India Airlines Plans Increase Flights to Gulf, as Dubai’s Biggest Tourism Source Market

During the first quarter of 2011, the United Kingdom lost its crown as Dubai’s biggest tourism source market, after a staggering 186,478 travellers from India stayed in hotels across the emirate between January and March this year, more than any other nationality and approximately 10 percent higher than the same period in 2010. The figures, released by Dubai’s Department of Tourism, coincide with previous statistics that revealed 1.8 million expatriates from India are now based in the United Arab Emirates, while annual trade between the two countries has snowballed from US$180 million in the 1970s to $43.4 billion last year.

It’s little wonder, therefore, that passenger demand on routes that link the UAE and India is booming – a situation that has arguably benefited UAE carriers more than their Indian counterparts. In recent years, for example, the growth of Emirates and Etihad has reduced Air India’s market share on these routes, while low-cost carriers Air Arabia and flydubai have also enhanced their networks to include Hyderabad, Mumbai, Lucknow, Delhi and Chennai, amongst others. This situation has publically been acknowledged as a growing concern by Indian airlines. During an interview with The Hindu newspaper last month, for example, a senior official from Air India Express (AIE) vented his frustration at competition from Gulf carriers, especially when the no-frills subsidiary of national carrier Air India is hoping to breakeven in the next year or two. “There is no dearth of demand, but the market is so competitive that I cannot afford to re-price tickets. In the past 18 months, I could not touch my fares at all,” stated the anonymous source. “Beating carriers from the Gulf when it comes to pricing is a difficult problem, as their operational cost is much lower due to cheaper fuel, allowing them to sell tickets at much lower rates.”

AIE, which currently flies to Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah, has undertaken a number of developments to better compete with Gulf carriers, including the relocation of its headquarters from Mumbai to Kochi for improved operational efficiency, together with a new regional base in Dubai, opened earlier this year to reduce flight disruptions and delays.

This determination to fight back on India-UAE routes has been matched by the airline’s homegrown rival, Jet Airways, which has also been impacted by the rise of Gulf carriers, with vice president of commercial strategy KG Vishwanath recently admitting that lower-than-expected second quarter results for 2011 could be attributed to intense competition and high fuel prices. Even then, more routes have been earmarked to Gulf markets over the coming months, starting with daily flights from Sharjah to Thiruvananthapuram from the end of October this year. The service, its tenth daily route from the UAE to India and the twenty-second Jet Airways flight from the Gulf to India, will end a previous monopoly on the Sharjah- Thiruvananthapuram route by Air Arabia.

But perhaps the largest blow to UAE carriers will be the forthcoming launch of international flights by India’s fastest growing airline, IndiGo, which will initially connect Dubai to New Delhi and Mumbai, with plans to eventually link 14 destinations across India to the emirate, according to president Aditya Ghosh. “It’s no coincidence that we selected Dubai as our first international destination,” the young executive told Aviation Business. IndiGo was named the best low-cost airline in India and Central Asia at the World Airline Awards 2011 and with one of the youngest fleets in the world and return flights to Dubai starting at US$222, there could be a viable challenge ahead for UAE rivals Air Arabia and flydubai, and to a lesser degree even full service airlines Emirates and Etihad – the extent to which will probably be determined over the next couple of years.

Dubai Airports Reported Passenger Traffic First Half Rise on New Flight Routes

Dubai Airports on Monday said first-half passenger traffic rose 8.9 per cent to 24.6 million, marking its busiest six-month period in its 50-year history.

Dubai International, the world’s fourth busiest airport for international passenger traffic, handled a total of 4.07 million passengers in June, up 10.4 per cent from the 3.68 million in same month last year. The average monthly passenger traffic recorded in the first half of 2011 stands at 4.09 million as compared to 3.76 million during the corresponding period in 2010.

“As the numbers clearly suggest, robust passenger traffic growth continues despite high fuel prices and growing economic uncertainty in Europe and the US,” said Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports, said in an e-mailed statement to Khaleej Times.

The increased number od passengers meant more planes at the airport. The number of takeoffs and landings rose 6.2 per cent in the first half. The year-to-date daily average passenger throughput at Dubai International reached 135,700, compared with 124,600 recorded during the first six months of 2010.

