One of the biggest killers of travel spontaneity are the hefty fees that accompany the decision to stay in a city that struck your fancy for a few more days.
Unless one has this perk through frequent flyer status (generally also achieved by spending thousands with the airline in a given year), changing one’s flight will cost one not just the difference in airfare that spikes as one gets closer to departure but also a “change fee” that can range from $50 to $200 on a basic economy ticket.
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More and more, airlines have started reworking how such change fees work. Mainstream carriers such as Delta Air Lines (DAL) and United (UAL) have moved toward the direction of eliminating them for higher fare classes while making the lowest basic economy fare non-refundable. Low-costers like Spirit Airlines (SAVE) and Frontier Airlines (FRON) have been charging around $50 but the latter just made a move to eliminate change fees as well.
Frontier is promising no change fees. Will this actually mean lower prices?
“Today marks the beginning of a new era for Frontier — one with transparency in our prices, no change fees and the lowest total price," Frontier CEO Barry Biffle said in a statement while saying that they will strive to “deliver the best price for all the options you want and the customer support you need, when you need it .... No gimmicks, just really low prices and good customer service.”
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In effect as of May 17, the new policy divides tickets into “bundles” that include extras such as seat selection and early boarding. Free changes are included in all but the basic economy bundle in which tickets cannot be altered or canceled. While not a traditional business class, the highest “Business Bundle” also offers two free checked bags, more leg space and early boarding.
While such moves are often a way for airlines to raise prices and introduce more expensive fare classes while celebrating how they are “eliminating change fees,” travelers will be able to know what features they will get and whether they can alter the ticket upfront. The eliminated change fee does not include any airfare difference that Frontier travelers will need to cover.
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Frontier to travelers: ‘We’ve changed and now it’s free to change’
“We’ve changed and now it’s free to change,” Biffle said further. “This enhancement is a key part of our promise to make travel with Frontier as flexible and worry-free as possible. We understand that plans can change, and we want to ensure that when they do, our passengers can adjust their bookings without the stress of additional fees.”
Other changes announced by Frontier include extending the validity of any travel credits issued by the airline from three to 12 months, hiring more customer support staff for its phone lines and adding a new “Flight For Less Price Guarantee” in which those who find a flight between the same two cities cheaper than what Frontier offers can receive 2,500 free points with the airline.
To claim the points, travelers will need to take a screenshot of the cheaper fare and submit it through Frontier’s website as proof.
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