Oh boy! It appears at least one budget airline smells blood in the water as Southwest just put the kibosh on their long-standing policy of “bags fly free”.
One might think when that shocking domino fell, it would kickstart a trickle-down fee-economics effect, but so far, so good for travelers’ wallets.
Time will tell if Southwest loyalists will stick around, but one competitor has decided to fill the gap by putting their well-documented strict (and controversial) baggage policies behind them, allowing travelers to check bags for free…at least for the summer.
Frontier Airlines, who were recently under public scrutiny for admitting to Senate they were compensating gate agents to target passengers’ bag sizes, resulting in extra fees or denied boarding, have now turned a corner.
According to a press release, not only will Frontier be offering free checked bags, but a whole bunch of other freebies that just might lure travelers back in to trust their airline.
“At the end of the day, travelers just want to be valued”. “We’re bringing back the things people love about flying – free bags, free seat selection, and flexibility – without the extra fees. No games, just great value.”- Barry Biffle, CEO, Frontier Airlines
Frontier’s Summer Of Freebies
Who could’ve seen this coming? The most notoriously stringent budget airline in the States is showing some grace.
Of course, one has the right to question if it’s in good faith or simply a marketing ploy, given how surprising Southwest’s sudden shift in policies was last week.
Regardless, every Frontier traveler flying from today through August 18 has the chance to score some major freebies.
So, let’s break this down.
Free Economy Bundle:
Any avid budget traveler knows most airlines in this category have tiers to choose from, and that’s where most make the mistake of not reading the fine print.
For the time being, you won’t have to as all travelers will receive the perks of Frontier’s Economy Bundle:
- Free carry-on bag (in addition to ‘Personal Item’)
- Free seat selection
- Free flight changes
One Very Important Detail: Don’t Miss The Deadline
Again, every time you book a trip with a budget airline, reading the fine print is one of the most important things you can do to ensure your budget flight indeed remains a budget flight.
I’m not talking about going line by line through the never-ending Terms of Service, rather reading the details of the itemized charges before checking out and making you understand your baggage allowance.
In this case, with the new promotion, all travelers will need to book their summer trip by March 24 or else you’ll miss out on the deal.
How To Score A Free Checked Bag
Scoring a free checked bag is slightly more complicated than other aforementioned freebies. Those are available from today through August 18, but the free checked bag promotion has a shorter window.
Unfortunately, spring breakers won’t be able to pack their beer bongs, novelty hats, and inflatable flamingos without paying a very confusing checked bag fee (see here).
The free checked bag requires a promo code: FREEBAG. Easy enough, right?
This code is valid for all bookings between May 28, 2025 and August 18, 2025 and the same March 24 booking deadline applies.
In the terms of the promotion, Frontier states: “To receive promotional pricing, customer must enter promo code FREEBAG during new flight purchase made by 11:59pm Eastern time on March 24, 2025 for travel from May 28, 2025 through August 18, 2025. Limit one free Checked Bag per person, per direction, weight limit applies“.
It doesn’t appear Frontier is limiting travelers’ free bags to only domestic routes, and they actually fly to some really cool international places, such as Punta Cana, Puerto Vallarta, and most recently, Aruba and Honduras.
My Experience Flying Frontier
I’ve flown Frontier too many times to count, but also too many times I care to remember — and it’s not just the bag-policing.
I’m not here to trash the airline, but when their CEO releases quotes like “We’ve always had heart” after paying gate agents to target their own customers and “If travelers show us the love, we’ll make these perks permanent”, I don’t know about you, but it rubs me the wrong way as a passionate traveler and journalist.
Especially, when I just tried to fly Frontier March 16 from San Francisco to San Diego with what should’ve been a seamless hour-and-a-half long flight only to be delayed for about 3 hours and ultimately cancelled ‘due to weather’, yet somehow Frontier’s San Francisco – Los Angeles flight still managed to take off that same evening.
Funny how that works.
Frontier left us with no option for a direct route back to San Diego in the coming days. The only other option was to take a 15-hour journey with a long layover for what should have been an hour-and-a-half flight.
My girlfriend and I reluctantly decided to bite the bullet by overpaying for a rental car and drove overnight back home to San Diego that there’s less than a zero percent chance Frontier will reimburse.
These are the type of situations you can find yourself in by flying not just Frontier, but budget airlines in general.
Free checked bag or not, if your airline leaves you stranded, you’ll be forking over a lot more than the amount you saved.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
