The 11 Direct Frontier Airlines Flights From Ontario California

Summary

• Frontier offers Los Angeles travelers two options for flights, Los Angeles International Airport and Ontario International Airport.
• Frontier started flying from Ontario International Airport in 2017 and offers flights to destinations mainly on the West Coast.
• Cross country flights have been tested by Frontier from Ontario, but most have historically failed. This is likely due to Frontier being a ULCC and nearby LAX having better options for cross country flights.

Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California is becoming a growing option for Los Angeles area travelers and airlines that fly from this region. 

Frontier Airlines has been offering flights from Ontario since 2017. Many of the routes connect travelers to some of the west coast’s larger cities like Seattle and San Francisco. 

However, the airline also “double dips” in the Los Angeles market. In addition to flying out of Ontario, Frontier also maintains a presence at Los Angeles International Airport.

Having two airport options in the Los Angeles market provides area travelers with alternatives to fly into and out of. This is definitely reassuring as Los Angeles is known for car traffic. Going from city to city in Southern California can take hours on the freeway increasing the likelihood of flights being missed.

In this guide, we’ll shine the spotlight on Ontario International Airport and Frontier’s operations there. We will uncover the history of Frontier Airlines existence at this airport and go into detail about the routes that Frontier is currently offering.

History of Frontier Airlines from Ontario, California

Frontier’s Introduction at Ontario International Airport

On October 17th, 2017 Frontier Airlines completed its first flight into Ontario International Airport in Southern California. The first flight was Frontier Flight 1923 which arrived from Austin, Texas. 

This first foray into this alternative Southern California airport (alternate to Los Angeles International Airport) marked Frontier’s commitment to the region. For Ontario, it was the largest new airline engagement for the airport since 2007. 

Alan Wapner who was the president of the Ontario International Airport Authority commented that the airport’s “hassle-free airport experience” will help Frontier survive in Los Angeles’s “hyper-competitive market” and provide customers “great incentive to keep coming back”.

In addition to this first flight to Austin, Frontier also announced routes to its home base in Denver, San Antonio, and Chicago via O’Hare International Airport.

Route Expansions To Close Out the 2010s

In December 2019, Frontier further expanded its route offerings from Ontario by announcing its first nonstop, cross-country flight to Newark, New Jersey. In addition to Newark, Frontier added daily flights to Las Vegas, Seattle, and a second cross country flight to Miami, Florida. 

They also began their first two international destinations, El Salvador and Guatemala City.  All of these routes went active during the summer of 2020.

Present Day

More new routes were added in 2021. Frontier announced flights to Las Vegas, Dallas, and Phoenix. 

In March of 2021, the airline completed its first flights to nearby Sacramento and San Francisco. In addition, due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, paused routes to Orlando and Miami were restarted that year.

Frontier’s next series of route new announcements came in 2023. The airline announced a restart of its daily service to Atlanta, Georgia. 

To start 2024, another series of new offerings from Ontario were released by the airline. New nonstop flights to El Paso and Houston were added as well as a restart to Seattle, Washington. 

Frontier Airlines Routes Offered in Ontario

The bulk of the routes offered by Frontier Airlines from Ontario have historically been to destinations in the Western United States. This makes sense since Los Angeles has such a large market and there is always demand to go to the West Coast’s larger cities. 

Frontier doesn’t take an approach like Allegiant Air by flying to secondary destinations that may or may not have demand for an everyday flight. 

While most people flying on business won’t opt to use Frontier due to its lack of business class, its price point might be a driving factor in people traveling for business to consider using the airline from Ontario. 

For families, Frontier is an excellent option. Families are likely traveling to visit friends or relatives for a quick weekend getaway.

See the table below for all the flights Frontier Airlines is currently offering from Ontario International Airport.

Cross Country Flights Have Historically Failed From Ontario

The airline has attempted to offer cross country flights to the East Coast but many of them have been removed from service. For example, Frontier offered flights to Newark, New Jersey and Atlanta, Georgia on several occasions. Each time the route eventually gets pulled from service.

