Frontier Airlines
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Frontier Airlines Template:NASDAQ is a low-cost airline based at Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado, USA. It operates flights throughout the United States and Mexico.
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History
The First Frontier
Image:Frontier air.gif The original Frontier Airlines was founded by the June 1950 merger of Monarch Airlines, Challenger Airlines, and Arizona Airways, which served routes in the Great Plains and Western United States. It was based at Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, where it competed with Continental Airlines and United Airlines. Frontier further expanded its network by merging with Central Airlines in 1967.
The airline's economics declined in the 1970s, and plans to sell the airline to its employees, then to Frank Lorenzo's Texas Air group fell through. In 1985 it was acquired by People Express, but the merger pushed both companies into bankruptcy. In 1986, People Express and Frontier Airlines were both merged into Continental Airlines, a Texas Air unit.
The Second Frontier
A new Frontier Airlines was created in 1994 by former Frontier executives. Like its predecessor, it was launched using Boeing 737 aircraft; however, as of April 2005 it has transitioned to the Airbus A319 and Airbus A318 [1]. Flight operations began in 1994 and, like the original Frontier, it flies out of Denver and competes with United Airlines, which has a Denver hub. In the late 1990s, Frontier began purchasing Airbus aircraft and offering DirecTV in-flight television on its new aircraft. In mid-April 2005, Frontier officially became an all-Airbus fleet, retiring its last 737. It now has an average fleet age of less than two years, making its fleet one of the United States’ youngest. Image:Frontier Airlines plane at Denver International Airport.jpg Frontier Airlines was the launch customer of the Airbus A318 in 2003, and now has seven in its fleet. Frontier has routes extending from coast to coast and to Mexico. The vast majority of its flights are through Concourse A in Denver, although Frontier has recently begun direct service to Cancún from several other cities. Frontier is now facing major competition from Southwest Airlines now that they have entered the Denver International Airport market.
Frontier has a codeshare arrangement with Horizon Air, serving several smaller markets using CRJ-700 aircraft under the name “Frontier JetExpress”. Frontier also codeshares with regional carrier Great Lakes Airlines, connecting flights at Denver International Airport.
Destinations
For destinations, please go to Frontier Airlines destinations
Frontier is very discreet with their new destinations. In early March, Frontier announced they would begin flying to Calgary (Calgary International Airport). This is the first time a Low Cost Carrier based in the US has ever flown into Canada.
Fleet
The frontier Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (at November 2005):
The average Frontier Airlines fleet age is 2.6 years old as of March 2006.
Frontier has 6 Airbus A319-100, 4 Airbus A318-110, and 10 Airbus A320-110 on order to be delivered by 2011.
Livery
An all-white fuselage with silver billboard-style “Frontier” titles on the sides of the aircraft. Frontier uses wildlife photography on the vertical stabilizers and winglets of the aircraft to produce a distinctive look, touted in their advertisements along with their slogan: “A Whole Different Animal.”
The livery has also made it into Frontier’s marketing as well. Animal aircraft used in their radio and television commercials include Jack the rabbit, Grizwald the bear, Foxy the fox (for whom Jack has a crush), Flip the dolphin (who always gets stuck going to cold climates instead of Florida), Larry the lynx, and Sal the cougar. New additions are Penguins Jim, Joe, Jay, and Gary, a barbershop-style quartet, singing the praises of the program to an audience of Frontier’s well-known characters from the “a whole different animal” campaign, and Hector the otter, advertising Frontier's expanded service to Mexico.
Confusion with Frontier Flying Service
Frontier Airlines is occasionally confused with Fairbanks, Alaska–based Frontier Flying Service, because of the similarity in name. Passengers at Anchorage International Airport are especially prone to this confusion, because both Frontiers fly out of the airport, albeit from different terminals.
External links
- Frontier Airlines
- Frontier Airlines Fleet Age
- Frontier Airlines Fleet Detail
- Frontier Airlines Passenger Opinions
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