It is definitely not the best moment to do a status match to a low-cost carrier, that operates almost all of its flights within the USA. Nevertheless, we don’t want to keep this information from you, as you might benefit from a status match to Frontier Airlines. The match will remain available until December 31, 2021 and will grant you the status until the end of 2022.
You can get matched up to the highest frequent flyer status, the Elite 100K, which offers some really interesting benefits, e.g. even when flying on the lowest fare, you’d get seats with extra legroom, a Discount-Club membership, hand luggage, and a piece of checked luggage. All your tickets would even be fully refundable (up to 24h before departure) and the benefits even apply to other passengers in your booking.
You need to pay an application fee of US$49 (~€46), a sum that you can easily get back with your first Frontier flight under your new status. You will have to pay it, even if your match its declined.
Matched Tiers & Programs
Frontier’s status match is open to members of 15 frequent flyer and 15 hotel loyalty programs:
Frequent flyer programs:
- Aeromexico Club Premier
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Alaska Mileage Plan
- American AAdvantage
- Avianca Life Miles
- Carribean Airlines Miles
- Copa Connect Miles
- Delta SkyMiles
- GOL Smiles
- Hawaiian Miles
- JetBlue True Blue Rewards
- LATAM Pass
- Southwest Rapid Rewards
- United MileagePlus
- Westjet Rewards
Hotel loyalty programs:
Frontier has capped all hotel program tiers to be matched to 50K status max.
- Accor ALL
- Best Western Rewards
- Choice Hotels Rewards
- GHA Discovery
- Hilton Honors
- Hyatt World of Hyatt
- IHG Rewards
- Marriott Bonvoy
- Omni Hotels & Resorts
- Radisson Rewards
- Sonesta
- Leading Hotels of the World
- Warwick Hotels
- Wyndham Rewards
- World Hotels
You can find an overview of which status will be matched to which tier on the status match landing page. Since the 50K and 100K tiers are more interesting than low level statuses, here are some examples of which tier you may have will entitle you to the highest Frontier Airlines’ tiers:
The following tiers are matched to Elite 50K:
- AAdvantage Platinum
- Delta SkyMiles Gold Medallion
- LATAM Pass Gold Plus
- United Airlines Premier Gold
- Accor ALL Gold
- Best Western Rewards Platinum
- Choice Hotels Platinum
- Hilton Honors Gold
- Hyatt Explorist
- IHG Rewrds Platinum Elite
- Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite
- Radisson Rewards Gold
- Wyndham Rewards Platinum
- and more
The following tiers are matched to Elite 100K:
- AAdvantage Executive Platinum
- Delta SkyMiles Diamond Medallion
- United Premier 1K
- LATAM Pass Black
- and more
A comprehensive list of all possible matches can be found here:
The Process
The match is as easy as it gets, as everything can be done via an online form. You’ll first need to have an account at Frontier Miles. You can sign up for free here. Afterward, simply go to FrontierStatusMatch.com and apply there.
After entering your name, Frontier Miles membership number, and your email-address, you’ll land on the following site:
Here, you now simply have to select the frequent flyer program and the current status. For verification purposes, you then still have to upload a photo of your frequent flyer card, or a screenshot of the online-account, which shows the status.
During the third and last step, you need to pay the US$49 (~€46). This is only possible by using a credit card. Subsequently, you’ll receive a confirmation email. Within 72 hours, the match should be confirmed. Afterward, it could still take a couple of days until the benefits really appear in the account.
Benefits
The following table will give you a good overview of the benefits that await you. Stretch Seating means that you get to select seats with more legroom for free.
The WORKS Bundle as a benefit of the Elite 100K status, might not mean much to most people. However, this might be the most interesting benefit of this program. You and up to eight travelers on the same booking will receive the following benefits:
- Hand luggage (usually, only a personal item is included)
- One piece of checked luggage (23 kg)
- Seat reservation at booking, incl. seats with extra legroom
- Priority Boarding
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure
- Free Same-Day-Changes (conditions not entirely clear)
The Discount Den membership is also not unattractive. I just searched for a flight from San Francisco to Denver during the summer of 2022, and the price decreased from US$79 (~€74) to US$39 (~€37). Details about each benefit, depending on the status tier, can be found here on Frontier’s site.
About Frontier Airlines
Frontier is an American low-cost carrier and has a similarly strict no-frills concept like Ryanair and Wizzair in Europe. The lowest fare doesn’t even include a piece of hand luggage but only a personal item instead. At least, this personal item can be quite large, measuring up to 46 x 35 x 20 cm. Already adding a cabin trolley can often cost US$30 (~€28) in each direction. On the other hand, tickets start at US$19 (~€18).
The fleet is made up of Airbus jets of the A320 family. The flights are almost entirely domestic flights within the USA. Furthermore, there are some routes to Mexico and the Caribbean, as well as one route to Calgary:
Conclusion
Getting the 100K status on the regular path (flying 100,000 miles with Frontier Airlines) is borderline impossible for Europeans. But anybody who travels to the USA regularly should strongly consider this status mach. The investment is low and if you do book a flight with Frontier, you’ll practically get the US$49 (~€46) back with the first flight – and get a decent economy experience out of one of America’s most dreaded carriers.
An interesting aspect of Frontier is definitely that the status benefits are also granted when booking the cheapest fare. At Delta and United, frequent flyers traveling in Basic Economy, e.g. will not be permitted to select their seats.
Translated by Ditmar Lange