NBC 5’s Alanna Quillen spoke to Barry Biffle, CEO of Frontier Airlines , about their decision to expand in North Texas.
Just in time for those of you planning your spring break and summer travel plans -- low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines has announced plans to expand its service at DFW airport.
Fourteen new destinations are being added as airlines compete for passenger dollars in one of the fastest-growing travel markets in the country.
Frontier will increase the total number of destinations served from DFW to 36, an increase of approximately 40 percent.
New domestic destinations include:
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- Houston Bush (IAH)
- Omaha (OMA)
- Nashville (BNA
- Indianapolis (IND)
- Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
- Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP)
- Grand Rapids, Mich. (GRR)
- Charlotte (CLT)
- Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
- Detroit (DTW)
- Salt Lake City (SLC)
- Fort Myers, Fla. (RSW)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Portland, Ore. (PDX)
There is also a new international route to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The new routes kick off at various dates in April and May 2024. Click here for more details.
NBC 5 spoke one-on-one with Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle, who happens to be a North Texas native – born in Fort Worth and raised in Gainesville. He stressed expanding in DFW was a no-brainer.
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"It's a top 5 metro in the United States and I think when you look at any other major metro, you have a lot of airline offerings. I'd say we're underserved and overpriced in a lot of places, so we're trying to fill that void,” he said.
Last spring, Frontier established a crew base at DFW, which paved the way for the route expansion.
The expansion also comes amid a rough couple of years for air travel when delays and cancellations over the weather, staffing shortages, and other issues have crippled several airlines.
"There's some good news and great news in this area – the good news is the labor shortages are largely behind us. I think the only real challenges we're seeing is with air traffic control staffing,” he said. “But in Frontier's case, this is why opening up a new base was so important. This improves our reliability and recoverability. For example, during our holiday period in December 2023, we had our best holiday operations in our history. We’re continuing to invest and make sure we have a very reliable service.”
When it comes to other buzzing topics in the airline industry, Biffle admits he has already been asked if Frontier has explored the possibility of buying or merging with competing budget airline Spirit Airlines – following the merger with JetBlue was recently blocked.
“People have asked us but we’re focused on our own organic growth. We’re doing well and we’re excited about what we’re doing and offering for our customers,” he said.
JOB OPENINGS
The new routes mean hundreds of new jobs to fill and an upcoming open house.
Those interested in becoming flight attendants are encouraged to attend one of three sessions being offered on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, starting at 9 a.m. at Hyatt Place DFW – 2350 Global Drive, DFW Airport, Texas 75261.
Individuals interested in attending can RSVP via Facebook or LinkedIn.
