Frontier Airlines eliminates change fees as Biden admin cracks down on transparent pricing

Frontier Airlines is eliminating change fees and says it will be more transparent with pricing as it works to comply with the Biden administration’s mandate that U.S. carriers disclose all fees.

The discount carrier announced on Friday that there won’t be any change or cancellation fees for any cabin including economy, premium and business class. 

It’s one of a handful of changes the carrier implemented in what CEO Barry Biffle claims is a “new era for Frontier – one with transparency in our prices, no change fees and the lowest total price.”

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“This is ‘The New Frontier’ and we are committed to offering more than the lowest fares – we deliver the best price for all the options you want and the customer support you need, when you need it,” Biffle said.

Frontier said it provides four distinct options – basic, economy, premium and business, each of which is “clearly presented at the start of the booking process.” 

Each option will have transparent pricing on things such as carry-on and checked bags, as well as choosing seats.

The carrier also announced that flight credit expiration dates will be extended to a year.

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If customers find a lower price somewhere else, they will also receive 2,500 Frontier miles. 

The slew of changes comes after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced on April 24 two rules that will deliver automatic cash refunds to airline passengers and protect consumers from surprise airline junk fees.

Frontier Airlines planes are seen parked at Orlando International Airport in April 2020.  (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)

To combat these junk fees, airlines will be required to show costs for things like a checked bag, carry-on bag, change fees and cancellation fees up front, so travelers have all the information they “need to decide what travel option is best,” Buttigieg said when announcing the rules. 

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Buttigieg argued that “healthy competition requires that as a consumer you can comparison shop, which means knowing the real price of a trip before and not after you buy.”

The DOT estimated that the change will collectively save Americans over a half billion dollars every year. It also made it clear that it’s not backing down from fighting these fees despite being sued by the carriers for allegedly overstepping its authority.

“We will vigorously defend our rule protecting people from hidden junk fees and ensuring travelers can see the full price of a flight before they purchase a ticket,” DOT spokesperson Sean Manning previously told FOX Business.

Trade group Airlines for America, which represents the major U.S. carriers, claimed the rule “the ancillary fee rule by the Department of Transportation will greatly confuse consumers who will be inundated with information that will only serve to complicate the buying process.”