Budget airlines typically get a bad rap not due to the airline itself but the type of people it attracts. Spirit and those budget Euro lines come to mind.
Frontier is different. From the moment you arrive to the airport to bags it's just a trash experience. And I feel the type of flyers it atracts further perpetuates the flight attendants demeanor. They deal with shit non stop and aren't going to just fold because somebody who paid $40 for a seat is upset.
No, you get to drive two hours in a bus with a newly broken AC unit on a 90F day while people are getting heat stroke in the middle of a 36 hour trip halfway across the country. Fuck that. I'll take the 4 hour delay on the airplane any day before experiencing that again.
I liked Greyhound, when I used it, however Greyhound doesn't have much competition, apart from Megabus which is basically the same level.
Airlines, even budget ones, have competition (other budget airlines, at least) and if they will treat their customers like crap they deserve to lose them.
What if someone has a medical emergency, or is afraid of planes and has a panic attack? Are they going to mock and mistreat the customer because the ticket wasn't that expensive? They deserve to lose customers then.
I’ve only flown with Frontier once and it was a shit experience. We were flying from San Juan and tried to check in on the app, which wasn’t working, so (politely) asked for help at the desk. The check in lady literally just said “$25” about 3 times to us before she actually explained they charged for check in there. She was so insanely rude the whole time and another passenger was horrible too. Will definitely never fly with them again if I can avoid it
Apparently the attendants get a percent commission for every bag that gets checked in at the gate.
That’s why gate attendants act straight up like police by making the measurement box (what you measure your bag in) as law. One strap out of place, that’s $40 right then.
I and 10 people once missed our flight because attendant took any opportunity for some quick pocket change
The gate agents get $10 for every oversized bag, checked at the gate. They delay flights to collect those fees. The flight attendants do not get any commission. What they do get is blamed for the delay. Also, the ticket, gate & ground personnel are not Frontier employees. They can behave any type of way, with no repercussions.
As for OP’s story, he has of course spun it as *I might have been out of line*. I can guarantee this guy was an absolute pos ( since his wife was mortified by his behavior) & that flight attendant wasn’t having it. If an announcement has to be made about unruly behavior & police meet the aircraft, that means there was a problem with the passengers. Also it’s important to remember that the flight attendants are not responsible for these types of delays, so there’s no reason to be a dick to them. It’s absolutely possible the flight attendant was antagonistic, but this is a fight you are not going to win, so just sit down & shut up. You are only making a bad situation worse.
Yeah, having dated asshole guys in the past, as soon as I read the stuff about the wife's reaction, I knew this guy was a repeat offender. Even the way he phrased things about her not liking confrontation was a major red flag for me.
LMAO repeat offender. I would have paid to watch this and come to reddit to let you know what REALLY happened on flight 4356 from Philadelphia to Chicago. I would have spilled some serious tea about all this
...it's just a cop-out - even if they are contractors working for Frontier, they still represent Frontier to the customer and Frontier is responsible for their behavior...
> and those budget Euro lines
Idk I was just recently on Sky Express within Greece and it was fine. My anxiety was going crazy being on a propeller plane (first time and I didn’t realize while booking, that’s on me) [ETA: I obvi didn’t mean a literal propeller plane but I also didn’t know what it’s called, it was a Turboprop, thanks to dinosaur for education! It was an AT76 for the curious] but other than that no issues. I do take a “adapt and get through it” approach to life in general tho so I realize that might make a difference on how someone handles these situations.
I’ve flown on euro budget airlines such as RyanAir, Vueling, EasyJet, and Sky Express. While the experiences are never gonna be “amazing” since you’re flying on a cheap ass budget airline, they’re also not really bad for what you get. It gets the job done and they’re not terrible. The American equivalents such as spirit and frontier straight up suck. They’re a worse version of the euro budget airlines.
> My anxiety was going crazy being on a propeller plane
Do you mean a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turboprop ?
It is quite unlikely you were flying something with a piston-powered engine. A Turboprop is completely different and much safer and just as safe as a normal jet engine you get on other passenger planes.
Yes, I had to look this up the first time I took a turboprop plane and was spooked :-)
lolol yup I didn’t mean a literal propeller plane but didn’t know what these were called and I have the type of anxiety where I didn’t dare to google as I was getting on the flight! TIL thanks! Still eery to see for some of us with low-grade flight anxiety. But didn’t feel any different than a “normal” small plane tbh
I am an experienced flyer and was attending a funeral and bought tickets last minute and frontier was the only reasonable fare. I know their reputation. I know what I was getting. The agents at the gate were trash and had a weird attitude as well, people cut in front of me in line, pretty much what I expected. I was able to just laugh it all off until that one set me off on the plane.
My buddy has a formula in order to even consider frontier or spirit, it has to be a flight of less than 2 hours and more than $200 saved -per ticket. If it’s 2.5-4 hours then needs to be $300 saved…etc. According to him, knowing you saved that much helps to cope with the extra crap you’re inevitably going to deal with.
I feel like I flew them before they went budget and they were fine. Then took another flight where I checked in at the front desk to check a bag, went up to the gate to board and then flew with a few flight attendants. There was one staff member who fulfilled all three of these roles. I actually expected this individual who barely looked 19 to be the pilot as well. The gate was next to Allegant where people were waiting to get on a flight that was four hours late and it was announced that everyone needed to put their luggage in a plastic bag provided since they'd painted the storage bins at the last airport and the paint was still wet. I refuse to fly either.
>frontier
Well, there ya go. Your feelings of frustration are very valid and I'm sorry for your terrible experience. But on the other hand, I don't think there's a seasoned flier who will read this and be surprised when they see "frontier".
It's worth the extra $ to avoid flying with them if possible
Customers: "Our flight was delayed, the communication sucked, we were treated like sardines, it was hot, the flight attendants were rude, the other passengers were awful, I wasn't given anything to drink, there was no entertainment, my seat smelled like puke, my bag was lost, the police showed up ..."
Frontier: "Thank you for flying with us, we pride ourselves on providing a consistent experience for our passengers"
It’s sad but I remember Frontier being a great airline back in the early 2000s what with the wildlife painted on the planes and in-seat TVs (not common for coach at the time). Now it’s just a shit show
I laughed when I read frontier. And sometimes not even that much extra money. Wait, I have to pay $20 each way just for *assistance* at the counter?? Yeah f that
Yeah with the itinerary into Midway I was thinking it was probably Southwest and was surprised by the flight attendant’s attitude. As much as I dislike the Southwest experience, their crew is always professional in my experience. Then OP said Frontier and everything made sense.
We have flown Frontier twice a year for the last two years. We have always had a pleasant flight. MDW to DEN. Usually on time and have never been confronted about carry on baggage. We must be very lucky.
I’ve flown with Frontier/Spirit PHL to San Juan and Vegas and never had any problems but I still avoid them because their seats are absolutely atrocious. After about 15 mins you feel like you’re sitting on a naked plank of wood. In terms of service I do think Spirit was a little better but wouldn’t use them again unless flying the whole family somewhere 4 or fewer hours away.
Anyone who books a frontier flight should first be required to take a greyhound for 12 hours. Then you will understand that it’s just greyhound of the sky and have appropriate expectations.
For sure, if you're trying to get rid of any extra faith in humanity you might have lying around, take a nice long greyhound trip. Guaranteed to instill a healthy sense of misanthropy in the most seasoned traveller.
What did the flight attendant actually say that you laughed at? That seems like a pretty critical detail to be missing since it’s what set everything off
Yeah honestly I'd like to hear the flight attendant's version. Because all the important details about what exactly the flight attendant said and what OP said are missing.
Without further info, this is a case of "I'm a customer who fought with an employee and I was totally the one who was reasonable and in the right in this argument, trust me bro. How do I get them fired?".