During the first half of 2011, cargo volumes remained steady with 1.058 million tonnes of freight being processed through the facility compared with 1.055 million tonnes during the same period in 2010. In June, Dubai International handled a total of 183,365 tonnes of cargo an increase of 3.4 per cent compared to 177,285 tonnes in June 2010.

“This is being driven by the addition of new routes and frequencies, more wide-bodied aircraft as well as by the attractiveness of Dubai as a business and tourist destination and an efficient transit point,” he added.

Griffiths said that in the first half of 2011 over 200 new weekly flights were launched to 19 new destinations across Asia, Europe and Africa by different passenger carriers, including Emirates and flydubai. Dubai International currently serves 150 airlines flying to over 220 destinations across six continents.

“First half traffic figures for Dubai Airport clearly demonstrate that, alongside ever-growing demand to fly Emirates, airport passenger figures are continuing their upward trajectory with strong year-on-year performance,” Saj Ahmad, Chief Analyst at FBE Aerospace London, told Khaleej Times.

“A quick glance at Emirates profitability, expanding route network and the fact that flydubai has now become the second biggest operator at the airport, Dubai Airport is not just securing vast swathes of international transfer traffic, but it is also demonstrating that there is ample demand, traffic and increasing intra-GCC travel supporting the low cost airline traffic growth,” Ahmad said.

Earlier this month Griffiths said Dubai will spend $7.8 billion on expanding its existing Dubai International Airport to handle rapidly-rising passenger traffic, while at the same time moving ahead with separate plans to complete its mega Al Maktoum International airport. The new programme will boost the airport’s capacity from 60 million to 90 million passengers per year by 2018.

“Our planned $7.8 billion expansion of Dubai International is well-timed to accommodate the expected average annual growth of 7.2 per cent over the next 10 years,” Griffiths said.

Ahmad of FBE Aerospace said there’s a high probability that Dubai Airport could top 50 million passengers in 2011. “Dubai Airport is focussed more on building and sustaining the demand growth it is experiencing and this is complemented by the recent several billion dollar investment by the Dubai Government. Keeping infrastructure ahead of the demand curve is critical — without this, the airport could suffer saturation and operational constraints like other busy two-runway airports like London Heathrow.”

“Dubai Airport has leveraged its geographic location to give it a hug competitive advantage in capturing business from virtually all four corners of the Earth, thanks in large part to the expansion of Emirates. Even taking Emirates out of the equation, the added competition into the airport from airlines in the GCC and also big expanding markets like India means that growth for the future is looking solid and promises to push passenger numbers even higher.”

Ahmad said Dubai Airport can already be counted as one of the busiest international airports. “It doesn’t need to aim for a particular slot — the eventual added capacity coming on-stream thanks to Al Maktoum International Airport will catapult the city’s two airports into the top five and will dominate traffic demand for a long while,” he concluded.

Turkish Airlines Expand International Flight Service Istanbul to Hong Kong

Turkish Airlines announced it is expanding its seating options today with the launch of its comfort class cabin service, combining the convenience and comfort of business class with the affordable pricing of economy class. Comfort class will appeal to economy class passengers looking for not just more legroom, but better onboard catering and in-flight entertainment options as well. Turkish Airlines also announced Hong Kong – Istanbul flights have been increased from five to six times a week starting in April.

Turkish Airlines has launched comfort class seating in its new fleet of Boeing 777s. Increasing to 12 aircraft by September 2011, each aircraft is equipped with 63 comfort class seats that provide a 116cm seat pitch and 49cm seat width, making them the most spacious seats in the industry. The seats also feature a retractable leg rest for added comfort, and passengers can enjoy Turkish Airlines’ award winning in-flight catering services with customized menus. A wide array of entertainment options is available, including 10.6” in-arm touchscreens that offer a wide selection of films, TV shows, music and games, and total digital connectivity to the USB and iPod devices. Amenity kits given to business class passengers are now offered in comfort class as well.

Currently available on every Saturday from Hong Kong to Istanbul, and by June 22, 2011, comfort class will be available three times a week, every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Comfort class will be offered on all Hong Kong – Istanbul flights by September 13, 2011, all on brand new Boeing 777 aircraft. Comfort class is also operating on the routes including Beijing, Sao Paulo, Toronto, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Los Angeles, and Tokyo while New York will be added in the second half of 2011.

Turkish Airlines has also added a sixth weekly flight between Hong Kong and Istanbul, raising passenger capacity to meet anticipated growth in passenger traffic between the two cities.

