Frontier Airlines avoids jetbridges at Denver to cut costs

Biffle emphasized the benefits of this arrangement: “This agreement marks a new era for Frontier Airlines and Denver International Airport. A dedicated ground boarding facility will benefit customers by cutting in half the time for boarding and deplaning through the use of both the front and rear aircraft doors. That, in turn, will reduce our time on the ground between flights by nearly half and nearly double our number of aircraft operations per gate.”

The project was completed in October 2024 as part of several expansions at Denver Airport to improve capacity. Frontier invested $220 million in preparing its new facility for operational use.

While avoiding jetbridges may not be common in America, it is standard practice among European budget airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet. These carriers often operate from secondary airports that lack jetbridges altogether.

In Denver, Frontier faces competition from Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. Despite this competition, Frontier has expanded significantly elsewhere, particularly in Phoenix, Arizona.