Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle has suggested eliminating jet bridges from airports to enhance aircraft turnaround times and improve fleet utilization. Speaking at the Barclays 42nd Annual Industrial Select Conference, Biffle highlighted the benefits of ground loading, a practice already implemented in some of Frontier’s operations.
Biffle explained, “Now, we just opened a ground loading facility in Denver, which is 14 positions. We’ve done this before in other cities, but now we’re starting to do it at scale. So one of the things that we’re going to do over the next few years is we’re gonna try to get as close to 100% ground loading as possible.”
He pointed out that European ultra-low-cost carriers like Wizz Air and Ryanair rarely use jet bridges. According to Biffle, “A jet bridge… it’s just the kiss of death when you’re trying to turn an airplane really, really fast. If you have front and rear boarding, you literally double the speed that people get on and off the planes and so this is a huge cost savings opportunity.”
Jet bridges come with fees and can become bottlenecks during passenger transfers. However, they offer advantages such as protection from weather conditions and easier access for passengers with mobility issues.
Despite these benefits, many U.S. airports manage without jet bridges for every flight. Airports like Bellingham International Airport (BLI), Boise International Airport (BOI), Portland International Airport (PDX), and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) operate some gates without them.
Tony Bean, Director of Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport, noted in a December 2023 interview with Lewiston Tribune that their new terminal’s jet bridges were about improving quality of life for passengers.
Frontier Airlines’ move aligns with practices seen among other low-cost carriers who operate efficiently even under challenging weather conditions.
