Frontier Airlines’ New Route Launches

US carrier Frontier Airlines will this week launch a new seasonal link between Kansas City and Orlando International and year-round flights from Grand Rapids and Madison to Washington Reagan National as it further expands its domestic offering. The new three times weekly Grand Rapids – Washington Reagan link commenced on January 4, 2012 while the Madison – Washington Reagan service, also three times weekly, followed from January 5, 2012 and both will be operated using a 138-seat Airbus A319.

“Our new non-stop service to convenient Washington Reagan provides Grand Rapids and Madison travellers lower fares on a more comfortable large jet for their travels to our nation’s capital,” said Daniel Shurz, Vice President of Strategy and Planning, Frontier Airlines.

The two routes are currently served by Delta Air Lines’ regional partners Comair and Pinaccle Airlines under the Delta Connection brand. A seasonal weekday Embraer ERJ-145 service is offered from Grand Rapids while a weekday Bombardier CRJ700 link is provided from Madison. An estimated 29,000 O&D passengers travelled between Grand Rapids and Washington Reagan last year, with 47,000 flying between Madison and National Airport.

Frontier’s new seasonal service between Kansas City and Orlando also began on January. 5, 2012, and will operate through to April 15, 2012. This will initially be operated on a four times weekly basis but will increase to six flights per week from February 23, 2012. The airline will use a mix of 99-seat Embraer 190s and 138-seat A319s on the route.

The addition of this seasonal flight brings Frontier’s network from Kansas City to 20 destinations. The airline is currently the third largest carrier at Kansas City International Airport, accounting for 12.9 per cent of this month’s available weekly seats. Southwest Airlines is the dominant carrier in this market offering 370 weekly flights across a network encompassing 18 destinations.