All-you-can-fly subscriptions have a mixed history.
The most iconic experience of an unlimited flight subscription is still when one New York investment banker Steven Rothstein bought an unlimited American Airlines (AAL) pass for $250,000 in the 1980s and spent the next 25 years flying first class nonstop.
The airline had stopped selling the pass in 1994 and, in 2009, withdrew it from Rothstein on claims of "fraudulent usage"--the airline claimed that Rothstein's frequent first-class trips around the world were costing it at least $500,000 annually.
Rothstein sued right back over breaking a deal positioned as "unlimited."
Flexibility in the plan's wording was what caused the battle and, for the next three decades, airlines largely put the kibosh on any more truly unlimited flight promotions.
More recently, airlines have started offering a more controlled subscription still billed as all-you-can-fly.
In February, Seattle-based Alaska Airlines (ALK) launched a flight subscription that let holders take six, 12, or 24 nonstop flights a year on select routes in California as well as Reno, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.
The price starts at $49 a month and goes up to $199 if one wants more flights included.
The New Unlimited Flight Subscription
Frontier/TS
The latest airline to toy with a pass is the Denver-based Frontier Airlines.
One of the sides of a failed effort to merge with other low-cost airline Spirit (SAVE), Frontier sent those subscribed to its mailing list a Wednesday email announcing a new unlimited flight pass.
Billed as the GoWild! Pass, the subscription promises an "unlimited number of flights" to "all our destinations" for a year.
"Last year alone, five million seats flew empty, now they could be yours," the email reads. "With your new GoWild! Pass you will be able to get confirmed for your flight the day before you take off on one of your limitless adventures, beginning spring 2023."
Frontier is yet to release the specifics of the pass or what it will cost. The phrasing "available 300+ days a year" suggests that pass holders may be blocked from booking on some of the year's most popular travel dates.
The airline invited those interested in such an offer to sign up to be contacted once it becomes available. Signing up does not mean committing to buy it but is simply a way to get access to it once it's ready to roll out in spring 2023.
Is All-You-Can-Fly Really All That?
"It's first-come, first-served, so make sure you sign up for early access today and be the first to get the details and access to buy," Frontier wrote.
While Frontier charges for features covered by full-cost airlines, its low base fares make it a popular travel choice for many domestic flights--the airline also flies to international destinations like Costa Rica, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
So far, the pass system has been more popular among smaller airlines that have had a more difficult time restarting after pandemic-related disruptions. Southwest (LUV) recently launched a promotion in which one could buy a ticket and get a free "companion pass" for a friend to join.
Across the world, budget airlines are trying a different approach to restart post-pandemic. Star Flyer, a Japanese airline which positions itself as the middle ground between low-cost and full-service airlines, rolled out a monthly flight subscription for remote workers who need to come to Tokyo frequently.
The pass costs begins at 200,000 yen (approximately $1,340 USD) and lets holders shuttle the 550 miles between Tokyo and the coastal city of Fukuoka as much as they want or need to for work.
