Here it goes two more..

Airbrasil

Frontier Airlines Offers Non-Stop Service Between Denver and San Antonio, Texas
New Service is Fifth Frontier Destination in the Lone Star State


DENVER (March 16, 2005) - Frontier Airlines (Nasdaq: FRNT) will begin new service between its Denver International Airport (DEN) hub and San Antonio International Airport (SAT) in Texas, beginning June 26, 2005. The two daily non-stops between Denver and San Antonio will utilize Frontier’s new Airbus aircraft, with 33 inches of legroom, 24 channels of LiveTV and pay-per-view movies. The new service will also connect San Antonio to dozens of Frontier cities throughout the U.S. and Mexico.

Frontier separately announced today that it will begin service between Denver and Akron-Canton, Ohio (CAK) on June 15, 2005 and that it will increase service to match growing demand in Seattle, Wash. and San Jose, Calif.

“San Antonio is our fifth city in Texas making the Lone Star State one of our top destinations,” said Andrew Hudson, senior director of marketing and communications for Frontier Airlines. “We know that a low-fare, high-value product like ours does well in the Texas market and we know that Denver travelers will want to take advantage of all that San Antonio offers such as the Riverwalk, a vibrant downtown and a great heritage dating back to the Alamo. San Antonio needs low fares to the top destinations around the country, and Frontier Airlines is proud to introduce those fares, along with new aircraft, 24 channels of LiveTV and the best employees in the industry, to this underserved market.”
“We’re absolutely thrilled to see Frontier Airlines coming to San Antonio International Airport,” said Kevin Dolliole, Airport Director of San Antonio International Airport. “This move will offer our customers more choices for air travel. In just a little more than a decade Frontier has managed to build an operation that’s already reaching 44 destinations in 25 states and five cities in Mexico. We’re happy to be part of Frontier’s continued growth.”



Following is the San Antonio flight schedule:

Denver-San Antonio
Flight Number Departs Arrives Frequency
681
3:20 p.m.
6:20 p.m.
Daily

683
7:10 p.m.
10:10 p.m.
Daily




San Antonio-Denver


Flight Number Departs Arrives Frequency
688
6:30 a.m.
7:40 a.m.
Daily*


624
7:00 p.m.
8:10 p.m.
Daily




All times given in local arrival or departure city times.

*Flight 688 begins on June 27, 2005

To celebrate the new service to San Antonio, Frontier will offer special introductory fares as low as $99 for domestic travel and from $149 for international travel. All sale fares are one-way, with round-trip purchase required and must be purchased by 10:00 p.m. MDT, April 19, 2005 for travel between June 26, 2005 and November 16, 2005. Domestic sale fares also require a 14-day advanced purchase. To make a reservation, customers can visit Frontier’s Web site at www.frontierairlines.com, contact Frontier Airlines at 1-800-4321-FLY, or consult their professional travel agent.


Frontier Airlines Becomes Only Carrier to Offer Non-Stop Service Between Denver and Akron-Canton, Ohio
New Service Will Bring Low Fares to the Cleveland Area and Northeast Ohio


DENVER (March 16, 2005) - Frontier Airlines (Nasdaq: FRNT) will begin new service between its Denver International Airport (DEN) hub and Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) in Ohio, beginning June 15, 2005. The two daily non-stops between Denver and Akron-Canton will utilize Frontier’s new Airbus aircraft, with 33 inches of legroom, 24 channels of LiveTV and pay-per-view movies. The new service will also connect the Cleveland area and Northeast Ohio to dozens of Frontier cities throughout the West and Mexico.

Frontier separately announced today that it will begin service between Denver and San Antonio International Airport (SAT) on June 26, 2005 and that it will increase service to match growing demand in Seattle, Wash. and San Jose, Calif.

“Akron-Canton is fast becoming the low fare hub for Northeastern Ohio, and we are proud to be an integral part of that growth,” said Paul Tate, senior vice president and chief financial officer. “The strength of the Akron-Canton airport is in no small part due to their focus on attracting the very best service for travelers in the region, and we are confident that Frontier will exceed the expectations of those travelers who have forgotten what a great experience flying can be. We look forward to serving Northeast Ohio with LiveTV, pay-per-view movies, comfortable seats and the industry’s finest service from the industry’s best employees.”
"Frontier Airlines is a perfect match for our airport and Northeast Ohio," said Airport Director Fred Krum. "They are the undisputed leader in affordable west coast flying and we offer a great airport experience that customers prefer. Flying to Denver and beyond just got a lot better for travelers in our region."
Akron Mayor and President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Donald Plusquellic remarked, “We are delighted Frontier Airlines has chosen Akron-Canton as its first Ohio community for non-stop service to Denver. We see this as a vital western link that will help us attract new business and tourists to our great city.”

