How My Family of 5 Booked Round-Trip Flights for $125 Total

It might sound like a pricing error to fly a family of 5 anywhere for $125 round-trip — but that’s exactly what I did, and it’s something I could realistically do again.

My family of 5 flew nonstop from Houston (IAH) to Orlando (MCO) and back for $125 total. That wasn’t per person, but the price for 3 adult and 2 kid fares, round-trip. It wasn’t a flash sale or mistake fare, either. It was the result of stacking Frontier’s Discount Den pricing with the Kids Fly Free promotions on a well-priced route, on the right days.

A few perks from my Frontier elite status and credit card helped us stick to the base fare, but the core of this deal came down to timing, nonstop routes, and understanding how Frontier’s pricing works.

Here’s how it all came together.

How We Booked a $125 Frontier Trip for 5

I’ve booked plenty of cheap Frontier flights over the years, but this one was exceptionally good. It was a near-perfect combination of low base fares, off-peak travel dates, and eligibility for the Kids Fly Free promotion.

Here’s exactly what we booked:

• Route: Houston to Orlando, nonstop on Frontier Airlines
• Timing: Wednesdays in early December
• Travelers: 3 adult Discount Den fares (including a teen), and 2 kids
• Total cost: $125.88, including taxes and fees

Frontier operates multiple daily flights to Orlando, but nonstop flights are key if you’re aiming for the lowest price. Kids Fly Free only applies to nonstop flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which also tend to be some of Frontier’s cheapest days to fly.

Why This Wasn’t a One-Time Deal

This was the cheapest flight my family has ever taken, but it wasn’t a unicorn deal. After booking, I checked additional dates and routes to see how repeatable this pricing really was.

At the end of January, for example, we could fly back to Orlando for $116 total — again, nonstop on Wednesdays, paying for 3 adults and getting 2 kids free.

I also checked flights to Denver (DEN) and found and even lower total: $113 round-trip for all 5 of us. The same rules applied — nonstop on Wednesdays, with Kids Fly Free stacked on top of Discount Den pricing.

I found similar deals on other well-priced routes from Houston, including Los Angeles (LAX), Atlanta (ATL), Miami (MIA), Chicago (ORD), Phoenix (PHX), and Tampa (TPA), with fares as low as $19 one-way.

All of these examples were from my home airport (IAH), but Frontier’s flight deals page makes it easy to spot cheap routes from other cities. Enter your origin airport, set a low budget (I used $20), and leave the destination open to see all qualifying routes. Be sure to click “View More” at the bottom, since Frontier lists destinatinos alphabetically, and the good stuff often hides farther down the page.

Getting a cheap family flight on Frontier isn’t about luck — it’s about knowing when Frontier’s pricing and promotions align.

How Frontier’s Kids Fly Free Promotion Works

Finding a low fare was key to scoring a cheap flight, but getting 2 of our fares free with Kids Fly Free certainly helped. That said, the promotion comes with plenty of rules:

• You must book on flyfrontier.com (not the app or third-party sites)
• You must be a Discount Den member, which costs $99.99 for new members and $59.99 for renewals.
  • Elite Platinum members get 50% off
  • Elite Diamond members get a free membership
• You must book Discount Den fares.
• Flights must be domestic, nonstop, round-trip, and travel must fall on on qualifying Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
• Kids must be 14 or younger.
• You get 1 free kid fare per adult Discount Den fare.
• The discount only applies to airfare only — not bags, seats, taxes, or fees.
• Kids Fly Free fares do not earn Frontier Miles.

You can find Kids Fly Free fares by searching for domestic, round-trip flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Look for the red banner with “Kids Fly Free” to identify qualifying dates, then select nonstop flights.

How I Booked Our $125 Flight

Here is the exact approach I used:

1. I started with an off-peak travel window in early December, between Thanksgiving and the holidays.
2. I searched Tuesdays and Wednesdays only, which tend to have the lowest fares and qualify for Kids Fly Free.
3. I filtered for nonstop flights, since connections don’t qualify.
4. I selected Discount Den fares, skipping bundled options.
5. I booked 3 adults and 2 kids, entering birthdates so the discount applied.
6. I confirmed at checkout that the Kids Fly Free pricing was reflected.

By structuring the booking around Kids Fly Free rules, I turned an already cheap fare into a $125 round-trip flight for 5 people.

How We Avoided Paying Extra for Seats and Bags

Avoiding add-ons was just as important as finding a cheap fare.

We skipped paid seat assignments and relied on Frontier’s family seating policy, which seats kids under 14 with an adult at no extra charge. In practice, this hasn’t always happened automatically for us, but we’ve had success messaging customer service after check-in if seats weren’t assigned together.

We also avoided bag fees. Each of us packing a personal item that fit under the seat, with plans to do laundry at our destination.

On the way home, I did bring a carry-on and a checked bag filled with souvenirs and Christmas gifts, but I didn’t pay for either. My Frontier Airlines World Mastercard^® covered the checked bag, and my Frontier Miles Elite Gold Status covered the carry-on.

By sticking to personal items outbound and leveraging card and status benefits on the return, we kept this booking as bare bones (and cheap) as possible.

When Kids Fly Free Makes Sense (And When It Doesn’t)

Kids Fly Free can be a fantastic deal if you:

• Have at least 1 kid 14 or younger
• Can travel midweek
• Live near an airport with multiple nonstop Frontier routes
• Can skip seat selection and pack light
• Plan to use Discount Den multiple times

With kids of qualifying age and a flexible schedule, my family is in the sweet spot for snapping up these dirt-cheap fares. The more we book Kids Fly Free fares, the more my Discount Den membership pays for itself.

Kids Fly Free is less appealing if you:

• Need weekends or peak-date travel
• Want seat assignments at booking
• Need carry-on or checked bags
• Live somewhere with limited Frontier service
• Won’t use Discount Den beyond one trip

In those cases, a traditional airline (or booking with points and miles), may offer better value overall.

Final Thoughts

Frontier’s Kids Fly Free promotion isn’t perfect, but when the stars align, it can deliver incredible value for families. By starting with midweek, off-peak fares and layering in Discount Den and Kids Fly Free (then avoiding seat and bag fees), I booked an incredible $125 round-trip flight for 5 people. Deals like this aren’t guaranteed, but they’re far more repeatable than they seem.

For families with flexibility and qualifying kids, Kids Fly Free can turn a cheap Frontier fare into something almost unbelievable.