Frontier Airlines could soon be touching down in more destinations in Mexico and Central America.
The Denver-based, ultra-low-fare airline announced Tuesday it has signed a code-sharing deal with Mexican sister carrier Volaris Airlines. The arrangement, whereby the two carries will co-book and share flights in certain areas, will require regulatory approval in Mexico and the United States. If the deal clears those hurdles, Frontier fliers could be riding Volaris jets into destinations such as Mexico City; San Jose, Costa Rica; and San Salvador, El Salvador.
Volaris, which services 24 places in the U.S., including Denver, features 40 destinations in Mexico. Frontier, which offers flights to the Mexican cities of Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Cancun, overlaps with Volaris in 21 cities, providing multiple opportunities to build connecting itineraries to other places Frontier previously didn"™t touch. Purchase one set of tickets, check your bags in Denver and land in a Mexican city, all without have to find your own connecting flight.
"It takes the pain points out of building a low-cost connecting flight," Frontier spokesman Richard Oliver said.
Frontier is owned by Indigo Partners, a private equity firm. Volaris is a publicly traded company, but its majority shareholder is Indigo. The two carriers will each receive new jets through Indigo"™s record $49.5 billion deal with Airbus inked in November.
The code-sharing arrangement comes at a time when Frontier is greatly expanding its reach. The carrier added 21 destinations out of Denver International Airport alone last year.
"Many customers traveling between the U.S. and Mexico are forced to pay high fares to fly, and this agreement will provide lower fares to a vast majority of the U.S. and Mexico population," Frontier CEO Barry Biffle said in Tuesday"™s news release. "As the leading ultra-low-cost carrier in Mexico, Volaris is an ideal partner with which to align, and we look forward to working together to deliver low fares to millions of people»…