“The residents of Canton, Ohio are pleased to welcome Frontier Airlines to our hometown airport and the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” said Mayor Janet Creighton. “Affordable flights to and from Denver and the West will be popular with sports fans and business travelers alike.”

Following is the Akron-Canton flight schedule:

Denver-Akron/Canton
Flight Number Departs Arrives Frequency
497
10:40 a.m.
3:20 p.m.
Daily

491
6:45 p.m.
11:25 p.m.
Daily*




Akron/Canton-Denver


Flight Number Departs Arrives Frequency
496
6:40 a.m.
7:50 a.m.
Daily*


494
4:00 p.m.
5:10 p.m.
Daily




All times given in local arrival or departure city times.
*Flight 491 begins on June 26, 2005 and flight 496 begins on June 27, 2005.

To celebrate the new service to Akron-Canton, Frontier will offer special introductory fares as low as $99 for domestic travel and from $149 for international travel. All sale fares shown are one-way, with round-trip purchase required and must be purchased by 10:00 p.m. MDT, April 19, 2005 for travel between June 15, 2005 and November 16, 2005. Domestic sale fares also require a 14-day advanced purchase. To make a reservation, customers can visit Frontier’s Web site at www.frontierairlines.com, contact Frontier Airlines at 1-800-4321-FLY, or consult their professional travel agent.

I guess CAK then was the "worst kept secret" at F9

Great for SAT! I doubt this will affect WN much, but it's always great to have more service here in Texas.

That is great for SAT and I doubt Southwest would be affected at all as they do not fly to Colorado at all except via the codeshare with ATA. Will be great to see those tails in SAT.

This is so exciting. It will sure be wierd looking at a F9 Airbus at CAK. If I remember correctly I don't think CAK has ever even had a regular scheduled Airbus before. Nice work Fred!

ASSFO

Quoting AS739X (Reply 4): Nice work Fred!

Agreed. He's done wonders for CAK, though I still prefer to avoid it with my one not so good experience. And bad job Fred S. and John Mok. You should have made them room to come to CLE!

OK, all you who said that CAK-DEN wasn't true in that other thread, stand in line to get egg thrown on your face.  

Are these CRJ or Airbus flights? My guess--by looking at the flight numbers is Aribus--what type?

I hate to say it but...told you so!

Good news for my home state of Ohio.

Very surprising CAK in my opinion. I would prefer to see RDU.. but maybe next time.

Airbrasil

I've said it once.....and I'll continue to say it. Fred Krum is a gosh darn genius! CAK has got it done and they will continue to get it done. I wonder if CAK is working on getting AirTran to fly to MDW. 2 Dailies to MDW would be very nice also, IMO. Maybe DFW and BWI on the horizon? Who knows....Fred keeps his cards very well hidden. He definitely had a Full house here. Wonder when he's going to pull out the Royal Flush!

Ryan

CAK makes sense. I am surprised they did not pick another Eastern Time zone city to better utilize equipment. I think RDU would have been a better pick.

Quoting Jtamu97 (Reply 3): That is great for SAT and I doubt Southwest would be affected at all as they do not fly to Colorado at all except via the codeshare with ATA. Will be great to see those tails in SAT.

Do you know which TX cities they are going to add to the PHX ATA codeshare. Right now Denver is SWA-served only East of the Mississippi.

WTF why CAK? RDU=much better choice.

Another thought. Is it just me or isn't AUS and SAT too concentrated. I wonder what the zip code bookings for AUS looked like. If I had to guess, I would have throught there would be a lot of San Antonio people driving up for for those AUS flights.

SAT - at long last.

Qwerty - all of Frontier's flights DEN/AUS are sold out tomorrow (all the Texas flights, actually) and this is often true. So there may be AUS folk who would drive to SAT as well as vv.