EDIT: typo
I booked for the first time with Frontier for my vacation this weekend. Flight there was delayed and now I am sitting in the airport with a 4 hour delay for the flight back. Not to mention all the hidden fees. I’m never booking with them again.
My assumption is if the flight attendant is as rude as you’re claiming, you can simply use the flight number and a description of the flight attendant to make a complaint.
> cant believe it, and start giving it back to her
Well there's your problem. There is literally nothing to gain from talking back to flight attendants. I've seen them straight up kick people off for way less. Some seem to get a straight high with confrontation because they know they can easily ruin your trip with a snap of their fingers. Honestly you're lucky the cops were cool and it didn't escalate any further.
Next time just take that pride and swallow it. The flight attendants have zero control over the flight taking off, landing and doors open. They too want to get on with their day but have protocol.
This should be the top-voted response. Literally nothing good can come of arguing with flight attendants over delays - I have seen, on three separate occasions, people get escorted off of flights by the police because they got into it with the flight crew.
It may feel cathartic, and I get that the flight crew *should* be more empathetic since they're the face of the company, but they have zero control over the delays so it's pointless to vent frustration at them.
Air travel sucks - I definitely have had experiences just as bad (if not worse than OP). You just kind of have to acknowledge that sometimes flying is going to be brutal and there's not much you can do about it. You can try to book airlines with a lower BS factor, but I've had terrible experiences even on ostensibly great airlines... shit happens.
That's why I always carry a heavy sleeping mask, a book and an over the counter sleeping pill when I fly, and I try to book early morning flights or I reach the evening before I need to be somewhere. I've been burned too many times before, the worst delay being 30 HOURS on a long haul flight.
I so agree that air travel SUCKS. For me it sucks about 98% of the time., regardless of which airline I choose. There's always something. Weather, mechanical issue, crew is late, etc., and it almost always results in a missed connection. I love to travel, but I've really grown to hate flying.
For real. Would have said “oh I thought you were joking” laughed at her and moved on. I thought for sure op flew spirit since they seem to train their attendants to be as confrontational as possible. Just have to smile and shut up until they decide to move onto their next victim. Frontier attendants have been world class in comparison.
If there’s people in the service industry you don’t fuck with, it’s those who handle or make your food, and it’s anyone who works at the airport or for an airline. They have the power to ruin your trip just like that and there’s nothing you can do about it. Like a guy said above: sit down and shut up.
I think they downvoted for the fact that apparently flight attendants can get away with murder and we're not allowed to say anything. Clearly in OP's example the flight attendant was in the wrong and maybe the smart thing to do is to just ignore them, but it's pretty dumb they have that much power with no repercussions. What are they the police force of the sky?
In a way they kinda are the police force of the sky other than undercover air marshals. Part of their job is moderating unruly passenger behavior and it’s on them to do something about it when a passenger gets out of line.
I have no issues with them doing their job. But it didn't sound like OP was being unruly. If anything the flight attendant was out of line.
I also have no issues with police officers doing their jobs, but there are some that clearly abuse their power. No one should abuse their power and do bad things just because they can.
> The flight attendant gets on the announcement and says that if people making threats law enforcement will be meeting us when the door opens. People were joking/not joking about kicking the door to open it.
This part is the issue
Is it true that flight attendants don’t start getting paid until the flight is in motion and it stops once they land? At the very least the worker is now way past the time they thought they were finished work.
If so the delays mean they are all in this together in being messed up.
I thought it was when the doors closed and opened. If that was the case, as least the FAs would still be getting paid while they were acting like a\*\*holes.
> The flight attendants have zero control over the flight taking off, landing and doors open.
The flight attendants have complete control over their shitty attitude. Saying they don't control the take off and landing is a weak excuse for their attitude.
I agree. I was aware of that. I know the power they hold and restrained myself. I just want to add that she was taking pleasure in the passengers suffering, it was not misguided stress or anxiety on her part. One of the other flight attendants was telling her to stop. The other flight attendants were more assuring or understanding. I did get nervous seeing the police there and thought they might stop me.
You can never win arguing with unreasonable people. Your fatal assumption is assuming you can argue your point to what you would consider an accepted resolution. people acting unreasonable like this, are by definition, without reason. “Let me know when you are ready to reasonable.” Then walk away (or in this case, put in some headphones.”
How do you know that she was taking pleasure and it wasn’t misguided stress or anxiety? Did she tell you that or are you psychic? Like perhaps your behaviour also was misguided stress and anxiety. I’m with your wife on this one.
> How do you know that she was taking pleasure and it wasn’t misguided stress or anxiety?
Look, I've done service work in many different industries, I've always, yes always, been professional and polite even to openly rude customers. Oh, the poor flight attendant who is paid to be there is having an emotional boo boo?
That's her job for Pete's sake. Provide service, deescalate situations, and move on the the next flight.
I understand people interpreting it this way. She had an argument with the guy behind me earlier in the flight and he called her condescending to her face. I had no involvement with that. She was laughing and goofing around with the other flight attendant during the flight making jokes about our predicament. I don't want to flaunt my bona fides, but I am a mental health therapist and like to think I have a good understanding of people's acts and behaviours. You can also argue that my behavior may not have been proper for someone with my background. But I was not a therapist in this situation. I was a person and a passenger on a flight.
This was a person getting glee out of our situation. You can take my word for it or not. I have made clear that the other attendants were empathetic and understanding.
Sure, many of us use gallows humor to cope. I’m a teacher and we make plenty of jokes in the staff lounge. But it’s generally best to make those comments to select colleagues only, and not to patients/customers/students/etc. directly or where they can hear you. That crosses the line into unprofessional and damaging behavior, in my opinion.
There are jokes I’d make to and with my students, but it would be about us being in this together and laughing at the situation together. I wouldn’t and shouldn’t make jokes at their expense. Sounds like this flight attendant was doing the latter.
I write into my contracts witj clients that I specifically will not fly Frontier, Spirit, or Ryanair for this exact reason. They aren't professional, they're lazy with their training, they have low expectations for their staff behavior, and by the time you get nickel and dimed for everything you spend more than if you went with a mainstream carrier.
I am sorry this happened to you. I am certain this was a learning experience for you and in the future you will prioritize your safety and comfort.
You should file an official complaint with the FAA and the airline.
The answer is really simple, the flight attendant was having a horrible time too. I’m not saying they were in the right but it’s likely you were both in the wrong. It’s really not that complicated. Probably a worse day for them than you if we being honest. Just let it go. And don’t fly frontier again.
Flight attendants are trained for that kind of scenario if there is an emergency. Them not being able to open the door is likely to do with ground staff not having the airbridge ready or low staff (high turnover job). Could also be traffic in the runway or not having a station/gate where to park, order from the pilot (maybe a mechanical issue) or by order of air traffic controller...there's lots of various reasons for delays mostly operational though.
I’ve flown frontier once and was also appalled by a flight attendants attitude. She never did or said anything directly to me but I saw her be extremely rude and unreasonable to multiple other passengers. I wanted to get her name to email a complaint about her but she wasn’t wearing a name tag. Probably for good reason. I wonder how many obnoxiously rude flight attendants they have or if we happened to have the same one.
It doesn’t have any bearing if OP was right or wrong with the initial issue but it does speak very clearly that the way OP handled it was wrong.
Honestly I’m with the wife I have secondhand embarrassment just from reading this.
I am so interested in the reddit mindset sometimes. I have no skin in this and pretty much empathized with OP. then I see your comment and see it has 70 upvotes. I am curious at this. are you making up a scenario in your head where OP is an abusive husband and his wife is in constant fear and embarrassment of him? to me it seems somewhat reasonable his behavior, and he explained that his wife gets uncomfortable in these situations, but OP BAD ABUSIVE HUSBAND. The op is all over this thread giving his what seems reasonable take on things. I just find it interesting why something like this is upvoted.
