Frontier Airlines added St. Maarten to its route network over the weekend, the latest play in the carrier’s efforts to grow its Caribbean presence.
Service is limited to start, with Saturday-only service from Miami and Orlando. But it also represents the company’s shifting focus towards higher-yielding, international markets and a willingness to challenge competitors head-on.
The carrier also expects to add four more Caribbean destinations in the coming Winter, bringing the total to 13. That’s a massive boost from 2016 when the company had only two markets and they operated as charter flights for Apple Leisure Group.
In 2019, before the pandemic disrupted the company’s growth plans, Frontier operated roughly 11% of its capacity into the Caribbean. This winter that will reach 15%, and not because other markets are shrinking.
By 2024 the company hopes to have 20% of its ASMs flying into the region, mostly from Florida but also from Philadelphia and Newark where the VFR (visiting friends & relatives) markets are particularly strong.
