To be clear, Frontier is not owned by Spirit. Frontier is owned by a private equity firm. I believe there are some folks that worked at Sprit on the management team, but there is no affiliation between the companies.

As for any disappointment over their transition to an ultra-LCC, I would offer that folks disappointed should have flown Frontier more often before, since their status as a perennial money-loser is what led them down this path in the first place.

Getting on the plane on Saturday as we sort of got stalled right inside the aircraft, the woman in front of me said aloud, "I'm so hungry". I said "well, I'm sure they'll be serving the steak and lobster soon". The pilot, standing in the cabin doorway said, "no, that was the old Frontier. This is the new Frontier where you pay $1.99 for a soft drink". I thought at the time, they have a real problem if that's what even the pilots say to customers (even though it IS true).

<i>I thought at the time, they have a real problem if that's what even the pilots say to customers (even though it IS true).</i>

Plane drivers have an inflated sense of their own importance, fed by high barriers to entry into the profession. They often will badmouth their employer and an adversarial relationship is the norm.

Most recent news about ownership of Frontier:

http://worldairlinenews.com/tag/frontier-airlines-2nd/