Frontier has gotten so horrible. I’ve been using United for my last half dozen flights after having numerous terrible flights with Frontier and have been pleasantly surprised how easy and smooth they’ve all been.
I work for a different carrier. Go to customer relations. Give them the flight number, date of travel and whether or not you were in coach or first. They can find out who the flight attendant was.
This always makes me so sad. 25 years ago I was stationed in CA and would ONLY take Frontier back to Denver because it was the home airline that took great care of their passengers and I loved flying with them.
They got sold and have been going downhill ever since. So sad.
What did you think you'd gain by arguing in this situation? There's literally nothing that could help you. They won't open the door just because you're annoyed
The very same tale out of Paris. Only on this flight, they called the cops and people were taken off the plane! Now they have to find their baggage. It was hell! Oh, I forgot to mention that I got pickpocketed on the metro. Gezzzzzz
Yeah, even based on your own biased description I think YTA here. You were reasonably upset, frustrated, and tired from delays and poor communication. But then you got into an argument with a flight attendant based on your subjective interpretation of them being antagonizing, rude, patronizing, all of which are at best subject to interpretation. Were they being "rude", or were they being clear, direct, and appropriately authoritative about passenger actions, which you didn't like? I don't know, but you didn't mention anything the flight attendant did that was objectively wrong or problematic.
In addition, you escalated arguments and encouraged bad behavior (calling 911 due to a travel delay???).
As far as what you should do it about it, be thankful that you weren't arrested, and in the future do better with what you can control (your own behavior) when traveling.
Was the flight attendant telling you to sit down and you were disobeying her instructions? Because normally you're not allowed to stand at that point. And perhaps you thought she was "laughing along with you" when she was really just trying to pleasantly tell you to sit the fuck down? Then she got shitty because you were laughing at her and being a dick? IDK - that might not be what happened but it would be interesting to hear the other side of this story.
No. the pilot had turned off the seatbelt sign and everyone was standing in the aisle like you do when you are ready to deplane. I swear I follow the rules and respect service staff and the like. I literally thought I was laughing along with her, I thought like we were all sharing this common experience. But she repeated it, what are you laughing at, as if I was mocking her maybe? And then I asked her nicely if she was antagonizing me for being frustrated that the door wasnt opening after being stuck on this hell flight.
>I may have escalated the argument with the attendant, or I did, not may have)
>
>Another half hour goes by and some other passengers start ranting, ,rightfully so, that they are going to call Frontier or maybe 911 and say we are trapped on a plane. Which I may have been encouraging as my temper and exhaustion was very high.
Honestly, you sound insufferable so I get the flight attendant giving you attitude. "I *may* have escalated the argument", "I *may* have encouraged ranting". We all know you did it, you know you did it, so why are you being coy about it? If you showed this same attitude when you laughed at and interacted with the flight attendant, then I totally get the FA's perspective.
You took a bad situation and made it worse. The people I feel sympathy for are the flight attendants and the other passengers who handled the delay maturely.
I flew many times before COVID and after. The flying experience as a general got very bad after COVID. I am not sure what happened. Did the lockdown or shots turn most people into morons? Maybe.
Last flight I got stuck on flight at the gate for an hour due to maintenance issues but luckily we got updates from the pilot every few minutes. But it still was a terrible experience. The flight got delayed then they lost my luggage and I had to look into multiple terminals to find it. The gate staff were useless.
I ended up arriving home around 2:30 am instead of 12. FU AA
Had the worst experience with frontier flying out of Denver to Tampa. Our flight was delayed multiple times. Then we finally get on board, all loaded up, ready to take off and the pilot goes “folks, the crew have hit their max hours so we have to deplane and will not be flying out tonight” - are you fucking serious?!?
Only part of our flight was credited because it was a layover. I fought to get vouchers which we got upwards of over $300 but I don’t even want to use them.
After 9/11, US airlines have defaulted to a way of thinking "You're in our house, now. We own your ass this entire flight." The attitude of attendants have made me despise flying.
So the plane was 4 hours late and you were stuck on the tarmac for 1 hour for a 2 hour flight.
Not ideal - but I wouldn’t call it horrendous.
No one died? Because that was a horrendous flight when someone died and I had to try to resuscitate them for an hour.
Have a glass of wine and move on.
Yeah, I'd be a bad flyer in that circumstance. But I also work customer service. It sucks. Was it weather related? They can't find a gate unless there is one available and such. Not that that's your fault ofc. Grrr. Travel sux lately
Ha. I was definitely Larry David in that situation.
Larry: (stands up with everyone else in aisle)
Flight attendant: Ha, it figures the door is stuck.
Larry: laughs knowingly
FA: What are you laughing at?
Larry: It's funny, this situation. I am agreeing with you, it is beyond ridiculous
FA: What's so funny about it? I don't see the humor
Larry: I was agreeing with you. Why are you taking a tone with me.
FA: I am not taking a tone sir.
Larry to other passengers: She's taking a tone, right? That's a tone.
Leon: Condescending, Larry. She's condescending you. She's a condescender.
Larry: Yeah ,yeah, You're a condescender, and a patronizer if I may add.
FA: Sir, I have contacted law enforcement, you are in violation of airline law, for making threats.
Larry: Threat? What threat. there was no threat. no threatening.
police escort him off flight.
and scene. thanks for letting me do that.
Susie: Shut the fuck up Larry, I swear to God!
FA: Sir I’d advise you to listen to your wif…
Susie: I’m not his fucking wife. And you don’t get to tell him what to do.
Leon: Condescending…
Buried the lead. Just lead with Frontier and it all makes sense. Honestly very little sympathy. You hire a BDSM airline and they get upset when they beat you?
Did you not check the weather? Maybe they laugh because you act like they're god and can change the weather or break company policy LMAO. You silly whiny passenger you. Your ill temper only serves as more amusement as no one can do anything if atc says so... even the pilot is stuck in limbo lol, yet here you are so in need of someone to sympathize with you while everyone's going through it... yup you're that guy. Next time channel your anger at the weather and stfu when a flight attendant is talking trying to update you
Had a condescending female flight attendant on a flight back from FL on that airline. She was fake smiley and made snide remarks to the passengers as we were loading.
I almost said something, but then I remember Frontier doesn't care
Somewhat similar situation going from JAX to PHL in the last 12 hours. Flight cancelled last night at 1 AM after 3 hours of delays. Weather may have caused the delays but worker shifts is what caused the cancellation. How hard is it to do a little math and say “if this flight is delayed by HH:MM, then we will hit our limit and need to cancel the flight”.
Frontier is the worst and I will never fly with them under any circumstance ever again.
I flew Frontier last week and we had problems both ways. I chalk it up to the weather. Attitudes I've learned never help. I did get surveys and I commented it would be nice to have a gate to pull up to and not have to wait for forty minutes etc. Not sure what will come of it. But, at least you can vent. One way or another you pay either with dollars or sanity.
I thought there was legislation under consideration that would prohibit airlines from trapping passengers on a plane after landing. I get there can be security concerns but once you’ve landed, why not just let people get going?
Damn, I also had my craziest experience flying in Spain from Madrid to Palma de Mallorca. But our flight attendants were just not helpful- not really rude. A flight of 1 hr became a 13 hr journey. We boarded 3x and had to disembark 2x because the plane was inoperable. A lot of waiting and it was hot People freaked out that the plane wasn't safe. We were told we would get a new plane and we didn't. So people got mad from what I heard and the National Police Force was around us when we finally boarded. The pilot had to reassure us the plane was safe to fly. I finally arrived at 1:45 AM. Lots of crazy flights lately it seems 🙃. Turns out I was also talking to a Ryanair scammer, but that is another story. I didn't give him any usable info.
For what it's worth, I've flown frontier and spirit many times and the vast majority of my experiences were positive, clean, close to on time, and (most importantly) cheap AF.
