Although Frontier Airlines doesn't offer traditional business- and first-class seats — and there's no Frontier upgrade list — it does offer upgraded seating options for those looking for slightly bigger seats.
With this low-cost carrier, you'll find that everything — and we mean everything — will cost you more money. But for not too much extra money out of pocket, you can select an upgraded Stretch seat. Stretch seats are in the aircraft's first three to four rows and exit rows and provide you with an extra five to seven inches of space.
For those looking to stretch out — and be near the front of the plane — Stretch seats are a solid upgrade option when flying on Frontier Airlines. Here's what you need to know to effectively buy a Frontier upgrade on this all-economy airline.
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Buy a Frontier upgrade with Stretch seats
When booking a Frontier flight, you can select a seat in advance. But, you'll need to pay a fee to do so. The fee varies per flight; typically, the lowest price you'll ever see is during the initial booking process. When booking your flight, the aircraft map will identify the cost of each seat — both regular and Stretch seats. You might even find that on the same flight, the cost per Stretch seat differs by just a few dollars.
Paying for a seat in advance is not a requirement for a Frontier flight. But, paying for a seat guarantees you'll get a particular seat and helps ensure you sit with any other passengers in your party. And with Stretch seats not costing much more than regular seats, it might be a splurge you are willing to make.
Although the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard doesn't offer any discounts or benefits regarding Frontier upgrades, you can still utilize many other credit card travel credits to cover the fee. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers a $300 annual travel credit, and The Platinum Card® from American Express offers annual airline fee credits, which can help cover seat selection fees (you must enroll and select Frontier as your airline of choice before your purchase, though).
The information for the Frontier card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: Spirit terminates Frontier merger deal, paving way for possible JetBlue acquisition
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Buy The Works Bundle and select an upgraded seat
Frontier Airlines offers two different bundle options when purchasing your flight — The Perks Bundle and The Works Bundle. They offer extra add-ons to your flight such as carry-on baggage, checked baggage, priority boarding and seat selection. Since Frontier operates on a la carte model, these bundled options give you a slight discount instead of paying for each option individually.
If you are purchasing The Works Bundle, you can select any seat on the plane for no additional cost — including a Stretch seat. This bundle is only available to purchase when initially booking your flight.
Related: Everything you should know before flying Frontier Airlines
The Perks Bundle, on the other hand, doesn't let you select a Stretch seat — just a regular seat. In fact, we found that purchasing a Stretch seat along with this bundle is more expensive than just purchasing everything a la carte. If you want a bundled option and an upgraded seat is a must for you, the more expensive The Works Bundle will often be your best choice.
Of course, you'll always want to price the extra bundle fee against paying for your desired add-on options individually.
Related: How to change or cancel a Frontier Airlines flight
Get a free Frontier upgrade with elite status
The three Frontier Airlines elite status levels are Elite 20K, Elite 50K and Elite 100K. When earning any of these status levels, you unlock various benefits — one being Stretch seats. Frontier status grants you a free Frontier upgrade, so you'll be able to sit in a bigger and better seat at no additional cost.
With Elite 20K status, you won't be able to reserve a Stretch seat in advance unless you pay for it. While there's no Frontier upgrade list to automatically push your name to the top of the line, if a Stretch Seat is available at check in, you can select this upgraded seat for no additional cost. Unfortunately, this benefit is only available for the member with status and doesn't extend to traveling companions.
With Elite 50K and 100K status, you can select a Stretch seat for no fee when booking your flight. There's no need to wait until check in or figure out how to get on a Frontier upgrade list. This free Frontier upgrade is available to all passengers with these top two status levels and up to eight companions on the elite member's reservation.
Related: Frontier baggage fees and how to avoid paying them
Bottom line
If you want a slightly upgraded seat in the front of the plane, Frontier can give you that. For a small extra cost, you can select a Stretch seat upgrade which will give you slightly more space to spread out. Being in the front of the plane will also ensure you are one of the first to receive inflight service and to deplane the aircraft when the flight is over.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
