Frontier introduces new service with $19 fares

Frontier Airlines is announcing Tuesday that it will offer daily nonstop flights between McCarran International Airport and Milwaukee, Miami, San Francisco and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

How low is ultralow? How about a one-way ticket for $19?

Frontier Airlines, which in recent years has evolved into an ultralow discount air carrier, is expanding operations in Las Vegas and the introductory fare for its new San Francisco flights are being sold for $19. That doesn’t count fees for services for baggage and seat selection.

The Denver-based airline announced Tuesday that it will offer daily nonstop flights between McCarran International Airport and Milwaukee, Miami, San Francisco and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

The airline will fly twin-engine 177-passenger Airbus A320 jets on the San Francisco route and 144-passenger Airbus A319 jets on the others. The new service begins Oct. 25.

Houston flights will leave McCarran at 2:30 p.m., and arrive at Bush Intercontinental at 7:30 p.m. The return route leaves Houston at 9 p.m., arriving in Las Vegas at 10:25 p.m. Promotional tickets are $39 one way.

Miami flights will leave McCarran at 11:20 p.m., and arrive at Miami International at 6:45 the next morning. The return route leaves Miami at 9 a.m., arriving in Las Vegas at 11:20 a.m. Promotional tickets are $69 one way.

Milwaukee flights will leave McCarran at 1:30 p.m., and arrive at General Mitchell International Airport at 6:55 p.m. The return route leaves Milwaukee at 6:40 p.m., arriving in Las Vegas at 8:40 p.m. Promotional tickets are $49 one way.

San Francisco flights will leave McCarran at 7 p.m., and arrive at San Francisco International at 8:35 p.m. The return route leaves San Francisco at 9:30 p.m., arriving in Las Vegas at 11 p.m. Promotional tickets are $19 one way.

With the expansion, Frontier will bring in a local company station manager overseeing contracted employees.

Tuesday’s announcement is part of a larger expansion announcement involving new service in other cities. Frontier also announced new flights for Orlando and Fort Myers, Fla., and Montego Bay, Jamaica.

In Las Vegas, Frontier currently has an average 14 flights a day to nine cities. Its largest Las Vegas market is Denver, with 33 round-trip flights a week.

Indigo Partners, an early investor in Spirit Airlines, acquired Frontier from Republic Airways Holdings for $36 million, assuming $145 million in debt, in 2013. At the time of the transaction, Indigo indicated it would transform Frontier into an ultra-low discount carrier, characterized by low fares and a menu of add-on services charged a la carte.

During the transition, Frontier converted from a hub-and-spoke carrier centered around its Denver headquarters to an airline that flies point to point.

Frontier’s Las Vegas schedule was exclusively to Denver until the conversion began. Now, the airline has at least one round trip a day between Las Vegas and Atlanta; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Orlando; St. Louis; Austin, Texas; Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Washington’s Dulles International Airport.

Systemwide, Frontier serves 52 cities domestically and seven internationally.

Frontier is known for building a popular advertising campaign around various animals painted on their jet tails. In television ads, the animals come to life and talk with each other about Frontier service.

The airline has 57 A319 and A320 jets in its fleet with 105 jets on order with deliveries expected to start in 2016.

Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter. Contact reporter Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893.