Salih Keçe, general manager, Turkish Airlines Hong Kong, Philippines and Taiwan said, “With the new comfort class and sixth weekly flight between Hong Kong and Istanbul, Turkish Airlines has not only added passenger capacity, we have also raised the bar on offering superior passenger comfort at an affordable price. As one of the fastest growing airlines in the industry serving over 180 global destinations, Turkish Airlines will continue providing the best and most convenient flying experiences to more passengers around the world.”

Turkish Airlines was recently named winner of Air Transport World’s Market Leadership Award 2011 for their competitive strengths in achieving both sustained rapid growth and strong profitability in 2010. In early 2010, it won the Skytrax World Airline Awards for best quality in-flight catering service in Economy class and best airline in Southern Europe, bringing passengers from Hong Kong an entirely new kind of travel experience.

Emirates Airline Plans to Increase flights to Australia to 100 Flight Weekly

Dubai flag carrier Emirates Airline hopes to increases its flights to Australia to 100 a week, after seeing a 52 percent rise in profit for the year to $1.5bn.

The Arab world’s largest airline currently operates 70 flights a week to Australia but sees opportunity for further expansion, said chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum.

“We are entitled to operate about 85 flights to Australia under the bilateral, When we meet that I am sure that we try to bring it to 100,” he said.

Emirates would require permission from Australian travel authorities to increase capacity.

“I hope Australia will not mind because it is good business for both of us,” Sheikh Ahmed said.

Emirates, which saw off surging oil prices and political unrest to post a 25 percent rise in revenues for 2010 of $14.8bn, has drawn fire for its ambitious expansion plans. Rival western carriers claim Gulf airlines use unfair subsidies and state funding to finance aircraft deals and draw long-haul traffic into their hubs.

Canada’s refusal to grant new landing rights to Emirates and Etihad spiralled into a diplomatic row between the two countries last year.

In Germany, national carrier Lufthansa has lobbied its government to deny Emirate’s additional landing slots at Berlin’s new airport, while British Airways has also criticized the Dubai carrier’s expansion plans.

Emirates took delivery of eight new aircraft during the year, including seven of its flagship A380s. The airline has a further $13.4bn worth of aircraft on order and plans to increase its fleet to eventually include 120 A380s superjumbos.

Capacity between the UAE and Australia has surged over the last decade, with Emirates operating just four flights a week to Australia when it launched the route in 1996.

In February Australia’s competition watchdog cleared the way for the country’s no.2 airline Virgin Blue to tie-up with Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways for five years, giving Virgin Blue a firmer footing in its plans to expand on international routes.

Emirates said it carried 31.4 million passengers in 2010 and its passenger load factor stood at 80 percent for the 12 month period.

Emirates Airlines Reported Full Year Profit Increase 51.2 percent as Premium Travelers Traffic Growth

The parent of Emirates Airline on Tuesday reported a 51.2% rise in full-year profit as the world’s largest international carrier by traffic saw business from premium travellers return to pre-crisis levels.

The Dubai-based airline shrugged off the impact of turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa as traffic through its hometown hub surged, with double-digit gains in both passenger and cargo volume.

Emirates’ rapid expansion and huge order book–at $66 billion it accounts for 10% of outstanding commercial business at Airbus and Boeing Co. (BA)–makes it a key barometer of the global airline industry.

The airline’s operating margin of 9.9% in its fiscal year to Mar. 31 topped almost every other large international airline, and the record earnings saw a four-fold rise in the bonus paid to staff to an equivalent of 12 weeks pay, pushing labor expenses up 20%

“We are fortunate to be based in the Middle East where regional passenger seats grew by 17.8% compared to a global 8.2% growth,” said Sheik Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of the state-controlled group.

Sheik Ahmed said profit would have been AED1 billion ($272 million) higher had it not been for the increase in oil prices, with fuel expenses last week accounting for a record 43% of operating costs.

Transfer traffic through Dubai accounts for around 60% of the airline’s total business, with passenger numbers up 15% to 31.4 million over the past year, and cargo rising almost 12%.

Emirates and rivals such as Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways have capitalized on their geographical location to use new long-range aircraft to funnel business through their hubs.

Nigel Page, Emirates head of the Americas, said the airline has leveraged changing trade patterns to capture business, with flows to and from Africa now going through the Gulf rather than via European airports.

