DENVER, July 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Frontier Airlines today became a teenager, celebrating the 13th anniversary of its first flight.
Frontier's 13-year story is one of success in a rapidly changing industry. Founded in 1994 with only $516,000 in start up capital, Frontier posted $1 billion in mainline passenger revenues in its most recent fiscal year, making it an official "major" carrier according to the Department of Transportation (DOT). Despite a modest beginning -- Frontier started with two aircraft and 180 employees -- it now has a fleet of 60 aircraft and 5,000 employees. The airline once served only a handful of small communities in the Midwest and West, and now flies to 60 destinations, including eight cities in Mexico and two in Canada.
Like most 13-year-olds, Frontier is still growing rapidly. The airline announced on Tuesday that through its new subsidiary Lynx Aviation it will serve Rapid City, S.D.; Sioux City, Iowa; and Wichita, Kan. with its new fleet of Bombardier Q400 aircraft, and in June, became the only carrier serving Jacksonville direct from Denver and the sole airline offering non-stop service between Dallas and Mazatlan. These new routes are just a few of many Frontier is adding in 2007, and it will start flying to its fourth country, Costa Rica, in November.
"My humble thanks go to this great company's amazing employees for guiding us to our 13th year," said President and CEO Jeff Potter. "It is the leadership, dedication to excellence, and great skill of our employees that has created one of the finest airlines in the industry. Their hard work is the reason travelers consistently recognize Frontier for its outstanding service and industry-leading product; Business Traveler magazine naming Frontier the 'Best Low Cost Carrier' of 2006 is just one recent example. I encourage Frontier's employees to celebrate today's milestone and I look forward to working towards 13 more years of growth and success."
About Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines Holdings, Inc. is the parent company of Denver-based Frontier Airlines. Currently in its 13th year of operations, Frontier Airlines is the second-largest jet service carrier at Denver International Airport, employing approximately 5,000 aviation professionals. With 60 aircraft and one of the youngest Airbus fleet in North America, Frontier offers 24 channels of DIRECTV(R) service in every seatback along with 33 inches of legroom in an all coach configuration. In conjunction with its regional jet fleet, operated by Horizon and Republic Airlines, Frontier offers routes linking its Denver hub to 60 destinations including 50 U.S. cities in 30 states spanning the nation from coast to coast, eight cities in Mexico and two cities in Canada. In November 2006, Frontier and AirTran announced a first-of-its-kind integrated marketing partnership that offers travelers the ability to reach more than 80 destinations across four countries with low fares, aboard two of the youngest fleets in the industry. In December 2006, Frontier was designated "Best Low Cost Carrier" in the U.S. by the readers of Business Traveler magazine. Frontier's maintenance department has received the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Diamond Award recognizing its advanced training standards for eight consecutive years, from 1999 to 2006. For more in-depth information on Frontier Airlines, please visit its Web site at http://www.frontierairlines.com/.
