Backlash Forces Frontier Airlines To Drop $39 'More Room' Option Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Frontier, a Denver-based airline company, will no longer offer a “More Room” option for its passengers after its plans received widespread criticism.

The open-seat option, originally announced Monday (May 4), would have allowed passengers to pay $39 to sit next to an empty middle seat starting Friday.

Frontier CEO Barry Biffle told lawmakers in Washington, D.C., in a letter that it was not the company’s intent to profit from the safety of passengers after being accused by House representatives of attempting to do just that in the middle of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“We will rescind the seat price increase associated with the More Room product and revert to our former seat assignment pricing,” Biffle said in his letter. “We will leave the seats blocked, which were associated with this product and honor purchases made by all customers who bought the product up until now.”

Lawmakers had earlier expressed concerns over Frontier’s planned charges that were scheduled to run until Aug. 31.

Rep. Peter De Fazio, D-Oreg., chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said Frontier used the necessity for social distancing in the middle of the pandemic as an attempt to make money by “capitalizing on fear and passengers’ well-founded concerns for their health and safety.”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said the coronavirus pandemic is negatively affecting the bottom line of airline companies and urged federal regulators to craft guidelines to prevent this from happening again.

“I don't think it's appropriate for some passengers who can't afford to pay an additional charge for a seat to be less safe than other travelers,” she said.

Biffle also told lawmakers that blocking the middle seats to meet social distancing requirements would result in a fare increase of nearly half of ticket prices for airlines to maintain revenues.

“This would not only be harmful to consumers but would cause further strain on the economy at a time when our country can least afford it,” he said in the letter.

Frontier has already imposed a rule requiring all of its passengers to wear a face mask on board all of its flights. Biffle said that Frontier decided to offer the “More Room” product on top of additional safety procedures because some passengers wanted “more peace of mind.”