Publicity tailspin

Frontier Airlines feasts on Southwest's publicity tailspin

By Silas Valentino

A low-cost airline that recently paid a $2.2 million penalty for attempting to deceive its customers during the pandemic has joined a chorus of critique against Southwest Airlines over its recent bag policy shift. Frontier Airlines is feasting on its competitor’s publicity tailspin by promoting one free checked bag for only a few months this summer.

Frontier is offering a free upgrade to its Economy Bundle program to customers who book until Aug. 18, which includes a free carry-on bag, free seat selection and some flight change perks. It’s also giving customers who book a flight between May 28 and Aug. 18 one checked bag for free. 

In a press release announcing the deal, Frontier was not subtle in its attack on Southwest — which for years promoted itself as the “love airline” — repeating the word “love” nine times while the airline’s CEO Barry Biffle took pithy potshots. 

“Some airlines are walking away from what travelers love, but we’re running towards it,” Biffle wrote in the statement. “Think of this as the ultimate ‘divorce your old airline’ deal.” Elsewhere, the CEO wrote, “At the end of the day, travelers just want to be valued.”

That’s some serious trash talk coming from a company that snapped a four-year, full-year net profit loss streak just last month.

Southwest’s decision to drop its longstanding “bags fly free” policy caused an uproar with customers, who have spent the last week vocalizing their disdain. Simple Flying published a thread compiling reader reactions, and one person called the move “the biggest travesty from Southwest.” 

However, it’s tricky when one multimillion dollar company lashes out at another for how it treats customers, considering how the “three fingers pointing back” expression rings particularly true for Frontier Airlines. 

Last year, after investigating airlines over how they reimbursed passengers for delays and cancellations in the wake of the pandemic, the Department of Transportation found that Frontier Airlines failed to provide customers with timely refunds for flights that the airline had significantly changed. Not only did the DOT slap Frontier with a hefty fine, but the department also drafted a new policy for consumer protection that was partly inspired by the airline’s trickery. 

These facts make Frontier’s latest promotion — a bid to sway customers away from Southwest in the name of “love” — more complicated than convincing.