Starting today, Frontier is launching their GoWild! All-You-Can-Fly Pass. This pass will allow travelers to fly all they want to any place in Frontier's network starting May 2, 2023.
Before you get all excited and throw your credit card at Frontier—the temptation is real—it's worth asking if these things are worth purchasing. Are there catches? (Of course, they are.)
There are other questions to consider: Where do they fly, and if so, where do they fly from my airport? How many flights does it take to break even? Is this a normal amount of money I'd spend on flights over a given year?1
If there is one regret in I have life, its never buying an all-you-can-fly pass when I was able. (I was living abroad, okay?)
Still, we encourage keeping judgment in the window while assessing if it actually fits your lifestyle, and then enjoying with reasonable abandon. Because there's still no bigger appeal than throwing caution to the wind and randomly hopping on a flight.
It just has to make more sense over the age of 30.
Take a look at that flight map
All you can fly? It does not matter if the airline doesn't serve your local airport, or if you have an aversion to making connections (🙋).
Definitely take a look at the flight map before you book.
For instance, Frontier only serves three destinations from New York (LGA): Orlando (MCO), Atlanta (ATL) and Dallas (DFW). These are all destinations that don't get my heart racing.
It might be worth it if I'm willing to make a stop, but if I'm asking myself, and really asking myself, I usually try to avoid stops at all possible. There's a reason why I live in a large metropolitan city.
Here is a quick look at where Frontier does fly from New York City:
Frontier destinations from New York City.
Make the mental calculation of flight costs
Look, $599 is not bad. The renewal price of $1,999 per year? Meh.
On gross average, I value each domestic roundtrip flight in the vicinity of $250-300, and each international roundtrip flight to be $400-500. These err on my ability to find a good deal—which is exceptional—and on my ability to be flexible with dates.
Specifically, for Frontier's GoWild! All-You-Can-Fly Pass, it would take about three or four roundtrip flights to break even.
It's worth dividing the cost of each pass on how many domestic and/or international flights it would take to break even on the pass, your actual likely schedule, and then going from there.
Take a good look at those terms
Okay, I know you are excited, but make sure you dig into those terms to know exactly what you're getting. There are still things like blackout dates.
For instance, Frontier's GoWild! All-You-Can-Fly Pass doesn't include baggage, and the airline is notorious for having some of the stingiest baggage limits around.
If you're still undeterred, do consider that that all-you-can-fly pass doesn't count toward status or earn miles, which can make this a no-go for a lot of folks who want the flexibility of hoarding those miles.
This comes straights on the heels of Alaska Air's Flight Pass, which lets travelers book flights for a fixed monthly fee. Unfortunately, that pass is more like a regional pass that only qualifies on Alaska flights throughout California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah.
(The Alaska Air model is a little different, since travelers receive credits they can redeem for flights over a certain period of time. It's less like an all-you-can-eat buffet, and more like locking in a fixed price for each flight. This ranges from $100 to $374 per flight, depending on the perks and flexibility that you want.)
Still waiting for JetBlue to bring that pass back.
