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Recently we’ve been seeing airlines raising fees and making it less convenient to change or cancel bookings. The new Frontier Airlines change policy is great if you’ve ever found yourself wondering if you should book early to snag a cheap fare or wait until you are 100% sure you can take the trip.

a white airplane flying in the sky

Previous Change Policy

More than 24 hours after booking: Once 24 hours passed from the time of booking OR if you purchased your ticket within 7 days of travel, there was always a $99 change/cancellation fee. If changing, you are required to pay for the difference in fare. If cancelling, the value of the ticket is held for future bookings.

New Frontier Airlines Change Policy

a close-up of a flight ticket

Within 24 hours of booking: No changes.

90+ days prior to travel: No fee

89-14 days prior to travel: $49 change fee

13 or fewer days prior to travel: $99 change fee

Purchasing “The Works” add on package: Add this package to your booking when booking tickets and you can make free changes. You can even receive a full refund of your ticket AND the cost of “The Works” if you find you need to cancel.

The best part about the new Frontier Airlines change policy is that it will apply to any and all bookings, including any that were made prior to the announcement today.

Why Make the Change

While many airlines are increasing fees and decreasing service, this is a great change to see Frontier make. Between this change and the changes they made to their loyalty program and credit card earlier this summer, it’s easy to see that they value their customers.

How Does it Compare to Southwest?

As soon as I heard about the changes, I immediately thought of the change/cancellation policy at Southwest. My family does a majority of our flying on Southwest because we like the open seating policy, free checked bags, and the ability to make last minute changes or cancellations without a fee.

The new Frontier Airlines change allows customers to change or cancel without a fee, just like Southwest. The big difference is that you must make the changes to your itinerary 90 days prior to departure on Frontier. With Southwest, you can change up to departure time without penalty. With both airlines, canceling your flight will allow you a refunded travel credit for future travel. Both airlines require you to pay the difference in fare when making changes. If changing a Southwest flight, I would recommend reading about how to keep that ticket refundable.

I personally still prefer the Southwest Airlines change policy over the updated Frontier Airlines change policy. It provides the flexibility that my family often needs. However, this new policy from Frontier might be enough to sway me to make a booking or two.

Will you be taking advantage of the new Frontier change policy?


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