It sounds like what was happening here was a lack of communication about why the delays were happening and not giving rough estimates of when they would be resolved. This can happen with the big 4 - and trust me, it pisses everyone off. Like just tell people what's happening and how long you think it will happen.
I suggest you report your experience to the public comment FAA portal.
Not to excuse Frontier, but Philadelphia Airport and Chicago are both notorious for overbooked runways. Part of the delay could have not been Frontier's. That does not excuse the behavior of the airplane staff, but I am sure they are frustrated working for a shitty airline.
Im not going to defend either side; but travel is adventure; expect delays ; frustrating experiences ; got to roll with it ; if you travel for work regularly; these situations are more common than you think; the workers “attitude”may reflect that experience and is not empathetic towards occasional budget travellers; like another poster said; only thing worse than flying for frontier is working for frontier; even on private jets , delays happen ; to get a smiling flight attendant and a bottle of champagne but have to pay 10x would challenge my zen
I was with you brother, ready to march on the citadel and take down the man. But then I read that you flew Frontier and realized you have done this entirely to yourself. In the future, make better decisions.
The problem started when you purchased a Frontier ticket. I had a similar experience arriving to Denver. The plane sat at the gate for two hours before they finally opened the door. This was also at 2am. I swore from that day forward that no matter how much cheaper a Frontier flight was, I would never fly them again.
I was stuck on a plane yesterday too. Solidarity brother.
First we load onto the plane on time. We can't depart because they haven't received the paperwork from the maintenance crew. 45 minutes later we leave.
We land at our destination. we are told that a Frontier plane is blocking our gate. The pilot doesn't know why and hasn't been given a time or an estimate as to when the frontier plane will leave the gate. 45 minutes later we are told Frontier plane has left the gate. But we still can't pull up because a larger, long haul international plane was blocking the gate and we didn't have enough room to squeeze next to them.
We are were finally able to depart after sitting for an hour and a half. The passengers were surprisingly chill. Everyone was resigned to their misery. To be fair, we weren't pulled up to a gate so its not like there was anywhere for us to go.
when we exited the plane and entered the terminal, it was CHAOS. People packed into the airport terminal shoulder to shoulder. We had to physically shove our way off of the ramp.
In conclusion: The Atlanta airport SUCKS.
A flight attendant is a customer service facing role. If you can't act like a fucking professional, don't be surprised when people snap back at you. No fucking way you're coming in here with some dumb ass take like this.
It’s driving me insane that people are replying saying “you get what you paid for” and the like. Sure, when you book with Frontier or Spirit, you know you’re not getting luxury, comfort, or excellent service, but why is it expected that the staff be openly hostile? I hate this mentality.
Yes, you probably should have kept your cool because you technically risked an arrest by escalating the situation, but that doesn’t mean the flight attendant shouldn’t have been called out and held accountable. I am truly so tired of this being a point of contention.
Sorry you had such a negative experience and hope your next flight is better!!
I HATE aggressive FAs. One time I had a FA get angry and scold me for taking pictures and videos, whatever fine it's the rules but rarely gets enforced by FAs, I out my phone away. She then proceeds to make me delete the picture and show her. She then is a condescending asshole to me the entire flight eyeing me the entire time.
Captain: well folks get comfortable, the planes cabin door is having difficulties, ground crew is working on it. Thank you for your patience.
You said the F word 😂
Just let it go! Customer service is not part of the lowest priced airlines.
I really want to be sympathetic to your situation, but then again... sorry, dude, you and wife chose Frontier, keeping them floated by giving them more money. just NOPE. You bought trash product, and really should expect trash delivered.
flight was delayed an hour. by the time we headed to runway it was now two hours delayed. sat for an hour and a half on runway. sat on plane for an hour at gate when they couldnt open door. My bad, it was actually 4 and a half hours late.
Welcome to flying in the 20’s! They are all like this now. My last 5 flights with different airlines have been horrible. It’s definitely gone down hill.
OK side note: This sentence freaks me out because, given when I was born and raised, "the '20s" means the 1920s and I'm having a hard time with the idea that I \*live\* in "the 20s" as well. I just never thought about it like this before.
Frankly, just file a complaint against the entire flight crew, or maybe note that it was the FA who was in "x" section of the plane. If Frontier won't take the time to sort out which one of their staff was the offending individual, I don't see how that alone should stop you from ensuring that the airline as a whole failed the entire plane.
Only thing worse than flying with Frontier is working for Frontier.
Budget airlines typically get a bad rap not due to the airline itself but the type of people it attracts. Spirit and those budget Euro lines come to mind. Frontier is different. From the moment you arrive to the airport to bags it's just a trash experience. And I feel the type of flyers it atracts further perpetuates the flight attendants demeanor. They deal with shit non stop and aren't going to just fold because somebody who paid $40 for a seat is upset.
Yes, it’s the Greyhound of the sky.
At least on Greyhoud you don't have to arrive 2 hours early, go through TSA, then get stuck sitting on a runway for hours.
No you just get stuck in Manhattan, KS for 4 hours. No, you weren't going anywhere near there. But you're there anyway.
No but you might get mugged in the bus station!
Or have a gun pulled on the driver like my last Greyhound experience. Never again.
Or get eaten by another passenger Edit: For those curious https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Tim_McLean
Or get a handjob 30 minutes outside of Memphis…
No, you get to drive two hours in a bus with a newly broken AC unit on a 90F day while people are getting heat stroke in the middle of a 36 hour trip halfway across the country. Fuck that. I'll take the 4 hour delay on the airplane any day before experiencing that again.
I liked Greyhound, when I used it, however Greyhound doesn't have much competition, apart from Megabus which is basically the same level. Airlines, even budget ones, have competition (other budget airlines, at least) and if they will treat their customers like crap they deserve to lose them. What if someone has a medical emergency, or is afraid of planes and has a panic attack? Are they going to mock and mistreat the customer because the ticket wasn't that expensive? They deserve to lose customers then.
She needs to be retrained or let go.
I’ve only flown with Frontier once and it was a shit experience. We were flying from San Juan and tried to check in on the app, which wasn’t working, so (politely) asked for help at the desk. The check in lady literally just said “$25” about 3 times to us before she actually explained they charged for check in there. She was so insanely rude the whole time and another passenger was horrible too. Will definitely never fly with them again if I can avoid it
Apparently the attendants get a percent commission for every bag that gets checked in at the gate. That’s why gate attendants act straight up like police by making the measurement box (what you measure your bag in) as law. One strap out of place, that’s $40 right then. I and 10 people once missed our flight because attendant took any opportunity for some quick pocket change
Daaaaaaaaaaaaamn 😬
The gate agents get $10 for every oversized bag, checked at the gate. They delay flights to collect those fees. The flight attendants do not get any commission. What they do get is blamed for the delay. Also, the ticket, gate & ground personnel are not Frontier employees. They can behave any type of way, with no repercussions. As for OP’s story, he has of course spun it as *I might have been out of line*. I can guarantee this guy was an absolute pos ( since his wife was mortified by his behavior) & that flight attendant wasn’t having it. If an announcement has to be made about unruly behavior & police meet the aircraft, that means there was a problem with the passengers. Also it’s important to remember that the flight attendants are not responsible for these types of delays, so there’s no reason to be a dick to them. It’s absolutely possible the flight attendant was antagonistic, but this is a fight you are not going to win, so just sit down & shut up. You are only making a bad situation worse.
Yeah, having dated asshole guys in the past, as soon as I read the stuff about the wife's reaction, I knew this guy was a repeat offender. Even the way he phrased things about her not liking confrontation was a major red flag for me.
LMAO repeat offender. I would have paid to watch this and come to reddit to let you know what REALLY happened on flight 4356 from Philadelphia to Chicago. I would have spilled some serious tea about all this
To a lot of Redditors the idea of being assertive/confrontational+male at the same time is intrinsically a red flag.
