In this April 23, 2020 photo a Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis to a runway for take off from Denver International Airport in Denver. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill lashed out Wednesday, May 6, 2020 against Frontier Airlines over the budget carrier's move to charge passengers extra to guarantee they will sit next to an empty middle seat while flying during the coronavirus outbreak.
“We recognize the concerns raised that we are profiting from safety and this was never our intent,” Frontier CEO Barry Biffle said late Wednesday in a letter to three lawmakers. “We simply wanted to provide our customers with an option for more space.” The chairman of the House Transportation Committee called it “outrageous.” Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., said the Denver-based airline was using the need for social distancing during a pandemic “as an opportunity to make a buck ... capitalizing on fear and passengers’ well-founded concerns for their health and safety.”
U.S. air travel has dropped more than 90% from a year ago because of the pandemic, and many flights are nearly empty. However, some flights — highlighted on social media — have been much more full, with many passengers not wearing face coverings. That has led airlines to say they will block middle seats when possible to create space between passengers.
Biffle said ticket sales rose after previous announcements around safety, including a decision to require passengers to wear masks, and he expected the same reaction to the empty-seat offer.More Room offerDuring Wednesday’s Senate Commerce Committee hearing, the president of Airlines for America, a trade group for the biggest U.S. carriers, said none of his airlines have a similar charge. Frontier is not a member.
Hilary Godwin, dean of the school of public health at the University of Washington, said the Frontier policy “is exactly the reason that some national-level guidance” is needed for social distancing on airlines and in airports.
It doesn’t matter that they rescinded it. The mere fact that they tried to pull this crap in the first place is outrageous. I’ve never used this airline and I definitely won’t now.
Smart
Now, about the legroom.
This is exactly what folks were afraid of when airlines get bailout ? Wait 'til airfares are 200-300 percent higher soon !
Capitol Hill can fuck right off
No really. What backlash. Booooo
WORST AIRLINE. PERIOD. FULL STOP. worthless cutthroat dontwasteyourmoney notsmart slowbusinesspeople worstairline Don’t cover them in the news except to say “DON’T FLY FRONTIER”
Are they nearing bankruptcy?
Brilliant move FlyFrontier because so many people are flying these days. Enjoy your bankruptcy
Here's an idea, dont ever fly them
When will businesses learn that coming out trying to make money off of coronavirus will backfire. Gamestop, Amazon, Frontier. People are out of work and scared. They will take their $ elsewhere. Capitalism can giveth and also taketh away. Businesses forget that taketh part often
Since both idiots on the argument didn’t point this out, the air is circulated through a tube so who gives a shit if you have someone next to you
Y’all were going to charge people for a safety procedure? What kind of low crap is that? I’m glad I only fly AlaskaAir. 🤷🏻♀️
ndmapk OfficialDGISPR Official_PIA
I would pay an extra $39 for no flight attendant sales pitches / credit card offers
Happy to mark that company off the list of those that get my money.
Are you effin’ kidding me? Charge for bags, a chance to sit with your kids, a row with leg room, and now this. Screw this! Build high speed rail, NOW!
It was the public that backlashes. What incredibly dumb assholes Frontier is. Unbelievable greed.
Frontier is garbage. I got stranded at LAX for 13 hours because they decided to cancel a flight due to not having available pilots, rebook, cancel again, then tell everyone they were shit out of luck.
Frontier is awful. I booked two flights which were for the end of May and all they would give was credit to be used in 90 days. They are terrible.
For all I care...Let all those asshole airlines fail for crimping me inside like a sardine for the last 20 years. F them.
Fuck them! They are the worst of the worst!
Didn’t they just get BILLIONS OF DOLLARS in bailouts? Why the fuck are they still trying to squeeze money out of people?
The airline industry got a lot of money from the economic stimulus bailout
princeharryh ... IT True? | Harry Maillet & Michel Maillet [ 2 Indivi ... A Full Pays ... NO Stuff Staff ... Trudeau Retire C’AMI ... DO WE HAVi CitiZen Or Just ALI ASSES W’Z. ]?
Airlines forever trying to nickel & dime us to death.
Cc kairyssdal
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: ABC - 🏆 471. / 51 Read more »
Source: latimes - 🏆 11. / 82 Read more »
Source: TMZ - 🏆 379. / 59 Read more »
Source: Newsweek - 🏆 468. / 52 Read more »
Source: politico - 🏆 381. / 59 Read more »
Source: RollingStone - 🏆 483. / 51 Read more »