As Republic Airways Holdings was in the process of bidding to acquire Frontier in 2009, it was also in the process of acquiring Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines.
In 2009, as Frontier and Midwest began merging, Republic resumed service for Frontier with Embraer 170s and also introduced larger Embraer 190 jets.
In late 2009, Republic began to consolidate administrative positions and moved 140 jobs from the Frontier Airlines Denver headquarters to Indianapolis.
In January 2010, Republic Airways announced that it would move all of its executives to Indianapolis.
In April 2010, service to Louisville was restarted.
In October 2010, Chautauqua Airlines began service for Frontier with the merger of Frontier and Midwest, operating Embraer jets out of Milwaukee.
Upon the full merger and integration of Frontier and Midwest Airlines in October 2010, Frontier and its regional partners operated over 100 daily flights from the Milwaukee hub.
In 2010 the retirement of the Airbus A318 began, and was completed by autumn 2013.
In 2010, Frontier's then-CEO Bryan Bedford took part in the reality TV show Undercover Boss.
In the spring of 2010, Frontier and Midwest Airlines announced that their brands would merge, with Frontier being the surviving brand.
On April 13, 2011, Frontier formed a new subsidiary, Frontier Express, to operate smaller aircraft with different services.
On September 9, 2011, Frontier notified the public of a 40% reduction of arriving and departing flights from Milwaukee (MKE) and laid off approximately 140 employees.
During the 2011 Paris Air Show, Republic Airways Holdings ordered 60 A320neo aircraft and 20 A319neo aircraft for Frontier.
In 2011, Frontier began branding Chautauqua Airlines' flights as Frontier Express and started new service on subsidized Essential Air Service routes.
In January 2012, Republic Airways Holdings announced its intention to sell or spin off Frontier to focus on regional contract flights.
On January 26, 2012, Republic Airways Holdings appointed former US Airways and Gate Gourmet CEO David Siegel as president and CEO of Frontier Airlines.
In February 2012, Frontier Airlines further reduced service to Milwaukee by cutting five more nonstop routes, reducing daily departing flights by 56%.
In November 2012, Frontier started low-frequency service between Orlando International Airport and Trenton–Mercer Airport, which had no prior commercial service.
By the end of 2012, Frontier initiated a pull-down of the Milwaukee hub, retaining only one route with a Frontier Express ERJ-145 jet.
In 2012, Polly the Parrot won the new animal audition and was added to the marketing.
In 2012, the Lynx Aviation operation was folded into Republic Airways Holdings' subsidiary, Republic Airways, and the Q400 aircraft were withdrawn from Frontier service.
On January 3, 2013, Frontier Express service to Rhinelander ended, and Chautauqua transferred the remaining aircraft to other partners.
In April 2013, Frontier introduced a modified version of the livery, keeping the animals but replacing "FRONTIER" with "FLYFRONTIER.COM".
In July 2013, Frontier started service from Wilmington-New Castle Airport to five destinations, which Frontier markets as Wilmington/Philadelphia.
In October 2013, Republic Airways Holdings entered into an agreement with Indigo Partners to sell Frontier Airlines for approximately $145 million.
In December 2013, Indigo Partners LLC, through an affiliate, completed the purchase of Frontier Airlines from Republic Airways Holdings.
In 2010 the retirement of the Airbus A318 began, and was completed by autumn 2013.
On January 1, 2014, Republic Airways Holdings subsidiary Republic Airlines ceased its operation of Embraer 190 aircraft on behalf of Frontier.
In April 2014, Barry L. Biffle was appointed as the company's president, reporting to Siegel.
In June 2014, Frontier Airlines opened a crew base for flight attendants at Trenton–Mercer Airport.
On September 9, 2014, Frontier introduced an updated livery as part of a rebranding.
In 2014, Frontier announced it would be transitioning into an ULCC. Frontier also announced that it would cut several flights and jobs at its Denver hub and transition them to different markets.
In January 2015, Frontier Airlines cut several flights from Wilmington and Trenton.
In February 2015, Frontier announced it would begin service to several destinations from Atlanta, adding the airport as a focus city.
In May 2015, Dave Siegel left his role as CEO for personal reasons and was succeeded by Bill Franke, the company's chairman.
In May 2015, Indigo and Frontier announced the departure of David Siegel as CEO, with his duties split between Barry Biffle and Bill Franke.
In June 2015, Frontier Airlines joined Spirit and Allegiant by eradicating its toll-free telephone number for customer service.
In late June 2015, Frontier announced it had ceased service in Wilmington, stating it was not profitable.
In 2015, Frontier was ranked amongst the five worst airlines in the U.S. due to customer complaints and bumped passengers, according to an airline quality rating report.
In June 2016, Frontier re-established service to John Glenn Columbus International Airport.
In October 2016, Frontier Airlines took delivery of its first Airbus A320neo aircraft, becoming the second US operator of the type after Spirit Airlines.
In December 2016, a winter weather event disrupted fleet operations, causing Frontier to delay or cancel up to 70% of their flights during the peak of the crisis.
In May 2017, Frontier announced it would open a new crew base in Las Vegas in fall 2017 to improve reliability and potentially create new jobs.
On November 15, 2017, Frontier Airlines announced a $15 billion order for 134 additional A320neo family aircraft.
In 2018, Frontier Airlines fleet sought industry-leading fuel efficiency as well as one of the youngest and most modern fleets, with an average fleet age of five years.
In 2018, Great Lakes Airlines, which operated a codeshare service with Frontier from the early 2000s, shut down.
The EarlyReturns program operated from 2003 to 2018, when it was replaced by Frontier Miles.
In 2020, class-action lawsuits were filed against Frontier after the company refused to refund airfare for customers who could not travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On April 1, 2021, Frontier went public with an initial public offering on the Nasdaq exchange, adopting the ticker symbol ULCC.
On July 27, 2022, Spirit Airlines announced that its shareholders had rejected Frontier's offer to acquire Spirit.
In November 2022, Frontier announced that it would establish a crew operating base at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in early 2023 and would add a gate in DFW Terminal E for flights to additional destinations starting in April of that year.
As of January 2023, Frontier serves 9 destinations from Trenton, basing three aircraft there.
In 2023, Frontier introduced a new approach with their animal mascots taking on promiscuous roles in a calendar titled "Fur & Feathers".
In 2024, Frontier Miles transitioned to a revenue-based accrual program.
As of March 2025, Frontier Airlines operates an all-Airbus A320 family fleet