US low-fare carrier, Frontier Airlines will take delivery of its first new Airbus A321s in the final quarter of this year and will debut the aircraft on two routes from Orlando International Airport during the first week of November. The airline is one of a number of budget operators across the glove to introduce the variant, the largest member of the Airbus A320 Family, into its fleet this year.
Already an operator of the A319 and A320, Frontier placed a firm order for nine Airbus A321ceo (current engine option) aircraft from the European manufacturer in November last year. The airline began its transition to an all-Airbus fleet when it took delivery of its first Airbus short-haul jet in 2001 and the single-aisle family has played an integral role in its growth and recent transition to an ultra low-cost carrier.
Speaking at the time of the order the airline’s former chief executive officer, David Siegel said the A320 Family aircraft fulfilled its mission of providing low fares through low operating costs. “The A321 is a natural fit with our unique brand of ‘Low Fares, Done Right’ and will continue to help meet our customers’ expectations for a safe and reliable travel experience while allowing us to provide low fare service to more of the country,” he added.
Siegel, who previously served for two years as president and chief executive officer of US Airways Group, joined Frontier Airlines in January 2012 and had overseen the commitment to introduce the A321 into the carrier’s fleet. However, he stepped down from the helm in May this year.
In its latest schedule inventory update, as first revealed by our sister blog, Airline Route, Frontier has initially scheduled the new A321s to operate five daily services on two routes from Orlando International.The aircraft is expected to be configured in a dense arrangement seating up to 230 passengers.
The type will debut on the Orlando – Philadelphia route on a twice daily basis from November 1, 2015. The introduction of a second aircraft just days later will enable it to increase A321 operations on this route to three times daily from November 4, 2015 when the type will also be introduced on twice daily Orlando – Cleveland rotations.
This initial schedule will see one aircraft night-stop in Orlando and the other in Philadelphia but a schedule change from November 18, 2015 will see an aircraft also night-stopping in Cleveland.
Here's the proposed A321 introductory schedule for Frontier Airlines as extracted from OAG Schedules Analyser on the morning of August 5, 2015...
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