Frontier will add first-class seats and Starlink this fall

Frontier Airlines will introduce first-class seats on its Airbus jets this fall and add Starlink inflight Wi-Fi, a break from all-economy cabins. CEO James Dempsey is pairing the upgrades with low fares as Frontier, the largest remaining U.S. ULCC, tries to fill the budget-fare gap left by Spirit's shutdown.

Dempsey said the cabin and Wi-Fi give the airline a better platform to sell to customers. Second-quarter credit card sign-ups were up 30% from a year earlier, which he cites as a sign customers are buying the changes. Starlink is described as the fastest inflight internet available.

On-time performance in the first half of 2026 rose to the middle of the U.S. airline pack after years of poor reliability. Overnight maintenance is aimed at having aircraft ready for the first departure. Dempsey said it will likely take through 2027 to get operations into a really good place. Frontier has a history of delays and cancellations and ranked last in The Points Guy's Best Airlines Report.

Expect first class and Starlink this fall, but treat Frontier as a reliability project through 2027 rather than a new premium choice.