This is likely due to Los Angeles International Airport being so close providing travelers with many other options for a transcontinental flight. 

Plus, being an ultra low cost airline that isn’t known for being the most comfortable option on the market, customers might opt for another airline that has more frills to increase passenger comfort on those longer type flights.

What Competition Does Frontier Airlines Have in Ontario?

Between March 2023 and February 2024, Frontier captured 12% of the market share at Ontario International Airport. It was bested by Southwest Airlines and American Airlines. Frontier was responsible for flying 724,000 passengers during this period. Southwest and American carried 2.3 million and 971,000 passengers respectively in this same time. 

Busiest Routes at Ontario International Airport

The four busiest routes for Frontier are to Dallas, Denver, Phoenix and Las Vegas. On the Dallas route, American Airlines is Frontier’s largest competitor. Southwest and United maintain a major presence on the Ontario – Denver flight. Frontier is challenged by American and Southwest in Phoenix. Southwest is also Frontier’s largest competitor to Las Vegas. 

Los Angeles International Airport and Frontier’s Double Dip

When considering competition at Ontario, Frontier also has to account for nearby Los Angeles International Airport. LAX provides many options for Los Angeles travelers to many of the destinations that Frontier flies to from Ontario. 

Interestingly enough, Frontier does have a presence at Los Angeles International Airport. From LAX, Frontier flies to many of the same destinations that they do from Ontario. This might be largely due to the fact that Spirit Airlines has a large footprint from Los Angeles International Airport.

What Aircraft Does Frontier Airlines Use for Flights From Ontario?

Frontier Airlines uses a fleet of Airbus aircraft. They fly the Airbus A320 family which includes the Airbus A320 and Airbus A321. 

The Airbus A320 aircraft can accommodate close to 180 passengers while the Airbus A321 (a stretched version of the Airbus A320) can fit more than 230 passengers per flight.

The fleet for Frontier Airlines is relatively new. Since the airline is built on maintaining operational efficiency, newer aircraft have been built to be more fuel efficient and much easier to maintain compared to older aircraft. 

Frontier flies newer variants of the Airbus A320 family called NEO (new engine option) which are made with better, more fuel efficient engines and provide passengers with a more ambient cabin experience as they are quieter than the engines found on the classic versions.

Final Thoughts About Frontier’s Flights from Ontario International Airport

Ontario International Airport is a growing airport and becoming more of a source of competition to Los Angeles International Airport. Despite being a short distance away from each other, considering Los Angeles traffic which makes going a few miles sometime take almost an hour, Ontario International Airport is a perfect alternative airport for passengers.

With two area airports, Los Angeles travelers have options when using Frontier Airlines. If flights are booked at LAX, they may look to using Ontario instead. Flight times, tolerance of patience, and flight availability are all other factors that come into play whether someone uses one airport or the other.

From a business standpoint, it can be concerning that Fronter is offering the same exact flights from both LAX and Ontario. However, with Los Angeles being such a large market, there’s plenty to go around. 

Passengers that are looking to travel to the major West Coast cities cheaply, without the headaches of using Los Angeles International Airport should seriously consider using Frontier airlines from Ontario International Airport.

Sources

https://inlandempire.us/lift-off-frontier-airlines-ontario-international-airport

https://news.flyfrontier.com/frontier-airlines-announces-15-nonstop-routes-from-newark-liberty-international-airport

https://news.flyfrontier.com/frontier-airlines-launches-2-new-southern-california-routes-to-las-vegas-and-phoenix

https://news.flyfrontier.com/frontier-airlines-launches-6-new-nonstop-dallas-routes

https://www.flyontario.com/press/frontier-adds-flights-ontario-international-airport

https://www.transtats.bts.gov/airports.asp?20=E&Nv42146=bag&Nv42146_anzr=b06n4v1,%20PN:%20b06n4v1%20V06r40n6v10ny&pn44vr4=SNPgf

https://seatguru.com/airlines/Frontier_Airlines/information.php