CAK - knock me down with a feather!

I don't think F9 will pull a Ryanair trick (as in Frankfurt/Hahn) and call it Cleveland/Akron - but they could.

So - like a few people - I'm wondering why CAK and not, say, RDU, and I suspect that airport costs and charges probably played a role in this.

We simply don't know how sweet CAK made the deal, but I would guess it is pretty sweet.

Then again, CAK has a fairly big catchment area, and there's a lot to be said for providing the only service to a city, especially with Frontier's connections to the west.

So I would think the summer will do well. Might even get a few pax connecting to Alaska to avoid that midwest summer sizzle.

Winter becomes a bit of a question mark, because I haven't yet checked what the connections CAK/DEN/Mexico look like - but that could be a big pot of honey for Frontier.

And this could be the reason it is CAK and not RDU. I don't think the winters are that brutal at Raleigh?

cheers

mariner

Quoting Mariner (Reply 14): because I haven't yet checked what the connections CAK/DEN/Mexico look like - but that could be a big pot of honey for Frontier.

Okay, so I looked at the connections. The afternoon CAK/DEN arrives at 5.10 pm, well in time for the ANC departures.

Mexico: the early CAK/DEN arrives at 7.50 am, meaning there's a couple of hours faffing around until #42 - DEN/CUN, as well as the other Mexican resort flights.

(Mind you, #42 is becoming so popular for the connecting flights, they might have to add another frequency around the same time).

However, I also checked fares. Using Travelocity Flexible Dates, the cheapest r/t I got for CAK/CUN was $1008.

I would think the good folk at Akron/Canton/Cleveland would smile very sweetly at some of Frontier's fares to Mexico.

cheers

mariner

Qwerty,
Don't know about the Phoenix codeshares. Also, Austin and San Antonio are relatively close, but driving from San Antonio to AUS can sometimes be a hassle. It will now be very convenient for residents of San Antonio, plus the departure time appears it is directed towards the business traveller.

CAK-DEN-CUN would be quite a backtrack. Funjet and USA3000 offer CLE-CUN service, so I doubt they'll take much of the market.

F9 didn't go into CAK to pick up leisure traffic. I'm sure they've seen a good deal of full Y traffic at CAK to LGA, BOS and ATL. For example, CO has taken a hit on CLE-LGA. FL charges less than $400 r/t for a walk up ticket CAK-LGA, while CO charges over $1000. Those Airtran flights aren't full of $49 fares, they are of full Y fares. F9 sees that CAK has done a good job pulling high yield traffic away from CLE, and probably sees that CAK-west coast is a market they can take advantage of. RDU might be a good idea down the road, but I think there's more "low hanging fruit" at CAK. Kudos to Fred and Kristi!

TOLtommy:

For the sake of saving $500 or so CAK/DEN/CUN, I'd do a backtrack. However, there is very little backtrack involved in CAK/SJD or CAK/MZT or CAK/PVR or CAK/ZIH.

Nor am I quite so dismissive of "leisure traffic". Some of the fares F9 is getting to CUN make this shareholders heart sing.

And while I agree that the west coast connections are the key to the deal, I assume we all agree on that.

But that would be true of other citites as well, so the question being debated is why CAK over those other cities, and the Mexico connections are increasingly important to Frontier in the winter, given that United saw Frontier's Mexican honeypot at DEN and went for a share.

cheers

mariner

Mariner, I think the debate is actually SAT vs. RDU. I think CAK was smart.

Qwerty:

Quoting Qwerty (Reply 19): I think the debate is actually SAT vs. RDU. I think CAK was smart.

That would surprise me. Most of us who follow Frontier have been scratching our heads as to why SAT was ignored for so long.

There was considerable surprise (and some grumbling) when ONT was cancelled and LIT got the gurnsey for Express service, and not SAT.

I am warming to the idea of CAK, but it is still somewhat from left field. There was a thread a few weeks ago about the new cities, and the consensus was that it would be RDU, with DTW in second place.

CAK was never mentioned, although CLE, CMH and DAY were. There's also a more recent thread suggesting CAK, and most replies saying it wouldn't happen.  

cheers

mariner

Quoting Qwerty (Reply 13): Is it just me or isn't AUS and SAT too concentrated. I wonder what the zip code bookings for AUS looked like. If I had to guess, I would have throught there would be a lot of San Antonio people driving up for for those AUS flights.

