The fact that I’m even making the effort to do a Frontier Airlines A320 basic economy review should tell you a lot. Of course it sucked. But you know what? It was kind of fun, and I want to talk about it.
I’m not sure what there is to actually review though. What you’re about to see is exactly the same as what you saw in my Frontier A321 basic economy review.
Perhaps it makes more sense if I call this a “trip report” rather than a review. Yeah, let’s go with that…
F94927 Denver, CO (DEN) – San Diego, CA (SAN) Friday, April 5, 2024 Aircraft: A320-214 Registration: N229FR Duration: 2 hours 13 minutes Seat: 6F (basic economy)
Frontier Airlines A320 (N229FR) side view illustration by NorebboStock.comOur route from Denver to San Diego this afternoon as F92801.
My full review trip report of Frontier Airlines A320 basic economy from Denver to San Diego
This flight to San Diego was a continuation of my journey from Orlando earlier in the day. I had approximately 1 hour in Denver to stretch my legs (and eat / frolic) before continuing on.
I suppose most people fly for legitimate reasons (to visit family, tend to business matters, etc). Me? I do it to write stupid trip reports on SANspotter.com. Welcome to Terminal A at the Denver International Airport!No beatin’ around the bush here. I’m kicking things off with a pic of gate A34 (the gate from which my flight to San Diego will be departing from). The faster we can get through this Frontier A320 review trip report, the faster I can write about something fun (like my Zipair 787-8 premium flatbed experience).This very < checks notes > peachy A320 is the one taking me home to San Diego this afternoon. I wouldn’t exactly call the gate area <checks notes again > foxy, but it was a nice looking place to hang out nonetheless. Don’t worry – my seemingly off brand vocabulary is going to make sense in a moment. I have a plan!
The boarding process for F94927 to San Diego
They didn’t waste a second getting the boarding process kicked off for this flight at gate 34. It’s almost as if they couldn’t wait to get rid of us. Perhaps we were the last flight of the day? Probably not considering that it was only 4:00 p.m. Maybe we were stinky. I don’t know.
As I was taking this pic of my mobile boarding pass, I thought that the flight number (4927) might be the highest I’ve ever had. A quick check of my flight log revealed that it wasn’t even close. The highest was 9732 (an ANA/IBEX CRJ-200 flight from Hiroshima to Tokyo Narita on October 19, 2012).Of course, I didn’t make that realization until after I got home. Here’s what I looked like walking down the jet bridge trying to figure it out from memory. It felt every bit as painful as it looks.I also believe this marks the first time ever that I’ve ever done two Frontier Airlines flights in a single day. Well, a lot can happen between now and the departure time, but let’s have some faith that this is actually going to happen.See? I told you the peachy / fox comments were gonna make sense eventually. Remember what I just said about having some faith? Moving on…Frontier Airlines A320 Basic economy. This marks the official transition into the “painful’ portion of the review trip report.“I wonder if she appreciates the fact that I wore my peach colored shirt today?” (It helps to keep your mind distracted when trudging down the aisle of an ultra low-cost airline).
The seats
I think it’s time that I start flying long haul international business class again, because I’m running out of things to say about tiny basic economy seats on ultra low-cost airlines. The cheap seats on the Frontier A320 are about as bad as they get by current day standards. If the lack of legroom doesn’t piss you off, the lack of padding certainly will.
