Although no commercial airline flights are taking off at the moment at Trenton-Mercer Airport, Frontier Airlines will soon be back in action, with new ownership and expanded service. The airline plans to add nonstop service to Cincinnati and Charlotte, both beginning February 12.
The addition of these two cities brings Frontier’s total nonstop destinations served from Trenton-Mercer Airport to 11: Atlanta; Charlotte; Chicago-Midway; Cincinnati; Columbus; Detroit; Fort Lauderdale; Fort Myers; Orlando; Raleigh-Durham; and Tampa.
Frontier suspended flights at the airport September 9 due to runway work and is expected to resume Friday, November 8. Meanwhile, the airport is building new amenities including more parking, improved baggage service, increased capacity at security and a gate area featuring additional seating, restrooms and food and drinks that are expected to be finished by the time Frontier starts flying again. The airport is still open, but the construction project has made the runways too short for Frontier’s jets.
All Frontier flights from Trenton/Princeton will operate on 138-seat Airbus 319s. The runway construction project is adding “engineered material arresting system” blocks at the end of each runway. The EMAS system is designed to stop planes from skidding off the runway in the event of a crash landing.
Frontier, a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings, is in the process of being sold to a private equity group. Indigo Partners. The firm which was an early investor in low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, is paying $36 million cash for the airline and will take on $109 million of Frontier’s debt.
Indigo Partners executives told the press they planned to build Frontier as a nationwide low-cost airline much like Spirit or Allegiant. To celebrate the expanded service, Frontier is offering fares to Cincinnati and Charlotte as low as $39 each way through October 20.
Frontier is the only airline providing scheduled service out of Trenton-Mercer.
Frontier Airlines Trenton/Mercer Airport, West Trenton 08628; www.flyfrontier.com.
