Frontier throws it back to the late 2010s with 16-route expansion, renewed focus on Austin

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Frontier Airlines kicked off 2024 with a major network shake-up, and it's doing the same again as we enter the year's stretch run.

The Denver-based ultra-low-cost carrier announced 16 new routes Tuesday that will launch toward the tail end of the winter season.

We say "new," but, in some ways, this network realignment will see Frontier dial the clock back a few years. The airline is bringing back a slew of flights it flew during the latter part of the 2010s and the earliest part of this decade.

Retooling in Austin

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) will gain the most Frontier flights.

Starting in early March, the airline will begin flying four new routes from the Texas capital. That includes nonstop service to Orlando International Airport (MCO), Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).

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Below, check out what the airline's route map from Austin looks like today versus what it'll look like in March, as shown by Cirium.

It's something of a rebuild in Austin for Frontier. The carrier's seats from the airport this year are down roughly 35%, per Cirium, versus what they were in 2019 when the airline served a robust set of destinations.

Adding back some Florida capacity

Other winners in Frontier's announcement were two major Florida airports: MCO and Tampa International Airport (TPA), which respectively gained four and three new destinations.

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That move comes after Frontier spent much of 2024 cutting capacity out of Orlando, as a glut of flights to the popular Central Florida vacation spot drove down fares — and airlines' profits in the process.

Frontier also announced a new intra-Caribbean route from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to V.C. Bird International Airport (ANU) in Antigua and Barbuda.

Frontier's 16 new routes

Here's the full rundown of Frontier's 16 routes launching this winter.

Frontier did not note any route cuts made as part of Tuesday's announcement, but the airline has made scores of route cuts over the course of 2024, too.

The carrier has overhauled where — and when — it flies this year in an effort to boost its profitability. The airline has focused more heavily on large and medium cities in hopes of transporting passengers flying to visit friends and relatives. This fall, the airline also cut flights on low-demand midweek days while honing in on peak leisure travel days of the week, such as Fridays and Sundays.

Speaking this month on the carrier's third-quarter earnings call, CEO Barry Biffle said the company has begun to see its financial returns improve after lower-than-expected fares this summer — and earlier in the year — cut into Frontier's profits.

"I think now, as we move to the winter season, we're optimistic that is going to change," Biffle told analysts.

Of course, travelers hunting for a bargain can hold out hope that fares will remain low.

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