A Frontier Airlines plane lands at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas on February 27, 2020.
Elizabeth Paige Bromley | Tribune News Service | Getty Images
Frontier Airlines said it will stop charging customers to change flights, taking a page from larger rivals as the Biden administration issues tougher rules targeting so-called “junk fees.”
The change is part of an overhaul announced Friday of the budget airline’s long-standing pricing model, which lures customers in the door with eye-catching low basic fares and charges for everything else like advance seat assignments and cabin baggage.
The airline will begin offering offers that include those extras, among others, such as early boarding. While some fares will still allow travelers to add a la carte options, “we expect this will be an option for a minority of customers,” Frontier CEO Barry Biffle told CNBC.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a final rule requiring airlines to tell customers about fees, including fees for checked or carry-on baggage, in advance, a change the DOT said would save travelers more than half a billion dollars annually.
Frontier currently charges up to $99 to change flights if the change is made within a week of the flight, according to the airline’s website. Larger rivals such as Delta, American and United have eliminated change fees during the COVID-19 pandemic for passengers booked in standard economy and above. Southwest Airlines does not charge customers any fees to change their tickets.
“The reality is that the big four don’t have any change fees on the majority of their products, so we weren’t wanted,” Biffle said. He said change fees were travelers’ “biggest complaint.”
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