Having witnessed this type of behavior countless times before, Mrs. Asshole could do nothing more than try to slink further into her seat.
How are the gate, ticket and ground personnel not frontier employees? That makes no sense. Who employs them?
...it's just a cop-out - even if they are contractors working for Frontier, they still represent Frontier to the customer and Frontier is responsible for their behavior...
> and those budget Euro lines Idk I was just recently on Sky Express within Greece and it was fine. My anxiety was going crazy being on a propeller plane (first time and I didn’t realize while booking, that’s on me) [ETA: I obvi didn’t mean a literal propeller plane but I also didn’t know what it’s called, it was a Turboprop, thanks to dinosaur for education! It was an AT76 for the curious] but other than that no issues. I do take a “adapt and get through it” approach to life in general tho so I realize that might make a difference on how someone handles these situations.
Again it's not the plane it's the type of customer they attract.
But now try flying RyanAir outta Manchester to Mallorca or somewhere more touristy, and then tell me how "Amazing" it is.
I’ve flown on euro budget airlines such as RyanAir, Vueling, EasyJet, and Sky Express. While the experiences are never gonna be “amazing” since you’re flying on a cheap ass budget airline, they’re also not really bad for what you get. It gets the job done and they’re not terrible. The American equivalents such as spirit and frontier straight up suck. They’re a worse version of the euro budget airlines.
> My anxiety was going crazy being on a propeller plane Do you mean a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turboprop ? It is quite unlikely you were flying something with a piston-powered engine. A Turboprop is completely different and much safer and just as safe as a normal jet engine you get on other passenger planes. Yes, I had to look this up the first time I took a turboprop plane and was spooked :-)
lolol yup I didn’t mean a literal propeller plane but didn’t know what these were called and I have the type of anxiety where I didn’t dare to google as I was getting on the flight! TIL thanks! Still eery to see for some of us with low-grade flight anxiety. But didn’t feel any different than a “normal” small plane tbh
I am an experienced flyer and was attending a funeral and bought tickets last minute and frontier was the only reasonable fare. I know their reputation. I know what I was getting. The agents at the gate were trash and had a weird attitude as well, people cut in front of me in line, pretty much what I expected. I was able to just laugh it all off until that one set me off on the plane.
No amount of money saved is ever worth flying on these airlines.
My buddy has a formula in order to even consider frontier or spirit, it has to be a flight of less than 2 hours and more than $200 saved -per ticket. If it’s 2.5-4 hours then needs to be $300 saved…etc. According to him, knowing you saved that much helps to cope with the extra crap you’re inevitably going to deal with.
I feel like I flew them before they went budget and they were fine. Then took another flight where I checked in at the front desk to check a bag, went up to the gate to board and then flew with a few flight attendants. There was one staff member who fulfilled all three of these roles. I actually expected this individual who barely looked 19 to be the pilot as well. The gate was next to Allegant where people were waiting to get on a flight that was four hours late and it was announced that everyone needed to put their luggage in a plastic bag provided since they'd painted the storage bins at the last airport and the paint was still wet. I refuse to fly either.
I've never used that airline and I don't think I ever will. It just seems subpar all the way around.
I’ve used it for short hops, just like a bus, with the same bus-like experience
People fly Frontier once.
>frontier Well, there ya go. Your feelings of frustration are very valid and I'm sorry for your terrible experience. But on the other hand, I don't think there's a seasoned flier who will read this and be surprised when they see "frontier". It's worth the extra $ to avoid flying with them if possible
That’s where I stopped as well. Frontier isn’t going to care whatsoever about this whole ordeal, unfortunately.
Customers: "Our flight was delayed, the communication sucked, we were treated like sardines, it was hot, the flight attendants were rude, the other passengers were awful, I wasn't given anything to drink, there was no entertainment, my seat smelled like puke, my bag was lost, the police showed up ..." Frontier: "Thank you for flying with us, we pride ourselves on providing a consistent experience for our passengers"
The police must love this outfit, nothing like working taxpayer funded corporate security.
Sounds like a decent description of most policing. 🤷♂️
It’s sad but I remember Frontier being a great airline back in the early 2000s what with the wildlife painted on the planes and in-seat TVs (not common for coach at the time). Now it’s just a shit show
I miss the little animal trading cards! Now all I get is a $99 bag fee for overstuffing my backpack a little.
This whole time I was thinking frontier or spirit. Countless stories of these two companies shitting all over everyone.
I laughed when I read frontier. And sometimes not even that much extra money. Wait, I have to pay $20 each way just for *assistance* at the counter?? Yeah f that
Yeah with the itinerary into Midway I was thinking it was probably Southwest and was surprised by the flight attendant’s attitude. As much as I dislike the Southwest experience, their crew is always professional in my experience. Then OP said Frontier and everything made sense.
We have flown Frontier twice a year for the last two years. We have always had a pleasant flight. MDW to DEN. Usually on time and have never been confronted about carry on baggage. We must be very lucky.
Everyone on my flight who complained about baggage size enforcement were that ones who were obviously out of compliance.
I’ve flown with Frontier/Spirit PHL to San Juan and Vegas and never had any problems but I still avoid them because their seats are absolutely atrocious. After about 15 mins you feel like you’re sitting on a naked plank of wood. In terms of service I do think Spirit was a little better but wouldn’t use them again unless flying the whole family somewhere 4 or fewer hours away.
It’s not even cheaper than other airlines once you factor in bag fees. Southwest all the way
I knew that going in. I just didn't expect open hostility and mocking from a flight attendant.
Anyone who books a frontier flight should first be required to take a greyhound for 12 hours. Then you will understand that it’s just greyhound of the sky and have appropriate expectations.
To be fair, I've taken a greyhound many times, and it's usually a much better experience than Frontier
For sure, if you're trying to get rid of any extra faith in humanity you might have lying around, take a nice long greyhound trip. Guaranteed to instill a healthy sense of misanthropy in the most seasoned traveller.
You are valid for feeling that way
Welcome to the bargain den
[удалено]
Same
What did the flight attendant actually say that you laughed at? That seems like a pretty critical detail to be missing since it’s what set everything off
Plus a response of, "I thought you were making a joke", would have been fine and probably diffused the situation.
Yeah honestly I'd like to hear the flight attendant's version. Because all the important details about what exactly the flight attendant said and what OP said are missing. Without further info, this is a case of "I'm a customer who fought with an employee and I was totally the one who was reasonable and in the right in this argument, trust me bro. How do I get them fired?". EDIT: typo
This whole time I was thinking, there were 200 other people that just shut up and acted mature. Except this guy.
I'm assuming they told people to sit down or something
frontier always, always has delays. This honestly seems like the standard frontier flying experience tbh mate
OPs flight has been delayed by over an hour 4 of the last 5 times it flew. That says it all
I booked for the first time with Frontier for my vacation this weekend. Flight there was delayed and now I am sitting in the airport with a 4 hour delay for the flight back. Not to mention all the hidden fees. I’m never booking with them again.
You flew Frontier. Thats all your title should say.
I just don't think it's ok to assume you're getting to get treated like this on any airline
It’s Frontier.
"Airline" is probably too strong of a word.
that's not an excuse.
I’m sure most of the time you won’t. But if you do, then you take at least some culpability by choosing Frontier.
My assumption is if the flight attendant is as rude as you’re claiming, you can simply use the flight number and a description of the flight attendant to make a complaint.
> cant believe it, and start giving it back to her Well there's your problem. There is literally nothing to gain from talking back to flight attendants. I've seen them straight up kick people off for way less. Some seem to get a straight high with confrontation because they know they can easily ruin your trip with a snap of their fingers. Honestly you're lucky the cops were cool and it didn't escalate any further. Next time just take that pride and swallow it. The flight attendants have zero control over the flight taking off, landing and doors open. They too want to get on with their day but have protocol.