The Americas was Emirates’ fastest-growing region last year with revenue up 37.9% while sales in its largest geographical area of operations–east Asia and Australiasia–rose by 30.9%.

Business in the Gulf and the Middle East was still up 14.2% despite regional turmoil which saw flights to Tunisia temporarily halted, while Libyan services remain shuttered. Flights to the Ivory Coast resume on May 12.

Page said the regional problems had actually helped Dubai’s financial recovery after its own debt crisis as companies relocated staff to the emirate.

Emirates Group reported net profits of AED5.46 billion in 2010/11 compared with AED3.62 billion a year earlier, with revenue–which includes its airport and travel arms–up 29 at 53.1 billion.

The airline unit’s passenger seat factor, a key measure of capacity utilisation, rose to a record 80%, from 78.1% in the year before, with profit rising to $1.5 billion from $964 million on a 25% rise in revenue. Capacity rose 15.8%.

Emirates expect delivery of six Airbus A380s and 13 Boeing 777 planes this year, while four new routes will be added: Geneva, Copenhagen, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. It is the largest operator of both aircraft types.

Last week, Sheik Ahmed said the government-owned airline is in no hurry to sell shares to the public. He said the decision on whether to launch an initial public offering rests with the government, but ruled out any IPO in either 2011 or 2012.

Virgin America Carrier Announce Reported Operation and Profit in 2010

Virgin America enjoyed its first profitable reporting period in the 2010 third quarter but was unable to sustain the momentum in the fourth quarter, posting a $25.1 million net loss, widened from an $18.8 million net deficit in the 2009 December quarter and pushing the company to a $68.7 million full-year net loss.

The 2010 deficit was narrowed from an $80.8 million net loss in 2009. The San Francisco-based carrier, which launched in August 2007, earned a $7.5 million net profit in the 2010 September quarter (ATW Daily News, Nov. 10, 2010). VX pointed to strong revenue growth in 2010 (up 32.2% compared to 2009 to $724 million) as evidence that it is progressing toward profitability, and noted that the year’s results were hurt by high fuel costs and severe winter storms in the US northeast.

“As a young airline still fueling growth, we continue to move in the right direction with our top line progress and revenue results, especially given the backdrop of global recession and an unprecedented run-up in oil prices since our 2007 launch,” President and CEO David Cush said in a statement issued Thursday. “We’re seeing strong revenue performance in 2011 and with industry capacity discipline we remain encouraged by the outlook. Oil prices remain a concern and as a result we plan to tap the brakes slightly on our 2012 growth plans. That said, as a new airline we’re still continuing to grow overall and look forward to expanding our network in major business and leisure travel destinations like Chicago.” It will launch service to Chicago O’Hare from Los Angeles (twice-daily) and San Francisco (thrice-daily) from May 25.

The carrier, which operates 39 Airbus A320 family aircraft, said its fleet will nearly triple to 113 aircraft by 2019. VX earlier this yearplaced a firm order for 60 A320s including 30 A320neos (ATW Daily News, Jan. 19).

Full-year 2010 expenses rose 25.5% to $736.5 million, including a 65.3% leap in fuel costs to $246.7 million. VX’s 2010 fuel expense was more than double any other of the company’s cost categories. It said it has hedged 50% of its 2011 projected fuel requirements. Some 77% of its first-quarter requirements were hedged at an average crude oil price of $82 per barrel.

Operating loss for 2010 was $12.4 million, narrowed from an operating deficit of $39 million in 2009. 2010 traffic increased 15.1% year-over-year to 6.24 billion RPMs on a 16.9% rise in capacity to 7.65 billion ASMs, producing a load factor of 81.5%, down 1.3 points. Yield lifted 16.1% to 10.51 cents as RASM heightened 15.6% to 9.46 cents and CASM grew 9.7% to 9.62 cents. CASM ex-fuel lowered 2.1% to 6.4 cents.

Get JetBlue Partner Airlines Ticket on JetBlue Dot Com

JetBlue Airways is making it even easier to travel on its interline partners with today’s announcement that tickets that include travel on Aer Lingus, American Airlines and Cape Air are now available for sale on jetblue.com. Aer Lingus and American Airlines tickets that include travel on JetBlue are already available on aerlingus.com and aa.com.

