Some have wondered why Frontier Airlines exited Wilmington (ILG) eight years ago.
At the time, new owners had taken over at the carrier and brought the ultra-low-fare approach we see with Avelo, the current airline serving the airport.
It also turns out that the man who helped pull the trigger on adding service from Philadelphia and exiting Wilmington spent time in Philadelphia during a stint with USAirways, now American, and even became a fan of the Philadephia Eagles back in the Donovan McNabb era. That’s according to a recent interview in the Philadelphia Inquirer, with Frontier CEO Barry Biffle.
Biffle joined Frontier after serving as marketing chief at Spirit Airlines, another low-fare carrier. Frontier, under Biffle, did return for a brief stint in Delaware with twice-weekly flights to Orlando. Frontier exited that half-hearted effort last year.
After joining Frontier, Biffle told the Inky he wondered why the airline had no service out of Philadelphia. That changed, although Frontier kept routes of Trenton, NJ a destination further away from Philadelphia that saw some success.
All of this had been set in motion when Frontier’s main investor Indigo Partners, sold off its stake in Spirit Airlines and acquired the troubled Denver-based airline while converting it to Spirit’s low-fare model. Indigo is also an investor in low-fare airlines based outside the US.
Recently, a planned Spirit merger got too expensive for Frontier, with top bidder Jet Blue now trying to get a deal for Spirit past antitrust regulators.
Under Biffle, Frontier became the second-largest airline operating out of Philadelphia and now serves a couple of dozen cities, often with two or three flights a week. Frontier’s jet fleet totals 125
Meanwhile, 15-jet Avelo has focused on Wilmington and plans to serve 14 cities from ILG, beginning in the latter part of June with two jets based here. Frontier, in the early going, had a jet based at ILG.
Frontier is now focusing on its Go Wild, all-you-can-fly summer fare, with a yearly option.
Go Wild is pretty much a standby fare where you keep the bags packed in the event that a seat opens up a day before the flight or more than a week outside the US. There are blackout periods and other restrictions. It works well for retirees and others with flexible schedules and does not do much to ding Frontier’s bottom line since passengers often pay hefty fees for baggage.
Biffle’s biggest challenge is improving customer service at Frontier, which remains in the basement with Spirit, a carrier that remains the subject to one-liners from late-night talk show hosts. A recent report showed Frontier near the bottom in a worst airline.ranking.
It did not help when Frontier recently eliminated telephone access to customer service.
On another note, the Inquirer posted another story outside its paywall on what to look for this summer at Philadelphia International Airport.
The airport will be busy with the economy lot now up to about 3,600 spaces. The economy lot had about double that number before work on cargo operations commenced. Travelers should bring their patience with them (TSA etc.) although no passenger traffic records are expected to be broken.
Economy parking costs $15 a day and $28 for garage parking near he terminal. Wilmington’s uncovered parking runs $8 a day.
Southwest pilot walkout is not on the immediate horizon.
A Southwest strike anytime soon is unlikely.
Southwest Airlines pilots made headlines this week in authorizing a strike.
But due to the process we see with railroads, a walkout is not on the immediate horizon.
Negotiations have to fail under the auspices of federal mediators, and President Biden has the power to appoint a board for further discussions.
Any strike would cause massive disruptions. Southwest ranks third or fourth among U.S. carriers in total passenger boardings.
All major airlines have unhappy pilots who want to see pay and benefit boosts. – Doug Rainey
