The Details
- Flight: F92347
- Aircraft: A321
- Class: UpFront Plus
- Seat: 1A and 1C
- Route: Indianapolis (IND)-Denver (DEN)
- Distance: 1,053 miles
- Duration: 2hrs 21min
- Departure: 12:19 PM
- Arrival: 12:39 PM
The Preflight
For this trip, my wife and I were headed to Denver for my sister-in-law’s wedding in Boulder, Colorado. We had originally booked a Southwest ticket but after tracking prices for a few weeks, I noticed that Frontier was having a fare sale from Indianapolis. We each paid $107 for the new “Business Bundle” on Frontier Airlines, including UpFront Plus seating, a carry-on, two checked bags, Zone 1 boarding, free flight changes, and cancellations. This was a phenomenal deal compared to United and Southwest, the direct competitors on this route.
We arrived at IND two hours before the scheduled departure time of 12:04 PM to drop off our checked luggage. A large line of a dozen passengers was also waiting to drop off their self-tagged bags at the counter. Check-in was completed entirely online as Frontier charges $20 per person for printed tickets and agent assistance at the airport. We had both boarding passes already saved to Apple Wallet.
The A321 flying us to Denver today, registration N716FR, was a 7.4-year-old aircraft delivered to Frontier in January 2017. Frontier names all of their aircraft for wildlife and this particular aircraft was named Seymour the Walrus.
Boarding was scheduled to begin at 11:19 AM but was delayed for a few minutes. Passengers needing wheelchair assistance, families with children, and active duty military were invited to pre-board followed by Zone 1.
The Flight
Frontier Airlines has a total of 230 seats on board their A321s arranged in a 3-3 configuration. The first two rows of the cabin were designated as UpFront Plus seats which had a small placard blocking the middle seat. This was identical to the setup with a majority of European airlines in their business class cabins. We were seated in 1A and 1C.
The Acro Series 3 slimline seats did not have recline and were thin with minimal padding. Each seat was 17.7″ wide with a pitch of around 33″.
Despite being at the bulkhead, I found the legroom comfortable for this two-and-a-half-hour flight. I was able to cross my legs without difficulty.
Each seat also had a simple bi-fold tray stowed in the armrest. Unfortunately, Frontier does not offer in-seat power or WiFi onboard.
Pushback was delayed by five minutes until 12:10 PM as a passenger left her iPhone in the boarding area. The taxi to runway 23R was quick and we took off at 12:19 PM.
Service began within twenty minutes of take-off with flight attendants coming through the cabin with buy-on-board options for snacks and drinks. While I did not purchase anything, I found the prices comparable to other airlines. The rest of the flight was entirely uneventful with the crew making multiple passes through the cabin collecting trash.
We landed in Denver ahead of schedule at 12:39 PM. Too early in fact, as another aircraft was still at our gate waiting to push back. We finally pulled into gate A38 at 12:54 PM.
I found the Frontier “Business Bundle” an incredible offer compared to Southwest or United on this route from Indianapolis to Denver. A blocked middle seat, multiple checked bags, carry-on, and Zone 1 boarding all for less than the price of a Wanna Get Away fare on Southwest or Basic Economy on United made this choice easy.