Austin and San Antonio are still 90 miles apart, and are very distinct metropolitan areas. Sure, the area in between is growing very quickly, but I don't know many people who live in Austin that drive to San Antonio for flights, or vice versa.

Things might be different if there were a hub airport in one of the cities, but in its absence, fares from both airports are pretty similar. SAT / KSAT), USA - Texas">SAT might be a bit less expensive, but rarely less expensive enough to justify an hour and a half or two-hour drive.

[Edited 2005-03-16 20:56:13]

Quoting Mariner (Reply 20): That would surprise me. Most of us who follow Frontier have been scratching our heads as to why SAT was ignored for so long.

Are you sure having a flight out of AUS is being ignored? Granted it's a little of a drive, but we are not talking about MEM vs. BNA thing here. AUS is south of downtown Austin and just like driving to the San Marcos outlet malls for SAT people.

AUS fits for me. Lots of traveling tech jobs.

CAK makes sense for me:
Cleveland
EASTERN time zone.

RDU fits for me:
see Austin
EASTERN time zone.

I don't see the pent up SAT demand. But I don't live in SAT.

WTF? No service again? How long must this last...

That's fine.. It's alright with me.. If F9 don't get it soon, I shall be writing B6 and tell them that the RDU-DEN market is also right for their picking..

UA made a grave mistaken trying to keep RDU an express market then attempting RDU-DEN on a CR7..

F9 is making a big mistake overlooking RDU again...

But its okay.. it will come.. and when it does, it will be a big shock to all as to who will fly it..

Quoting TOLtommy (Reply 17): RDU might be a good idea down the road, but I think there's more "low hanging fruit" at CAK.

I don't think the fruit can hang much lower.. UA was easily filling the CR7 (when the weight allowed).. I think that is good notice that the RDU market is at full bloom..

Quoting Mariner (Reply 14): I suspect that airport costs and charges probably played a role in this.

RDU cost are actually not very expensive.. I know that landing fees are $0.97/1000 lb.. gate space rent is not expensive at all.. I think that NW rents around 2500 sq ft.. and pay a couple thousand a month or something like that.. it's pretty darn cheap... and the potential customers are there.. this makes me scratch my chin..   

Anyone know who I must get in contact with to get some action going on?

I think both will do well.
However, I think the flight times into San Antonio suck. Earliest you can get there is 6:20pm? Come on. That sure doesn't cater to inbound business traffic.

At least the outbounds are good. Love the 7:00pm.

And I think both will get 1 each -318 and -319.

Qwerty:

Quoting Qwerty (Reply 22): Are you sure having a flight out of AUS is being ignored? Granted it's a little of a drive, but we are not talking about MEM vs. BNA thing here. AUS is south of downtown Austin and just like driving to the San Marcos outlet malls for SAT people.

I'm not from these parts anymore, and I've never been to AUS or SAT. However, Ssides in reply 21 seems to think they are quite different markets.

ERJ170:

Quoting ERJ170 (Reply 23): RDU cost are actually not very expensive..

It isn't just the costs, it is how sweet they make the deal on those costs. And from the replies I've seen in the other thread, it almost looks as if CAK would give the airport to Frontier, just to stick it to CLE.  

However, I do agree with you aboiut RDU. You should contact/write to Sean Menke, COO, at Frontier, or Greg Aretakis, also at Frontier.

Or Joe Hodas or Andrew Hudson. Heck, write to everyone.

cheers

mariner

Ohh.. they need an online customer comment section like all the other airlines do.. that manual writing/typing, buying a stamp, going to the post office, dropping it in the box.. too much manual labor...

I just want someone up here who works for Frontier to tell the Marketing and Network person to call me.. I needs to have a talk with him/her...

But oh well, perhaps next year...

That is all of the cities that is to be opened this year, right? They said they were going to announce 4 or 5.. isnt that all of them?

ERJ,

with all considerations, your call won't help a thing. CAK is offering new airlines waived landing fees, marketing assistance, and sometimes subsidies for new service. I've met with Sean Menke and his staff, and know how they think/operate. Unless your title is "Airport Director" I'd just keep your squealing about RDU being overlooked to a.net, or keep harassing the RDU airport authority to approach Frontier.

