Is Frontier Airlines’ UpFront Plus Seat Worth It? [Review]

Flying with Frontier Airlines is usually about getting from Point A to Point B cheaply, often at the expense of comfort. But UpFront Plus seating offers more comfort with extra legroom, guaranteed elbow space, extra underseat storage, and a spot at the front of the cabin.

I recently tried an UpFront Plus seat on a Frontier A321neo, which I got as a free upgrade with my Elite Gold status with Frontier Miles. It was much larger and gave me more personal space than my husband’s standard economy seat a few rows behind me.

Here’s what I learned from my UpFront Plus experience, and whether paying extra for UpFront Plus is worth it.

What Is UpFront Plus?

Frontier Airlines launched UpFront Plus as a premium seating option in 2024. UpFront Plus seats are in the first 2 rows of the aircraft, and the middle seat in each row is blocked so passengers in the aisle and window seats have more personal space.

Seats in the UpFront Plus rows also have more legroom than standard economy rows, as the pitch in UpFront Plus is 36 to 38 inches compared to the 30-to-32-inch pitch of regular rows.

It’s not a separate cabin or a notably different experience like you’d expect in first class on other airlines. You’re still in a 3-3 layout without power or lie-flat reclining, and you don’t get additional amenities such as free food or drinks. It’s more about extra comfort and space with more legroom and elbow room than a luxury experience.

How I Scored UpFront Plus for Free

I have the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard^®, which offers instant Elite Gold status after the first purchase on the card within 90 days. You can keep Elite Gold status for 12 months by spending $3,000 in the first 90 days.

I met the spending threshold for Elite Gold status, which offers benefits including a free carry-on bag, Zone 1 boarding, and a preferred seat at booking. At check-in, Elite Gold members can upgrade for free to a premium seat. But the real seating benefit is the free upgrades to UpFront Plus within 4 hours of departure.

After checking in, I had a seat I liked at the window in row 3, but I pulled up the Frontier Airlines app on my way to the airport and noticed an UpFront Plus window seat in row 2. All I had to do was change my seat selection, and it was mine for free.

This was the first time I’d seen the UpFront Plus seats available within the 4-hour window, as they’d all been reserved by other passengers on the flights I’d previously taken as an Elite Gold member.

My Experience With Frontier Airlines’ UpFront Plus

I sat in 2F on a Frontier Airlines A321neo. Only the first 2 rows of these aircraft offer UpFront Plus, so there are 8 UpFront Plus seats per flight.

I was very close to the front of the airplane, which made it easy to get in and out during boarding and deplaning.

The best part about UpFront Plus was the blocked middle seat. Frontier seats are tight, with widths between 16.5 and 19.1 inches, depending on the aircraft and where you sit. That matters less in UpFront Plus, where no one is crammed into the middle seat. Having more personal space and a buffer between me and the passenger in the aisle seat was great.

The other great thing about UpFront Plus is the legroom. Seats in UpFront Plus have a pitch of 36 to 38 inches, which is much larger than the 30 to 32 inches on a standard economy seat. I usually put my feet under my backpack on Frontier flights, but I didn’t have to do that in my UpFront Plus seat.

My husband sat in a standard economy seat in row 4, and his space was much more limited, though he was lucky not to have a middle seatmate, either.

Overall, his space was more cramped than mine.

Another bonus I wasn’t expecting but found useful was extra underseat storage. With the middle seat free, my seatmate and I could use the underseat space between us for additional storage. I didn’t use it on this flight, but having that extra space can be nice, especially if the overhead bins fill up.

Row 2 is definitely the superior UpFront Plus selection. Row 1 has no underseat storage because it’s at the bulkhead wall. In the second row, I got a double window seat, an excellent spot to view an Orlando sunset during landing.

Other than the extra breathing room, storage space, and front-of-cabin placement, there’s not much else that’s special about UpFront Plus seats. There’s some upgraded stitching and a blue stripe on the back of the seat, but it’s still a slimline economy seat designed for weight savings, not plush comfort.

The tray table was small, like the ones on other seats in the cabin.

The mesh-and-bungee seatback pocket was just like any other on the plane, and it was not meant for storing anything but literature.

Is UpFront Plus Worth the Upgrade?

I upgraded to UpFront Plus for free using my Elite Gold status, so it was a no-brainer to spend nothing but a few extra moments moving my seat to a more comfortable spot.

Pricing is dynamic for UpFront Plus seat upgrades and can be as low as $49. There’s wide-open availability and an upgrade price of $76 for my upcoming flight to Denver. We’ll see if any of those seats are still available 4 hours before the flight, when I can select one for free.

I wouldn’t pay $76 per seat to upgrade to UpFront Plus, though I might consider it for $49 if I’m expecting a stressful flight or flying for more than a couple of hours. I might appreciate the extra space more in the late evening or early morning, when I don’t have the energy to deal with typical Frontier shenanigans.

Final Thoughts

I had an enjoyable and comfortable experience in Frontier Airlines’ UpFront Plus seat. Would I pay extra for it? I won’t say never, but probably not. I typically take short, cheap flights on Frontier, and paying significantly more for a premium seat selection defeats the purpose of flying with an ultra-low-cost carrier like Frontier.

I’m glad I could upgrade for free with my Elite Gold status, and I’ll be sure to check for more free upgrades on upcoming flights. I’m much more likely to try to maintain my Elite Gold status, which gives me a chance at a free upgrade to UpFront Plus on any Frontier flight, than I am to pay cash for the upgrade on a single flight.