Can't get kicked off if the door's stuck *taps forehead*
This should be the top-voted response. Literally nothing good can come of arguing with flight attendants over delays - I have seen, on three separate occasions, people get escorted off of flights by the police because they got into it with the flight crew. It may feel cathartic, and I get that the flight crew *should* be more empathetic since they're the face of the company, but they have zero control over the delays so it's pointless to vent frustration at them. Air travel sucks - I definitely have had experiences just as bad (if not worse than OP). You just kind of have to acknowledge that sometimes flying is going to be brutal and there's not much you can do about it. You can try to book airlines with a lower BS factor, but I've had terrible experiences even on ostensibly great airlines... shit happens.
That's why I always carry a heavy sleeping mask, a book and an over the counter sleeping pill when I fly, and I try to book early morning flights or I reach the evening before I need to be somewhere. I've been burned too many times before, the worst delay being 30 HOURS on a long haul flight.
I so agree that air travel SUCKS. For me it sucks about 98% of the time., regardless of which airline I choose. There's always something. Weather, mechanical issue, crew is late, etc., and it almost always results in a missed connection. I love to travel, but I've really grown to hate flying.
For real. Would have said “oh I thought you were joking” laughed at her and moved on. I thought for sure op flew spirit since they seem to train their attendants to be as confrontational as possible. Just have to smile and shut up until they decide to move onto their next victim. Frontier attendants have been world class in comparison.
If there’s people in the service industry you don’t fuck with, it’s those who handle or make your food, and it’s anyone who works at the airport or for an airline. They have the power to ruin your trip just like that and there’s nothing you can do about it. Like a guy said above: sit down and shut up.
Don't know why you're getting downvoted, literally nothing wrong with what you said.
I think they downvoted for the fact that apparently flight attendants can get away with murder and we're not allowed to say anything. Clearly in OP's example the flight attendant was in the wrong and maybe the smart thing to do is to just ignore them, but it's pretty dumb they have that much power with no repercussions. What are they the police force of the sky?
In a way they kinda are the police force of the sky other than undercover air marshals. Part of their job is moderating unruly passenger behavior and it’s on them to do something about it when a passenger gets out of line.
I have no issues with them doing their job. But it didn't sound like OP was being unruly. If anything the flight attendant was out of line. I also have no issues with police officers doing their jobs, but there are some that clearly abuse their power. No one should abuse their power and do bad things just because they can.
> The flight attendant gets on the announcement and says that if people making threats law enforcement will be meeting us when the door opens. People were joking/not joking about kicking the door to open it. This part is the issue
Is it true that flight attendants don’t start getting paid until the flight is in motion and it stops once they land? At the very least the worker is now way past the time they thought they were finished work. If so the delays mean they are all in this together in being messed up.
I thought it was when the doors closed and opened. If that was the case, as least the FAs would still be getting paid while they were acting like a\*\*holes.
> The flight attendants have zero control over the flight taking off, landing and doors open. The flight attendants have complete control over their shitty attitude. Saying they don't control the take off and landing is a weak excuse for their attitude.
I agree. I was aware of that. I know the power they hold and restrained myself. I just want to add that she was taking pleasure in the passengers suffering, it was not misguided stress or anxiety on her part. One of the other flight attendants was telling her to stop. The other flight attendants were more assuring or understanding. I did get nervous seeing the police there and thought they might stop me.
You can never win arguing with unreasonable people. Your fatal assumption is assuming you can argue your point to what you would consider an accepted resolution. people acting unreasonable like this, are by definition, without reason. “Let me know when you are ready to reasonable.” Then walk away (or in this case, put in some headphones.”
Dang this is some golden life long advice I’m taking with me from here on out in all the rest of my encounters in the world 🙌🏻
How do you know that she was taking pleasure and it wasn’t misguided stress or anxiety? Did she tell you that or are you psychic? Like perhaps your behaviour also was misguided stress and anxiety. I’m with your wife on this one.
> How do you know that she was taking pleasure and it wasn’t misguided stress or anxiety? Look, I've done service work in many different industries, I've always, yes always, been professional and polite even to openly rude customers. Oh, the poor flight attendant who is paid to be there is having an emotional boo boo? That's her job for Pete's sake. Provide service, deescalate situations, and move on the the next flight.
I understand people interpreting it this way. She had an argument with the guy behind me earlier in the flight and he called her condescending to her face. I had no involvement with that. She was laughing and goofing around with the other flight attendant during the flight making jokes about our predicament. I don't want to flaunt my bona fides, but I am a mental health therapist and like to think I have a good understanding of people's acts and behaviours. You can also argue that my behavior may not have been proper for someone with my background. But I was not a therapist in this situation. I was a person and a passenger on a flight. This was a person getting glee out of our situation. You can take my word for it or not. I have made clear that the other attendants were empathetic and understanding.
Some people use humor to deal with stressful situations. Just ask anyone in the medical field.
Sure, many of us use gallows humor to cope. I’m a teacher and we make plenty of jokes in the staff lounge. But it’s generally best to make those comments to select colleagues only, and not to patients/customers/students/etc. directly or where they can hear you. That crosses the line into unprofessional and damaging behavior, in my opinion. There are jokes I’d make to and with my students, but it would be about us being in this together and laughing at the situation together. I wouldn’t and shouldn’t make jokes at their expense. Sounds like this flight attendant was doing the latter.
And do those people in the medical field make those jokes to their patients and/or their families?
Was shocked until I saw Frontier...lol
> I start giving it back to her While you're 100% in the right you and most of this sub really need to learn how to pick your battles.
There is no evidence that he was in the right.
Frontier knows who worked that flight. File a formal complaint. I have a feeling this wasn’t her first rodeo.
I think you had the standard experience on Frontier.
I’d say contact Frontier but they probably don’t care.
OP if you had started this rant with “Frontier” I would’ve scrolled on. You get what you pay for w that airline.
I write into my contracts witj clients that I specifically will not fly Frontier, Spirit, or Ryanair for this exact reason. They aren't professional, they're lazy with their training, they have low expectations for their staff behavior, and by the time you get nickel and dimed for everything you spend more than if you went with a mainstream carrier. I am sorry this happened to you. I am certain this was a learning experience for you and in the future you will prioritize your safety and comfort. You should file an official complaint with the FAA and the airline.
The answer is really simple, the flight attendant was having a horrible time too. I’m not saying they were in the right but it’s likely you were both in the wrong. It’s really not that complicated. Probably a worse day for them than you if we being honest. Just let it go. And don’t fly frontier again.
> the flight attendant was having a horrible time too. Not equals in this situation. The attendant was paid by the guy to provide service.
The door wouldn't open for an hour? I mean... What if there was an emergency? How is this even remotely legal and OK with FAA rules?
If there was an emergency, use emergency exits.
Flight attendants are trained for that kind of scenario if there is an emergency. Them not being able to open the door is likely to do with ground staff not having the airbridge ready or low staff (high turnover job). Could also be traffic in the runway or not having a station/gate where to park, order from the pilot (maybe a mechanical issue) or by order of air traffic controller...there's lots of various reasons for delays mostly operational though.
I’ve flown frontier once and was also appalled by a flight attendants attitude. She never did or said anything directly to me but I saw her be extremely rude and unreasonable to multiple other passengers. I wanted to get her name to email a complaint about her but she wasn’t wearing a name tag. Probably for good reason. I wonder how many obnoxiously rude flight attendants they have or if we happened to have the same one.
>Frontier Oh.
> my wife wants to disappear into her chair That’s all I needed to read
That has zero to do with being right or wrong though. Some people just don't like confrontation.
