Miami Wins Big In Frontier Airlines’ Next Round Of Expansion

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Frontier Airlines has announced another 15-route expansion. Nine of the 15 newly announced routes touch Miami, and the airline is adding one entirely new international destination to its route map: Aruba. The second-place winner in the new expansion is Newark, with three new routes planned from the airport. Here is what Frontier is adding for the winter season.

Frontier Airbus A320neo
Frontier Airlines has announced 15 new nonstop routes. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Miami wins big with nine new routes

Frontier has slowly and steadily been building up its portfolio at Miami International Airport (MIA). This winter, nine additional routes will see nonstop service from Frontier. They are:

  • Memphis, Tennessee (MEM), with three weekly flights from November 1st
  • Portland, Maine (PWM), with three weekly flights from November 1st
  • St. Louis, Missouri (STL), with three weekly flights from November 1st
  • Syracuse, New York (SYR), with two weekly flights from November 1st
  • Norfolk, Virginia (ORF), with three weekly flights from November 2nd
  • Albany, New York (ALB), with two weekly flights from November 4th
  • Rochester, New York (ROC) with two weekly flights from November 4th
  • Aruba (AUA) with Saturday-only flights from November 20th
  • Turks and Caicos (PLS) with Saturday-only flights from December 18th
Frontier MIA
Frontier Airlines is adding nine new routes out of Miami. Rendering created at Great Circle Mapper

This is on top of all the growth Frontier has launched out of Miami. This includes new flights to St. Maarten, Costa Rica, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Guatemala, and more.

Miami has traditionally been an airport that low-cost carriers like Frontier have shied away from. However, the airport has been receiving much attention from low-cost carriers after cutting down on its overall cost per enplaned passenger.

Miami is also a major gateway for nonstop origin and destination leisure and visiting friends and relatives (VFR) demand to points in Latin America and the Caribbean. American Airlines currently dominates Miami, but more carriers are looking to break into the market. This is exactly the kind of customer base and market that Frontier has focused its attention on recently.

Frontier A321
American’s dominance in Miami has not deterred Frontier Airlines. Photo: Airbus

More growth at other airports

Six more routes are also entering Frontier’s network this winter. Starting on October 9th, Frontier will launch three weekly flights to Los Cabos, Mexico (SJD). Across the country, out of Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), Frontier will launch three weekly flights to Nassau (NAS) in the Bahamas. Third, out of Jacksonville International Airport (JAX), Frontier will fly to San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) in Puerto Rico three times a week.

The final three routes are all starting out of Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). All of the routes are to leisure hotspots in the Caribbean:

  • Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ), with three weekly flights from December 17th
  • Turks and Caicos (PLS) with Saturday-only flights from December 18th
  • Nassau, Bahamas (NAS), with three weekly flights from December 19th
Frontier other growth
Frontier’s six other nonstop routes. Rendering created at Great Circle Mapper

Newark is Frontier’s gateway to New York City. While the airline also flies into LaGuardia (LGA), there are many barriers to growth at the airport. The last convenient New York City-area airport is John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), which is not cost-efficient or has enough space for low-cost carriers.

What is Frontier’s strategy?

Frontier Airlines has been known for entering markets that might not seem like traditional low-cost markets and then exiting them if the routes are not successful. What is special about Frontier’s growth are the risks it is willing to take.

Frontier has emphasized its incredibly low cost structure as a reason it can make a foray into smaller cities. With lower fares, it can stimulate some demand from destinations with nonstop flights that may otherwise have to pay more for a connecting flight. It also targets peak-day travel, which opens up a lot more opportunities since Frontier is primed for adding flights only a few times per week.

The Airbus A320neo is key to Frontier’s strategies. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Frontier is planning a sizable fleet growth with a focus on higher-gauge aircraft. The airline is getting rid of its Airbus A319s in favor of the A320neo family of aircraft, which are lower-cost and offer excess capacity.

Frontier will cross 200 jets once its deliveries are complete. The question mark on fleet count is about its Airbus A320ceo family aircraft retirements. It certainly has enough aircraft on order to replace the A320ceo jets.

Ultimately, the airline is back on a growth trajectory after hitting pause in 2020. The airline is getting back on track. There are many more growth options for the airline, and the question now will be just how quickly it decides to grow.

This is the third major network expansion Frontier has announced in the last two weeks. The first targeted 21 new routes, while the second covered 20 with five new destinations.

Are you going to fly any of these new Frontier Airlines routes? Let us know in the comments!



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