“Our growing presence in New York, Boston, and San Juan has positioned us to take advantage of important partnership opportunities,” said Robin Hayes, JetBlue’s Chief Commercial Officer. “This ability leverages our jetblue.com platform to drive even more benefit from our interline partnerships, while adding tremendous advantages to our customer, with more options and flexibility.”

For years, JetBlue’s website has made it easy for customers to book travel anywhere within the JetBlue network in just a few clicks. With this website enhancement, JetBlue is expanding the geographic reach of the site, allowing customers to book travel from within the JetBlue network to new international markets in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean – still with just a few easy clicks (a).

Aer Lingus

“Today’s announcement marks the continued development of Aer Lingus’ partnership with JetBlue, with a focus on providing customers with increased options from more U.S. markets to Ireland and other European destinations,” said Jack Foley, Aer Lingus’ Executive Vice President, North America. “Moreover, it reaffirms Aer Lingus’ commitment to providing low fares access for customers from new markets across the U.S.”

Now both jetblue.com and aerlingus.com, successful partners since 2008, offer customers the option to purchase tickets that include space on both carriers. Customers can fly from points within the JetBlue network to Boston or JFK, connect to Aer Lingus’ transatlantic service to Ireland, and then to over a dozen destinations across Europe.

American Airlines

“Our successful partnership with JetBlue has given our customers more travel options and has allowed us to grow in new markets,” said Virasb Vahidi, American’s Chief Commercial Officer. “With this new milestone of selling our tickets on each other’s website, our customers will benefit more from the strong networks of both airlines.”

Now, an American customer can buy AA tickets at jetblue.com, and a JetBlue customer can purchase JetBlue tickets at aa.com – giving customers of both carriers new sales channels from which to purchase tickets. The two carriers launched their partnership in March 2010 with an enhanced interline agreement, slot exchange and employee travel program. To date, the carriers have added new interline routes, instituted benefits to members of both carriers’ frequent flier programs and, with today’s announcement, allow customers to buy tickets on each others websites. To learn more about this partnership, go to: http://www.jetblue.com/flying-on-jetblue/airline-partners/american-airlines.asp.

Bookings are available to and from any of the 26 domestic JetBlue cities, and the 15 international American Airlines cities that are included in the carriers’ interline agreement. Furthermore, TrueBlue members are now able to rack up points on American’s flights between New York’s Kennedy Airport and Barcelona, Spain; Brussels, Belgium; Buenos Aires, Argentina; London, England; Madrid, Spain; Manchester, England; Milan, Italy; Paris, France; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Rome, Italy; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Tokyo (Narita), Japan; Tokyo (Haneda), Japan; and Zurich, Switzerland, as well as American’s new non-stop service to Budapest, Hungary. Customers flying or connecting through Boston can also earn points when flying to London, England and Paris, France.

Cape Air

“The timing is perfect,” said Cape Air President Dave Bushy. “As our busy summer season approaches on Cape Cod and the Islands, as well as the Caribbean and Florida, the ease of booking the entire trip on-line, with direct baggage transfers, is a huge convenience for our passengers.”

Cape Air was JetBlue’s first airline partner dating back to 2007 when JetBlue began to market and sell Cape Air flights between Boston and Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Provincetown, Hyannis and Rutland, Vermont under a codeshare agreement. Today’s announcement of the interline capabilities of jetblue.com will provide customers with access to an expanded list of destinations in Cape Air’s Northeast U.S. network, as well as to its Caribbean network via San Juan, P.R. and to Key West, Florida via Fort Myers.

Other Interline Partners

JetBlue has interline agreements in place with six other airlines: EL AL Israel Airlines, Emirates, LAN Airlines, Lufthansa, South African Airways, and Virgin Atlantic Airways. Although customers cannot yet use jetblue.com to book tickets that include space on those airlines, it expects to add more partners to the website over the coming year.

Kingfisher Airlines Adds 14 New Flights Services on 7 Routes

Kingfisher Airlines frequent flyer programme—will earn double the number of miles if they fly on these new flights before January 15, 2011.

Kingfisher Airlines, India’s only Five Star airline rated by Skytrax, has announced the launch of 14 new flights on 7 routes, with effect from December 15, 2010.

The new flights that have been introduced are:

New Delhi – Hyderabad: 2 additional flights launched taking the total number of daily flights on this route to 3 flights in each direction.

New Delhi – Chennai: 1 additional flight launched which means that there are now two daily flights on this route in either direction.

