Frontier Airlines Boarding Groups and 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., often to smaller cities and airports, with service to several airports in Mexico and the Caribbean. Its pricing is straightforward (everything costs extra), it has very low fares (think $19 and up), and its flight crews are generally friendly.

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

If you book a Frontier flight, your best bet is to be prepared. Understanding the boarding procedures on Frontier Airlines is one way to do that.

Frontier Airlines Boarding Groups

Boarding with Frontier Airlines starts with preboarding, followed by groups starting with elite status members and those who have purchased a Business or Premium bundle or Board First service. After that, boarding groups depend on elite status, whether you bought a carry-on bag or an Economy bundle, card membership, paid priority boarding, and seat selection.

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

Preboarding

• Passengers with disabilities
• Active-duty U.S. military
• Elite Diamond members
• Families traveling with small children (under 2 years old) and those traveling with a car seat or stroller

Group 1 Boarding

• Elite Platinum and Gold members
• Passengers who purchased Premium or Business bundles
• Passengers who purchased Board First

Group 2 Boarding

• Frontier Miles members who purchased an Economy Bundle or a carry-on bag

Group 3 Boarding

• All other passengers who purchased an Economy Bundle or a carry-on bag

Group 4 Boarding

• Elite Silver members who were not eligible for an earlier boarding group
• Frontier Airlines World Mastercard^® cardmembers
• Passengers who purchased priority boarding
• Passengers seated in Premium or Exit Row who were not eligible for an earlier boarding group

Group 5 Boarding

• All other Frontier Miles members

Group 6 Boarding

• Basic fare passengers seated in the rear half of the cabin

Group 7 Boarding

• Basic fare passengers seated in the front half of the cabin

Boarding Notes

Like most airlines, Frontier begins its boarding process 30 minutes before departure and aims for final boarding at 20 minutes out.

But because of its abbreviated timing, Frontier generally closes the boarding doors 15 minutes before departure. Most other airlines close the doors at the 10-minute mark, but if you arrive at the gate with 10 minutes to go for a Frontier flight, you could be denied boarding.

Hot Tip: 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 any time, but it’s even better to board a flight 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 want to fly free as quickly as possible, this isn’t the fastest way to earn. Frontier has a limited network of partners you can earn miles with. These partners include car rental companies, hotels, cruises, and a few online shopping sites. You won’t earn free flights very quickly with these partners unless you do a lot of business with them.

The easiest way to earn miles with Frontier Airlines is with the Frontier Airlines World card. Issued by Barclays, the card has 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 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 of great value.

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

Final Thoughts

You’re already ahead of the game by learning how Frontier’s boarding works before you get to the airport. If you’re prepared for Frontier’s policies, flying with this low-cost carrier can be a great way to get where you’re going and save some money along the way.