Frontier Airlines plans to nearly double the size of its fleet.
After the airline backed away from an earlier plan to bring winter service to Florida later in the year. it now seems to be focusing on Philadelphia International Airport as the American-US Airways merger moves forward.
Service also continues at the Trenton-Mercer County airport.
According to the release, Frontier will expand its fleet in the next five years from 56 to 101 aircraft and allow it to retire older Airbus jets. Deliveries will begin next year.
Under the agreement with partner, Airbus, Frontier has placed a firm order for 10 Airbus A321 and two A320 aircraft. Currently, Frontier has 89 orders for aircraft in the A320 family bringing the total number of aircraft on order to 101.
“This announcement paves the way for us to grow, modernize and renew our fleet while helping us build a strong foundation for the future,” said Barry Biffle, president . “We remain focused on our Low Fares Done Right business model for long-term success, and we look forward to working with Airbus to achieve it.”
That model includes fees for carry-on luggage, with discounts for those who sign up for promotion programs.
Frontier has been struggling with service issues as it outsources much of its workforce to third parties, drops many longtime destinations and invests in technology that includes a new website.
After the resignation of its CEO, Indigo Partners founder, William Franke, formed an office of the CEO that is focusing on service and other issues. It now appears, that Franke, 77, is taking a more direct role in Frontier.
The new aircraft headed to Frontier will consume less fuel and allow Frontier to more easily reach its goal of being the lowest cost domestic carrier
The new aircraft will also feature Frontier’s slim-line seats, the widest economy seats in the U.S. domestic airline industry, the release stared. The A320s will be fitted with 186 seats, and the A321s will be fitted with 230 seats.
The newest jets will feature more overhead storage, reduced noise and lightweight composite Sharklets, 94 inch tall wing-tip devices that provide a fuel consumption reduction of up to 4 percent, plus either a range extension of 100 nautical miles or increased payload of up to 992 pounds.
The bigger jets would seem to indicate a shift to bigger markets where Frontier could offer a lower fare alternative to the majors or serve resort markets with weekly flights.
Rival Spirit Airlines, which was once controlled by Indigo Partners, has used that strategy. Spirit also flies out of Philadelphia to Dallas and Las Vegas, Atlanta and Myrtle Beach.