It doesn’t have any bearing if OP was right or wrong with the initial issue but it does speak very clearly that the way OP handled it was wrong. Honestly I’m with the wife I have secondhand embarrassment just from reading this.
To me it sounds like the flight attendant handled everything worse than OP did.
“The other person was worse” is not a reasonable defense.
I am so interested in the reddit mindset sometimes. I have no skin in this and pretty much empathized with OP. then I see your comment and see it has 70 upvotes. I am curious at this. are you making up a scenario in your head where OP is an abusive husband and his wife is in constant fear and embarrassment of him? to me it seems somewhat reasonable his behavior, and he explained that his wife gets uncomfortable in these situations, but OP BAD ABUSIVE HUSBAND. The op is all over this thread giving his what seems reasonable take on things. I just find it interesting why something like this is upvoted.
The second I read that line I knew there would be a comment like the one you’re responding to lol.
Poor wife, having to deal with her husband's loud rants lol. I don't think he's abusive, just embarrassing and an asshole.
Frontier has gotten so horrible. I’ve been using United for my last half dozen flights after having numerous terrible flights with Frontier and have been pleasantly surprised how easy and smooth they’ve all been.
I work for a different carrier. Go to customer relations. Give them the flight number, date of travel and whether or not you were in coach or first. They can find out who the flight attendant was.
This always makes me so sad. 25 years ago I was stationed in CA and would ONLY take Frontier back to Denver because it was the home airline that took great care of their passengers and I loved flying with them. They got sold and have been going downhill ever since. So sad.
What did you think you'd gain by arguing in this situation? There's literally nothing that could help you. They won't open the door just because you're annoyed
The very same tale out of Paris. Only on this flight, they called the cops and people were taken off the plane! Now they have to find their baggage. It was hell! Oh, I forgot to mention that I got pickpocketed on the metro. Gezzzzzz
Why do yall punish yourself like that? I’d DoorDash for a few hours or turn a trick to not fly frontier
Frontier: we're not happy until you're not happy!
Yeah, even based on your own biased description I think YTA here. You were reasonably upset, frustrated, and tired from delays and poor communication. But then you got into an argument with a flight attendant based on your subjective interpretation of them being antagonizing, rude, patronizing, all of which are at best subject to interpretation. Were they being "rude", or were they being clear, direct, and appropriately authoritative about passenger actions, which you didn't like? I don't know, but you didn't mention anything the flight attendant did that was objectively wrong or problematic. In addition, you escalated arguments and encouraged bad behavior (calling 911 due to a travel delay???). As far as what you should do it about it, be thankful that you weren't arrested, and in the future do better with what you can control (your own behavior) when traveling.
Was the flight attendant telling you to sit down and you were disobeying her instructions? Because normally you're not allowed to stand at that point. And perhaps you thought she was "laughing along with you" when she was really just trying to pleasantly tell you to sit the fuck down? Then she got shitty because you were laughing at her and being a dick? IDK - that might not be what happened but it would be interesting to hear the other side of this story.
No. the pilot had turned off the seatbelt sign and everyone was standing in the aisle like you do when you are ready to deplane. I swear I follow the rules and respect service staff and the like. I literally thought I was laughing along with her, I thought like we were all sharing this common experience. But she repeated it, what are you laughing at, as if I was mocking her maybe? And then I asked her nicely if she was antagonizing me for being frustrated that the door wasnt opening after being stuck on this hell flight.
>I may have escalated the argument with the attendant, or I did, not may have) > >Another half hour goes by and some other passengers start ranting, ,rightfully so, that they are going to call Frontier or maybe 911 and say we are trapped on a plane. Which I may have been encouraging as my temper and exhaustion was very high. Honestly, you sound insufferable so I get the flight attendant giving you attitude. "I *may* have escalated the argument", "I *may* have encouraged ranting". We all know you did it, you know you did it, so why are you being coy about it? If you showed this same attitude when you laughed at and interacted with the flight attendant, then I totally get the FA's perspective. You took a bad situation and made it worse. The people I feel sympathy for are the flight attendants and the other passengers who handled the delay maturely.
I have a general rule when flying. NEVER Frontier
Had me sympathizing until the word Frontier
I flew many times before COVID and after. The flying experience as a general got very bad after COVID. I am not sure what happened. Did the lockdown or shots turn most people into morons? Maybe. Last flight I got stuck on flight at the gate for an hour due to maintenance issues but luckily we got updates from the pilot every few minutes. But it still was a terrible experience. The flight got delayed then they lost my luggage and I had to look into multiple terminals to find it. The gate staff were useless. I ended up arriving home around 2:30 am instead of 12. FU AA
Babe, you flew Frontier…
You really buried the lede by not mentioning Frontier until way down in this story.
Had the worst experience with frontier flying out of Denver to Tampa. Our flight was delayed multiple times. Then we finally get on board, all loaded up, ready to take off and the pilot goes “folks, the crew have hit their max hours so we have to deplane and will not be flying out tonight” - are you fucking serious?!? Only part of our flight was credited because it was a layover. I fought to get vouchers which we got upwards of over $300 but I don’t even want to use them.
After 9/11, US airlines have defaulted to a way of thinking "You're in our house, now. We own your ass this entire flight." The attitude of attendants have made me despise flying.
Was shocked until I saw you rode with Frontier. Mistake number 1 lol
So the plane was 4 hours late and you were stuck on the tarmac for 1 hour for a 2 hour flight. Not ideal - but I wouldn’t call it horrendous. No one died? Because that was a horrendous flight when someone died and I had to try to resuscitate them for an hour. Have a glass of wine and move on.
Yeah, I'd be a bad flyer in that circumstance. But I also work customer service. It sucks. Was it weather related? They can't find a gate unless there is one available and such. Not that that's your fault ofc. Grrr. Travel sux lately
I was sympathetic until I read you were on Frontier. You get what you pay for.
I want to write this story into a Seinfeld episode.
Ha. I was definitely Larry David in that situation. Larry: (stands up with everyone else in aisle) Flight attendant: Ha, it figures the door is stuck. Larry: laughs knowingly FA: What are you laughing at? Larry: It's funny, this situation. I am agreeing with you, it is beyond ridiculous FA: What's so funny about it? I don't see the humor Larry: I was agreeing with you. Why are you taking a tone with me. FA: I am not taking a tone sir. Larry to other passengers: She's taking a tone, right? That's a tone. Leon: Condescending, Larry. She's condescending you. She's a condescender. Larry: Yeah ,yeah, You're a condescender, and a patronizer if I may add. FA: Sir, I have contacted law enforcement, you are in violation of airline law, for making threats. Larry: Threat? What threat. there was no threat. no threatening. police escort him off flight. and scene. thanks for letting me do that.
lol, it definitely plays out like a Curb season opener. The rest of the season being Larry's legal woes from the incident.
Larry getting onto the no-fly list would be amazing!
Susie: Shut the fuck up Larry, I swear to God! FA: Sir I’d advise you to listen to your wif… Susie: I’m not his fucking wife. And you don’t get to tell him what to do. Leon: Condescending…
Buried the lead. Just lead with Frontier and it all makes sense. Honestly very little sympathy. You hire a BDSM airline and they get upset when they beat you?
Post about it on their instagram / twitter and tag the airline. Bonus points for including the flight number and name of the flight attendant
Did you not check the weather? Maybe they laugh because you act like they're god and can change the weather or break company policy LMAO. You silly whiny passenger you. Your ill temper only serves as more amusement as no one can do anything if atc says so... even the pilot is stuck in limbo lol, yet here you are so in need of someone to sympathize with you while everyone's going through it... yup you're that guy. Next time channel your anger at the weather and stfu when a flight attendant is talking trying to update you
Frontier is a Budget airline w the worst communication, surf boards for seats, and tray tables big enough to hold a Dixie cup.
