Frontier Wants You to ‘Divorce Your Old Airline’ After Southwest Changes

Frontier Airlines is looking to pick up fliers irked by Southwest’s latest policy changes.

The budget airline owned by Frontier Group Holdings (ULCC) on Tuesday said it would be implementing some of the things Southwest (LUV) loyalists may soon miss after the latter airline’s latest announcement. Need a hint? They start with the word “free.”

For bookings for nonstop travel between now and August 18, the company said customers can receive free seat selection, flight changes, and a carry-on bag. They can also use a promo code (“FREEBAG,” of course), they can also get a free checked bag for flights departing May 28 through August. 18, the company said. While those offers are ostensibly for a limited time, the company suggested that they might stick around.

“Think of this as the ultimate ‘divorce your old airline’ deal,” Frontier CEO Barry Biffle said in the release—which, by the way, didn’t mention Southwest by name. “If travelers show us the love, we’ll make these perks permanent.”

Major U.S. airlines have lately said they see the year as off to a slow start.

“There’s softness in consumer demand and that’s become very clear,” Biffle said earlier on CNBC, also suggesting that low-cost carriers can “win” in recessionary or consumer pullback environments. “Now we’re going to turbo charge that by giving more for less. Any kind of slowdown in the consumer will be dwarfed by what we believe this strategy could deliver for us.”

Frontier at the end of 2024 said it plans to offer more premium offerings this year, including first-class seats and free companion tickets.

The company’s shares were recently down about 3%. They’re off a bit less than 20% over the past 12 months.