New Delhi – Bhubaneshwar: 2 new flights have been introduced on this route.

Mumbai – Lucknow: 2 new flights have been introduced on this route.

Manoj Chacko, Executive Vice President-Commercial, Kingfisher Airlines Limited said, “The launch of these new flights will offer excellent connectivity and more flight options between metropolitan cities and other important cities in India. These flights have been introduced with convenient timings and have been planned in such a manner that they offer a same-day return for travellers. With this second wave of new flights, the total number of flights introduced in the 2010 Winter Schedule goes up to 36 flights.”

As a special introductory offer, all members of King Club–Kingfisher Airlines’ frequent flyer programme—will earn double the number of miles if they fly on these new flights before January 15, 2011.

Kingfisher Airlines caters to all segments of the air travel ranging from low-fare service – Kingfisher Red, to the premium economy service – Kingfisher Class, to the luxurious Kingfisher First. As India’s market leading airline, Kingfisher Airlines offers the maximum number of flights offered by any single airline network in India. Kingfisher Airlines flies to 59 cities in India and 8 international destinations with a fleet of 66 aircraft.

AirAsia Cheap Flight to Seoul : AirAsia X Started First Flight from Kuala Lumpur to Seoul

A packed Airbus A330 pulled up to the gate at Incheon International Airport on Monday night, completing AirAsia X’s inaugural flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malasia to Seoul and ushering in a new wave of low-cost competition in Korea.

“Now everyone can fly,” said Kamarudin Bin Meranun, group deputy chief executive officer of Malaysia-based carrier AirAsia and chairman of its low cost affiliate AirAsia X. He was speaking yesterday at a press conference in Seoul to celebrate the launch of the new service.

“The unbeatable low price AirAsia X offers will no doubt allow both Malaysians and Koreans who couldn’t afford to travel between the countries a chance to do so.”

AirAsia X has helped lower fares on the route significantly, opening the door to Malaysia for more travelers. The carrier offers promotional fares for as low as 100,000 won ($89.88) each way, which is significantly lower than the 300,000 won to 500,000 won larger airlines charge. Additionally, travelers from Korea can access AirAsia’s network of flights across southeast Asia from Kuala Lumpur.

Meranun said AirAsia X chose Seoul – its 11th destination – for numerous reasons, including the rising popularity of Korean culture. The company said it has seen a positive response from customers both in Malaysia and Korea, with sales outpacing other routes by a wide margin in the first 24 hours after tickets went on sale. To date, about 40 percent of bookings for the route originate in Korea, said Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X.

Frontier Airlines Adds New Nonstop Flight Service Between San Diego and Omaha

Starting January 16, 2011, Frontier Airlines will add nonstop flights between San Diego and Omaha. Scheduled flight service three times a week with Embraer 190 aircraft.

Vice president of planning and strategy of Frontier Airlines said, “With the addition of this service, our guests in Omaha and beyond can now enjoy the superb service and affordable rates Frontier even more prominent tourist destination.”

Aircraft Embraer 190 (E190) that will be used to serve the flights are equipped with Wi-Fi facilities, all-leather seating in the configuration of two-by-two, and four-row seat “STRETCH”, which provides five inches extra legroom.

About Frontier Airlines

The original Frontier Airlines was Denver’s hometown carrier for 40 years before it was purchased in 1986. The airline carried 87 million passengers over the years and was known for great service and an outstanding safety record.

In 1993, executives from the original Frontier Airlines, as well as some newcomers to the industry, gave the old Frontier a fresh start. They were looking to fill gaps in Denver’s mainstream hub-and-spoke system.

We launched on July 5, 1994 with 180 employees and two Boeing 737-200s on routes between Denver and Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot, N.D.

Today, Frontier Airlines is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings Inc, an airline holding company that owns Chautauqua Airlines, Lynx Aviation, Midwest Airlines, Republic Airlines and Shuttle America.

Frontier is the second-largest carrier at Denver International Airport, employing approximately 5,000 aviation professionals. Frontier has one of the youngest Airbus fleets in North America offering 24 channels of DIRECTV® service in every seatback along with a comfortable all-coach configuration. Frontier offers routes to more than 50 destinations in the U.S., Mexico and Costa Rica. In addition, Frontier and Midwest have a codeshare partnership that allows passengers of both airlines access to 70 destinations in the U.S., Mexico and Costa Rica.