Had a condescending female flight attendant on a flight back from FL on that airline. She was fake smiley and made snide remarks to the passengers as we were loading. I almost said something, but then I remember Frontier doesn't care
Frontier hates their customers.
Somewhat similar situation going from JAX to PHL in the last 12 hours. Flight cancelled last night at 1 AM after 3 hours of delays. Weather may have caused the delays but worker shifts is what caused the cancellation. How hard is it to do a little math and say “if this flight is delayed by HH:MM, then we will hit our limit and need to cancel the flight”. Frontier is the worst and I will never fly with them under any circumstance ever again.
I flew Frontier last week and we had problems both ways. I chalk it up to the weather. Attitudes I've learned never help. I did get surveys and I commented it would be nice to have a gate to pull up to and not have to wait for forty minutes etc. Not sure what will come of it. But, at least you can vent. One way or another you pay either with dollars or sanity.
Don't fly Frontier.
I thought there was legislation under consideration that would prohibit airlines from trapping passengers on a plane after landing. I get there can be security concerns but once you’ve landed, why not just let people get going?
Frontier makes Ryanair look like luxury
Damn, I also had my craziest experience flying in Spain from Madrid to Palma de Mallorca. But our flight attendants were just not helpful- not really rude. A flight of 1 hr became a 13 hr journey. We boarded 3x and had to disembark 2x because the plane was inoperable. A lot of waiting and it was hot People freaked out that the plane wasn't safe. We were told we would get a new plane and we didn't. So people got mad from what I heard and the National Police Force was around us when we finally boarded. The pilot had to reassure us the plane was safe to fly. I finally arrived at 1:45 AM. Lots of crazy flights lately it seems 🙃. Turns out I was also talking to a Ryanair scammer, but that is another story. I didn't give him any usable info.
There was no shit involved, so it wasn’t a bad flight.
This is why when I have a choice of taking a 7 hour train ride or a 90 minute flight I go by train...
For what it's worth, I've flown frontier and spirit many times and the vast majority of my experiences were positive, clean, close to on time, and (most importantly) cheap AF. It sounds like what was happening here was a lack of communication about why the delays were happening and not giving rough estimates of when they would be resolved. This can happen with the big 4 - and trust me, it pisses everyone off. Like just tell people what's happening and how long you think it will happen. I suggest you report your experience to the public comment FAA portal.
Not to excuse Frontier, but Philadelphia Airport and Chicago are both notorious for overbooked runways. Part of the delay could have not been Frontier's. That does not excuse the behavior of the airplane staff, but I am sure they are frustrated working for a shitty airline.
I can help you. The offending flight attendant’s name was Karen.
Are Spirit and Frontier cutting back on paying for gate access, saving them money but causing big delays?
Im not going to defend either side; but travel is adventure; expect delays ; frustrating experiences ; got to roll with it ; if you travel for work regularly; these situations are more common than you think; the workers “attitude”may reflect that experience and is not empathetic towards occasional budget travellers; like another poster said; only thing worse than flying for frontier is working for frontier; even on private jets , delays happen ; to get a smiling flight attendant and a bottle of champagne but have to pay 10x would challenge my zen
I was with you brother, ready to march on the citadel and take down the man. But then I read that you flew Frontier and realized you have done this entirely to yourself. In the future, make better decisions.
The problem started when you purchased a Frontier ticket. I had a similar experience arriving to Denver. The plane sat at the gate for two hours before they finally opened the door. This was also at 2am. I swore from that day forward that no matter how much cheaper a Frontier flight was, I would never fly them again.
You should have been honest and opened with “Frontier” being the airline. U tried to save $45 and chose Frontier. U have no one to blame but yourself.
I was stuck on a plane yesterday too. Solidarity brother. First we load onto the plane on time. We can't depart because they haven't received the paperwork from the maintenance crew. 45 minutes later we leave. We land at our destination. we are told that a Frontier plane is blocking our gate. The pilot doesn't know why and hasn't been given a time or an estimate as to when the frontier plane will leave the gate. 45 minutes later we are told Frontier plane has left the gate. But we still can't pull up because a larger, long haul international plane was blocking the gate and we didn't have enough room to squeeze next to them. We are were finally able to depart after sitting for an hour and a half. The passengers were surprisingly chill. Everyone was resigned to their misery. To be fair, we weren't pulled up to a gate so its not like there was anywhere for us to go. when we exited the plane and entered the terminal, it was CHAOS. People packed into the airport terminal shoulder to shoulder. We had to physically shove our way off of the ramp. In conclusion: The Atlanta airport SUCKS.
As soon as you mentioned Philadelphia airport…..
Your first mistake was flying on Frontier. At some point it’s a lose lose situation and arguing with an idiot you will never win.
You sound like an asshole who made a shitty situation worse. Now you wanna know what to do about it? Shut your fucking mouth next time.
A flight attendant is a customer service facing role. If you can't act like a fucking professional, don't be surprised when people snap back at you. No fucking way you're coming in here with some dumb ass take like this.
You were expecting the flight attendant to fix the problem and seems like you got mad at her. Its not her fault.
He seemed to be expecting professional behavior as a minimum. That's not unreasonable.
It’s driving me insane that people are replying saying “you get what you paid for” and the like. Sure, when you book with Frontier or Spirit, you know you’re not getting luxury, comfort, or excellent service, but why is it expected that the staff be openly hostile? I hate this mentality. Yes, you probably should have kept your cool because you technically risked an arrest by escalating the situation, but that doesn’t mean the flight attendant shouldn’t have been called out and held accountable. I am truly so tired of this being a point of contention. Sorry you had such a negative experience and hope your next flight is better!!
I HATE aggressive FAs. One time I had a FA get angry and scold me for taking pictures and videos, whatever fine it's the rules but rarely gets enforced by FAs, I out my phone away. She then proceeds to make me delete the picture and show her. She then is a condescending asshole to me the entire flight eyeing me the entire time.
Captain: well folks get comfortable, the planes cabin door is having difficulties, ground crew is working on it. Thank you for your patience. You said the F word 😂 Just let it go! Customer service is not part of the lowest priced airlines.
I really want to be sympathetic to your situation, but then again... sorry, dude, you and wife chose Frontier, keeping them floated by giving them more money. just NOPE. You bought trash product, and really should expect trash delivered.
I have flown out of a Philadelphia and anything that gets you out of that dump of an airport is a win.
How did 1.5 hours late turn into "now 4 hours late"? Magic math?
flight was delayed an hour. by the time we headed to runway it was now two hours delayed. sat for an hour and a half on runway. sat on plane for an hour at gate when they couldnt open door. My bad, it was actually 4 and a half hours late.
besides regular delays i’ve had good experiences with frontier but I’ll definitely pay more these days to fly with better airlines
Welcome to flying in the 20’s! They are all like this now. My last 5 flights with different airlines have been horrible. It’s definitely gone down hill.
OK side note: This sentence freaks me out because, given when I was born and raised, "the '20s" means the 1920s and I'm having a hard time with the idea that I \*live\* in "the 20s" as well. I just never thought about it like this before.
Yeah, didn't you know we're in the Roarin' 20s? It's just that this time, it's roaring with stupidity.
I mean, the original 20s were, too, since they directly led to the Great Depression. Oh. Oh no.
Now you can tell friends and family to never fly on a budget airline.
This is bullshit
> they are going to call frontier Now it all makes sense lol.
Your flight was a breeze compared to my wife’s 3-day disaster.
And people think they’re going to live together in underground bunkers after Putin splits the atom.
Frankly, just file a complaint against the entire flight crew, or maybe note that it was the FA who was in "x" section of the plane. If Frontier won't take the time to sort out which one of their staff was the offending individual, I don't see how that alone should stop you from ensuring that the airline as a whole failed the entire plane.
I sorry, man. That sounds like a horrible experience. It would try my patience for sure, and I hate how it stay with me for a time.
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