Frontier Offers Buyer-Friendly Features

<B> Frontier Offers Buyer-Friendly Features</B>

By Robert Selwitz

Frontier Airlines wants meeting executives to know that if Denver is on their agenda, the carrier is extremely planner friendly.

Frontier claims to be Denver International Airport's second largest carrier, and a critical counterbalance to United Airlines in keeping fares moderate.

The four-year-old carrier--with a large number of staff from the earlier Frontier that was purchased by, and ultimately bankrupted, by People Express--now features long-haul services to 15 destinations, almost all of which feature nonstops to Denver.

These include Albuquerque, Boston, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago Midway, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York La Guardia, Omaha, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. Frontier also reaches El Paso via a stop in Albuquerque, and Bloomington/Normal, Ill., via a stop in Omaha.

According to Tom Allee, Frontier's national director of sales and distribution, "While we and United offer similar 21-day-in-advance fares, the differentials among higher fares can be as much as $500 or $1,000 per trip."

For example, in July, a 21-day-advance New York to Denver ticket cost $199 one way on both Frontier and United.

"Our highest, walk-up coach fare is $533, whereas theirs is $943," Allee said.

Frontier also offers meetings and convention discount rates up to 15 percent for groups of ten or more, assuming the trip is booked at least 60 days in advance, plus a free tour conductor ticket for every 40 tickets booked, and a site visit for every 100 passengers booked.