Sean is a very nice guy, but also very busy and very experienced (don't forget Frontier picked him up from America West).

Its safe to assume that CAK is offering some incentives to Frontier... and kudos to the San Antonio service.

-n

All I have to say is screw you, CLE! Flippin' idiots scared off another airline and woah go figure they went to CAK. That's ok though, I'm flying FL from CAK next week and if I like what I see, I'll be using Akron alot more often. If it weren't for my OnePass membership I'd probably just say screw CLE altogether.

Quoting SegmentKing (Reply 27): Unless your title is "Airport Director" I'd just keep your squealing about RDU being overlooked to a.net, or keep harassing the RDU airport authority to approach Frontier.

Slow your roll there Mister.. let's not get something started..   

No one ever said Mr Menke wasn't doing a good job.. and no one said he doesn't know what he is doing.. what I SAID was that I wanted to let them know that there are people here that wanted the non-stop service, that it was a justified route with already established good results, and its an unserved route... that I wanted to talk to him.

Now if you think someone contacting the company would "bother" the company, then something is wrong there.. but don't come at me with that attitude.. cause I ain't having that..

Quoting ERJ170 (Reply 29): Now if you think someone contacting the company would "bother" the company, then something is wrong there..

Quite the contrary.... Frontier is always glad to hear from the public, and suggestions are encouraged. I urge you to contact whomever you wish at Frontier. Heck...email Potter himself if you wish.

I'm happy about SAT, surprised about CAK, and intrigued by RDU. We'll see. The more solid routes we do the more Airbii I get to deliver!!!!

Jetmek:

Greetings from Down Under!

Quoting Jetmek319 (Reply 30): The more solid routes we do the more Airbii I get to deliver!!!!

Speaking of which, we should be due for another one quite soon, I think?

With the departure of the 737's, there can barely be enough Airbi to maintain the schedule, let alone the new cities.

cheers

mariner

CAK!!?? And still no mention of upgrading LIT to mainline.......  

ERJ,

The only way to get Frontier interested in a route is to work with the airport and a community backed group and do a presentation, such as Bloomington, IL did way back in the days (I believe they had someone serenade them and State Farm/Mitsubishi/ISU all promised a certain # of seats). Same thing needs to be done for Raleigh.

Btw, the person who does new market research for Frontier has yet to be listed here, I'll just say his first name is Matt... (unless he's been promoted to a diff. position).

-n

Quoting SegmentKing (Reply 33): The only way to get Frontier interested in a route is to work with the airport and a community backed group and do a presentation, such as Bloomington, IL did way back in the days

I always thought that those kind of tactics were for airports that didn't necessary have the necessary drive for the airline..

I thought airports like RDU, BNA, SMF, etc.. of relative good size, decent O&D, and high potential would warrant a flight.. especially with RDU having no NS service already.. To me, it is just too good of an opportunity to pass up.. and not just RDU.. but any city that already has very good O&D but no nonstop.. just seems like it is too good an opportunity to pass up.. but oh well.. who am I.. just a potential customer.. comme ci comme ca

Yayers, another option for my upcoming travel to the southwest... CAK is a great airport, free parking and shuttle, short waits, yeeehaw!   


redngold

Quoting Redngold (Reply 35): short waits

Not the one time I flew out of CAK.

I think SAT will do great. Texas has been very good to F9. I am glad to see F9 taking Texas by the rope!! YEEEE HAAAAWWWWW!!

As far as CAK, I think it will do fine. I see lots of potential in Ohio, and ya never know...

I would also imagine RDU has been looked at. In fact I bet several hundred cities have been looked at. I will leave that to those who know more than I do about making money! I applaud how F9 is slowing down a bit, as the fuel prices are not working to any airlines advantage.

As far as routes are concerned, I am excited to see what comes next! I would love to see Costa Rica, or something exotic! The Carribean would be AWESOME too! To be honest, I dont care where F9 flies next!!! I am glad to see that route map grow!

Quoting Qwerty (Reply 22): I don't see the pent up SAT demand. But I don't live in SAT.

Remember that San Antonio is twice the size of Austin.

I think that San Antonio needs more choices. All the flights that I have been on lately (American, Southwest, Mexicana) have been full. The city is growing and the airport/airlines need to grow with it.

