Frontier Airlines ranked the worst in customer service
A report released last week by the Department of Transportation (DOT) ranked Frontier Airlines, which has a large hub at Trenton-Mercer Municipal Airport, as the U.S. carrier with the highest number of passenger complaints.
According to the newly released statistics, from a division of the DOT, the Denver- based carrier had more than 20 complaints for every 100,000 passengers in 2022. Another discount carrier-Spirit Airlines, was second on the list with about 10 complaints per 100,000 passengers. Seattle-based Skywest Airlines and Utah-based Horizon Airlines had the fewest customer complaints. Delta had the fewest number of complaints among the largest U.S. carriers.
“Air travel is just a mess right now,” said Teresa Murray, director of Consumer Watchdog–at the PIRG Education Fund– non-profit consumer advocacy group based in Denver. In a media statement, Murray added that analysis of the complaints-to-passenger ratio was five times higher in 2022 than in 2019.
In Trenton, Frontier is the only commercial airline serving Trenton-Mercer Airport in Ewing—with about a dozen daily flights. In November, the carrier celebrated its 10th anniversary serving the city of Trenton. However, the Department of Transportation (DOT) ‘s recent findings are the latest in a long history of alleged poor customer service and bad behavior at Frontier.
For example, late last year, the DOT fined Frontier $2.2 million in fees and fines for, among other things, failing to issue legitimate refunds expeditiously to thousands of disgruntled passengers–due to delayed or canceled flights, excessive costs, overcharges, and other issues. Many of those passengers were in Trenton. “They canceled my flight in May 2020 and sat on my money for a year and a half,” said Frank Genovay in Hamilton.
Frontier Airlines fined millions; ordered to refund customers–including some in Trenton
And earlier this week, three passengers were kicked off a flight from Trenton to Atlanta for arguing and cursing over a seat change. The dispute delayed the flight for an hour. The video of the altercation is posted on YouTube.
In an effort to counter the negative publicity, the carrier recently hyped a promotion for the GoWild! Summer Pass. The pass allows travelers unlimited flights between Frontier’s U.S. and international destinations for between $399-$499 per person between May and September. However, the promotion has many restrictions, limitations, and other miscellaneous fees. Frontier did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the latest DOT report or recent incident at Trenton-Mercer Municipal Airport.