Frontier Airlines Boarding Zones & Process — Everything You Need To Know

Frontier Airlines is a low-cost carrier based in Denver, Colorado. It has an extensive flight network throughout the U.S., mostly to smaller cities and airports, with service to several locations in Mexico and the Caribbean. It is straightforward about its pricing (everything costs extra), it has super low fares (think $19 and up), and its flight crews are generally very friendly.

As long as you can accept that things might go wrong and you have a plan for dealing with it if they do, flying with Frontier can be a great way to save some money.

If you do end up booking a Frontier flight, your best bet is to be prepared. Here’s one way to do that — let’s take a look at the boarding procedures on Frontier Airlines so you’re ready to get up in the air.

Frontier Airlines Boarding Zones

Boarding with Frontier Airlines is actually pretty simple. The process begins with boarding passengers who need extra assistance first, followed by FRONTIER Miles elite members and people who have purchased priority boarding. Then families are allowed to board, and finally the rest of the passengers through general boarding.

One oddity in the process is that general boarding on Frontier Airlines is actually a zone of one or more sub-groups, depending on the number of passengers.

The general boarding sub-groups are boarded in order by rows, starting from the back of the plane and going toward the front.

Here are the details of who is eligible to board with each zone on Frontier Airlines:

Special Services

• Passengers needing a wheelchair or other boarding assistance
• Unaccompanied minors

Board First

• Passengers who purchase a carry-on bag
• Passengers who purchase Premium or Business bundles
• Elite Diamond members

Zone 1 Boarding

• Passengers who purchase a carry-on bag
• Elite Gold members, plus Platinum members and their travel companions

Courtesy Boarding

• Families traveling with small children (under 3 years old)
• Other passengers requiring additional time or assistance

Zone 2 Boarding

• Passengers who purchase Zone 2 boarding
• Elite Silver members and their travel companions

General Boarding – Zone 3, and 4 (Called in Order)

• All other passengers

Boarding Notes

Like most airlines, Frontier begins its boarding process 30 minutes prior to departure, but it shortens the process with fewer zones and have a goal of final boarding at 20 minutes out.

As a result of this abbreviated timing, Frontier plans to close the boarding doors 15 minutes prior to departure.

Most other airlines close the doors at the 10-minute mark, but if you are expecting that and arrive at the gate with 10 minutes to go for a Frontier flight, you very well could be denied boarding. The doors will have closed 5 minutes before you got there!

Hot Tip: Make sure to complete your check-in and print your boarding pass at home before your flight to avoid lines at the airport. Also, if you use the Frontier Airlines mobile app (iOS, Android), you can get your mobile boarding pass on your phone once you are checked in.

How To Build Up Your FRONTIER Miles Balance

It’s great to be at the airport and board a flight at any time, but it’s even better to board a flight that you didn’t have to pay for!

Paying for tickets and flying with Frontier Airlines is the most straightforward way to earn miles in its FRONTIER Miles loyalty program. But if you’re looking to fly free as quickly as possible, this isn’t the fastest way to earn.

Frontier also has a limited network of partners that you can earn miles with. These partners include car rental companies, hotels, cruises, and a few online shopping sites — but again, you won’t earn free flights very quickly with these partners unless you do a lot of business with them.

By far the easiest way to earn miles with Frontier Airlines is with its Frontier Airlines World Mastercard^®. The card is issued by Barclays and has some features that make it great for families.

Frontier Airlines World Mastercard^®

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Frontier Airlines World card helps you earn more miles, receive automatic elite status, and get perks like free checked bags.

Frontier Airlines World Mastercard^®

The Frontier Airlines World card helps you earn more miles, receive automatic elite status, and get perks like free checked bags.

Welcome Offer

Earn up to 60,000 Travel Miles. Earn 40,000 Travel Miles after spending $500 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days of account opening. Earn 20,000 Travel Miles after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 180 days.

Up to 60,000 miles

Annual Fee

$99

APR

20.24% to 29.99% variable

Why We Like This Card

The Frontier Airlines World card is a great option for frequent Frontier Airlines flyers to make flights more rewarding, help save money, and earn more miles on Frontier flights.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Earn 5x miles on Frontier purchases
• Earn 3x miles on dining purchases
• Receive Frontier Gold Elite status after your first purchase in the initial 90 days (terms apply)

Cons

• Charges an annual fee
• The miles you earn can only be redeemed with Frontier

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Card Highlights

• Earn up to 60,000 Travel Miles. Earn 40,000 Travel Miles after spending $500 on purchases and paying the annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days of account opening. Earn 20,000 Travel Miles after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 180 days
• Earn 5x miles on Frontier purchases
• Earn 3x miles on dining purchases
• Unlock instant Elite Gold status after first purchase with your card for 90 days, and keep it for 12 months by spending $3,000 in 90 days from account opening
• Earn 1 Elite Status Point for every $1 spent on purchases
• Get 2 free checked bags on all Frontier flights
• Complimentary Zone 2 priority boarding
• Award redemption fee waiver when you book an award ticket and use your Frontier Airlines World Mastercard to pay the related taxes and fees, starting from $5.60 for a one-way ticket
• 0% introductory APR for 15 months on balance transfers made within 45 days of account opening. After that, a variable APR will apply 20.24% to 29.99%, based on your creditworthiness and other factors. There is a fee for balance transfers
• No blackout dates and no foreign transaction fees
• Earn a $100 flight voucher every account anniversary after spending $2,500 or more on purchases with your card during your card membership year

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.24% to 29.99% variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: 

An interesting feature of this card is that you can spend your way to elite status, including all the way up to the top-tier Elite Diamond status in the FRONTIER Miles program. No other airline credit card lets you do that — and if you fly a lot with Frontier, this can be a great value.

Hot Tip: Although it would take a combination of 100,000 miles earned through spending and flying to reach the top tier elite status, the lowest level elite status with FRONTIER only requires a total of 10,000 miles. Elite Silver gets you free seat selection, priority boarding, family pooling, and waived change/cancellation fees. That’s a great value, even if you only fly with Frontier a few times a year (and a fairly easy number of miles to hit).

Final Thoughts

By following what we’ve outlined and learning how Frontier’s boarding will work before you get to the airport, you’re already a step ahead of the game.

Frontier is definitely a low-cost carrier … but if you know what you’re doing, it can be a great way to get where you are going and save some money along the way.