Frontier Airlines will return to California’s San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) this summer after nearly three years.
The ULCC plans to launch five domestic routes in July, offering service to western U.S. destinations in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Nevada. By mid-August, the airline will provide 35 flights per week from the airport.
Frontier ceased operations at SJC in September 2021, suspending its sole route to Las Vegas. At the time, then-SVP of commercial Daniel Shurz—now at JetBlue Airways—blamed increasing cost pressures as the reason for the decision. However, he noted that the airline would reconsider its position “if the fare and cost relationship improves.”
Two of the five daily routes will commence on July 22, linking San Jose with Frontier’s Denver International Airport (DEN) base and San Diego International Airport. Flights to Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) will follow on Aug. 13.
According to data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser, Frontier previously served PHX until May 2021 and DEN until June 2021. It will face direct competition on just one of the five routes, with United Airlines offering daily SJU-DEN flights. However, the latest schedules data shows frequencies will reduce to 1X-weekly from mid-August.
Frontier has been modifying its network in recent months, shifting towards an out-and-back model where crews and aircraft are based in one city and return there at night. Speaking on an earnings call earlier in May, president Jimmy Dempsey said the airline was operating a 67% out-and-back network in March, which had increased to 75% in April.
“Our planned schedule is to achieve 80% out-and-back flying by June, supported by the planned opening of the Cincinnati and Chicago crew bases in May and San Juan, Puerto Rico in June, bringing our crew base footprint to 13 by the end of the second quarter,” he added.
Frontier sees significant network expansion potential between the U.S. mainland and San Juan, as well as providing intra-Caribbean services. The airline expects to base as many as 90 pilots and 200 flight attendants at San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) within a year of its opening. However, the expansion has prompted JetBlue to beef up its schedule from SJU with six new routes.
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