CAK is a nice airport and is an excellent alternative for those in Canton/Akron/Wadsworth (where my Pop is from). Do they have jetways now? Last time I was there about 3 years ago, I don't remember any. CAK kind of makes sense too, IIRC the farthest West they have n/s service is ORD. It'll be nice for CAK to have a reasonable alternative to ORD (see ATC delays) for West Coast service.

F9 has in fact checked out RDU at least once. Apparently the airport was unable to give them exactly what they were looking for. It seems they are going where it's more cost effective (i.e. best incentives) at this point. I can't blame them for that. They'll be at RDU one of these days. RDU is courting some other airlines at this point so they're probably less likely to come off the $ for F9.

RedNGold -

There's no free parking at CAK. Unless yer in short term for less than 15 minutes. There is a shuttle from long term, yes, but you pay to park in all lots.

Yipee! Frontier is coming to San Antonio! I will finally be able to snap some photos of those tails!

All I can say is, FINALLY! I honestly can't believe how long it's taken for F9 to come to San Antonio. One of the 10 largest cities in the country and we've yet to see the "LCC invasion". Now, who's next? JetBlue or AirTran?

Quoting CMB320 (Reply 42): All I can say is, FINALLY! I honestly can't believe how long it's taken for F9 to come to San Antonio. One of the 10 largest cities in the country and we've yet to see the "LCC invasion". Now, who's next? JetBlue or AirTran?

I've also been asking the same question about Frontier coming to SAT...it's about time and glad to see it. AirTran has got to be next and also hoping that Aero Littoral upgrades Monterrey to an ERJ soon. And for those interested in SAT's new terminal...plans are being finalized and construction should start soon. It will be a new seven gate terminal located between what is now Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 and WN will take five of the gates with first refusal of the other two.

Last year Air Tran had a survey to all Atlanta residents on there web site asking which new cities they would like Air Trans to serve. SAT was one of the options but I never did hear what the results were.

I have to agree with CMB320, for San Antonio being the 10th largest city, we are underserved by the LCCs.

Quoting N200WN (Reply 43):

N200WN, this is very interesting regarding the new terminal at SAT. Where can I find more information on this?

Quoting Ciccone (Reply 44):

Yes, we have the 8th largest actual CITY, but the size of the metropolitan area is much more important to airlines. We are only the 30-something largest metropolitan area.

Quoting MichaelF (Reply 45): Quoting N200WN (Reply 43): N200WN, this is very interesting regarding the new terminal at SAT. Where can I find more information on this?

Well I just checked the SAT airport web site and there is absolutely no information on the airport master plan there. I know in the office somewhere I have a copy of it though. If you really want more info the secretaries at the airport office are real friendly and helpful. Just go to the elevator behind the Southwest ticket counter and go up to the third floor then go down the hallway. This is not a restricted area or anything as anyone has access to it...it's just a city office. They probably have a copy around somewhere that you can look at.

There are a lot of changes coming up for SAT. E-mail me if you want any other info.

Quoting MichaelF (Reply 45): Quoting Ciccone (Reply 44): Yes, we have the 8th largest actual CITY, but the size of the metropolitan area is much more important to airlines. We are only the 30-something largest metropolitan area.

You're right MichaelF...as has been discussed in the forum over and over again...Metro area size is what matters when considering population. But business climate and activity are equally important. And in that area San Antonio is doing very well also. This city weathered the recession better than any other large city in Texas, including Austin. It has become economically diverse and not just another military/tourist town. It kind of reminds me of San Diego in the late 70's and 80's. And the Toyota factory will only add to that momentum.

I still think AirTran to ATL is next!

For what it's worth, when I lived in SAT for 2 years (2000-2002), I drove to AUS twice for F9 flights.

I disagree that SAT is an economic powerhouse. I think that this route is all about leisure travel for F9, not about biz travel. SAT's business community revolves around Toyota, SBC, and Tesoro, and can be well-served on AA/CO/DL existing frequent service.

I do think, though, that F9 will do well at SAT... any idea on what terminal and gate they'll use?

I'm looking forward to SAT layovers....but CAK??? Hmm... I wonder how far the hotel is from the airport or what there might be nearby to do during our layovers.  

Whatever makes F9 money is fine by me. 

Cheers!

AirplaneBoy