Frontier Airlines does not have the greatest rep in the business, let’s be honest. It’s a budget airline. They have cheap fares and no frills. You want to choose a seat? It’ll cost you. (the alternate choice on the website literally says, “no thanks, I’ll take whatever,” strongly implying you’ll be VERY sorry if you don’t! But don’t, it will be fine.) They usually won’t even bring you a cup of water. Everything is for a
price. It’s reminiscent of the Thenardiers from Les Mis, “Charge ‘em for the lice, extra for the mice, two percent for looking in the mirror twice…”
I lived in the Portland area, which has a small airport and not too many direct flights, but they fly direct to Denver (at odd times, but still direct). My family lives in Colorado, and my dad is old, so I bought the pass mainly to visit. You do have to book the day before to get the Go Wild price of $15 after paying for the pass ($299 – $699, depending on if you buy for a season or the year) I thought it would be worth my while.
So I took the plunge, bought the pass to go visit my dad and maybe go other places, too. I’m retired, don’t have a schedule. Frontier flies to some international destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico. A clever person could grab a cheap flight to LAX or JFK, or any big airport that might offer a cheap International fare (it would never be PDX, my local airport.) I could work this to my advantage and travel for cheap!
I jumped on a Facebook page for Go Wilders to take advantage of other travelers’ knowledge. That was a trip all on its own. There was the ultra patient page admin, a young teacher who really knew the ins and outs and wanted to share, even though people didn’t read the FAQs and asked the same question over and over!( I include myself in that group, sorry J.) Or the sarcastic woman who bragged several
times about being a size six and proposed that anyone bigger than that should be weighed and pay more per pound to fly. Or how about the guy who would post a video of his tailored jacket into which he could stuff three pillows (!) every time someone wondered how to carry more than the tiny “personal item” allowed. And yes, he posted it every time. Every online community has quirky characters. And sometimes there were actually nuggets of wisdom amongst the trolls and snarks.
So I learned about using the pass. I learned about achieving Gold Status to be able to take a free carryon, although I never did that. I learned that you always need a backup plan if you really need to get to a certain place, as Go Wild may not be available when you need it. There are airlines that you can book and cancel without penalty, banking on your Go Wild last minute ticket. I learned that you can stuff a neck pillow with clothing after you take out the foam insert – brilliant! And actually more comfortable as a neck pillow that way, believe it or not. I learned where to buy a big jacket with extra large interior pockets to put those extra items that won’t fit in the personal item. I found a personal item that fit perfectly in the sizer and had space for a weeks’ trip, more if you do laundry.
I found out that gate agents for Frontier actually earn a commission on each bag they don’t approve as personal and make the passenger pay for the carry-on (I believe it’s $100 at the gate.) They have the tightest bag sizers of any airline, and sometimes the gate agents take great pleasure in saying bags don’t fit even if they do – no straps hanging out, you can’t use force to push them down, etc. So I tried to never push those limits.
Yes, I learned as much as I could about using the pass. But I also learned about myself, as a person and as a traveler:
I’m not as spontaneous as I’d hoped. Fantasy Cathy has a bag packed, hits the Go Wild site, and takes a flight on the spur of the moment. Reality Cathy is much more of a planner than that. I need to prepare mentally and packing-ly. I can be spontaneous, but it is not my default.
Speaking of packing, I am a joyous overpacker by nature. I want to bring all the things I might possibly need. A yoga mat. Tarot cards. A journal. So many skin lotions and eye creams. And even though I am the complete opposite of fashionable, I need all the clothing options. Because, what if…? What if the weather changes, I want to go somewhere fancy, there’s a hot tub or pool, it becomes freezing cold or boiling hot, etc. etc. So, with much difficulty, I learned to pack light. It’s still not second nature, but I can do it, and I almost always have all that I need.
To elaborate on the packing (your mileage may vary) I started using packing cubes. Usually just one for clothes and a pair of flip-flops) A bathroom bag packed with the essentials. A little bag of chargers, headphones, an eyemask and ear plugs.) I only read on my tablet these days; no more packing “real” books. I download a few movies every time for the plane ride. And my little luxury is a portable USB fan for air and white noise.
Cheap flight does not equal a cheap trip. There is still the need for a hotel, food, transportation, entertainment. A plane ticket is a big chunk of the expense, but it’s not everything.
Sometimes it’s good to stay home. Routines are hard when travelling. All my aspirations: daily meditation and yoga, healthy eating, non-drinking days – all of these are easier when I’m home.
I actually prefer longer trips. I’m retired (remember?) I love a good six-week trip, seeing many countries or cities. Go Wild is great for a quick day trip, going to Vegas for a day if that’s your jam, or flying to a new city in the morning and back that evening. I aspired to that, and I never accomplished it.
So I won’t be renewing my pass. I think I took about 10 trips using it. Sometimes it was not available for where/when I wanted to go. So, $700 plus $15×10 is $850. Divided by the ten trips is approximately $85 per one-way ticket. I went to Denver, Phoenix, San Francisco, and home to Portland. So I feel like I could have used it more, or for more exciting places, but it was still useful. Those who take a few trips a month or more have done way better than I did, and the pass was on sale before I made my decision to buy (missing the sale) so I could have paid about $200 less. I’m happy to have tried it and wish I’d used it more. But Frontier, with their militant gate agents, flight delays, small seats with no leg room, and “Thenardier” philosophy is not the best airline to have a pass on, anyway.
Pre-Existing Condition 