Ain’t nothing ‘peachy’ or ‘foxy’ about these seats, that’s for damn sure.So many things to say about the seats, but the adolescent teenage boy isn’t going to let the ‘erect’ armrests thing go unnoticed.Aaaaaaand straight into a crotch shot. Legroom sucks BTW.Might as well enjoy all the manspread that I can before my seatmate shows up, right?It’s actually not a bad looking interior all things considered. Would it have killed them to go with green vinyl instead of the gray though? C’mon guys..live a little!Looks like the (tiny) armrest wasn’t so excited to see me after all.The tiny tray table is though. Now that’s a stiffy!My apologies for what this trip report as degraded into. I just can’t help it.Let’s see if we can get this back on track, shall we? Here’s a riveting picture of what you’ll see looking forward in a seated position.And this is what you’ll see as you dig for the barf bag (or something entertaining to read).While we’re looking down, I might as will show you the under seat storage space. Not too shabby actually.I’m not sure I like the way the that fox is looking at me. We better get out of here quick, because if Peachy ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.Whenever doing a Frontier Airlines trip report, it’s mandatory to make note of the critter parked next to you. That’s Luis the Axolotl over there on a shiny new A321neo. What the bloody hell is an ‘Axolotl?’
The departure
I didn’t measure it exactly, but I’m fairly certain that we drove halfway to San Diego before taking off. DEN is a monster of an airport (covering an area of 137.8 square miles). Total taxi time was 15 minutes – which, I know doesn’t seem like a lot, but it felt a lot longer than that. It was probably because of the crappy seat I was sitting in.
Looks comfy, doesn’t it? It better be, because this is DEN (where it always requires a bit of a drive to reach the runway).This looks like Kansas. Yeah, I’m pretty sure this is Kansas.I’m not even kidding about the runways being located in a different state. We can hardly even see the terminal building anymore!Can you imagine what it would’ve been like to set off on a journey from Colorado to California back in 1850? Complain about Frontier Airlines all you want, but this kicks the snot out of a 3 month journey in a covered wagon (where it’s beans and coffee for every meal).Rocky Mountain snow check: looks like board season is just about over, bro.
Food and drinks
I’ve already talked enough about the extensive food and drink items for purchase in the Fly Bar menu in past Frontier Airlines reviews. The good news? This isn’t a review. It’s a trip report.
Therefore, all I need to tell you is that I paid $4 and half dollars for a can of Diet Coke. And I enjoyed the s*** out of it all the way to San Diego.
Here we go. Ready for beans ‘n coffee!Hmm. Considering how much fiber there is in beans (and that coffee is a natural laxative), perhaps it would be wise to go for something a little less potent…Nope, Diet Coke isn’t potent at all. *burp*“Howdy there, ma’am! I reckon I’ll take a pot of them savory beans and a steamin’ cup of strong coffee to go with it. Much obliged!”There was no verbal response to that, but I could tell by the look on her face that she was trying very hard to resist telling me to get f****d.
No onboard entertainment? Not even Wi-Fi? Maybe this isn’t so different from the covered wagon experience after all.I chose to pass the time watching the little airplane move pixel by pixel in the Flighty app. It was riveting.
Seat comfort
This being a trip report and all, there’s no point in telling you that these seats have an abysmal 28″ of pitch. It would be a waste of my time to tell you that the seats themselves are only 18″ wide. That kind of useless data is reserved for boring airline reviews.
The only thing you need to know is that my ass hurt. And my left leg was starting to go numb 45 minutes in.
Status check on my fellow row 6 compadres: only one casualty so far. I think we lost her somewhere over Southern Utah.
The descent (and landing) into San Diego
All things considered, running 6 minutes behind schedule as we began descent into San Diego seemed just about right. I mean, all we hear about these days is how s****y of an airline Frontier is. How weird would it have been if we had arrived exactly on time? Or *gasp* – early??
Honestly? My butt is so numb that I probably wouldn’t even feel a thing if we plow into one of these mountains out here in East County.A quick buzz of the Air and Space Museum at Balboa Park……and we’ve arrived. Welcome to San Diego!I wonder what our forefathers felt after arriving in San Diego after a long covered wagon journey from Denver? Do you suppose their asses were as numb as mine is right now?The nice thing about this being a trip report rather than a review? I can just get the hell off this airplane without feeling obligated to sum up the experience with any meaningful insight.“Well now, it’s time for me to mosey on out of here. I reckon I want to thank y’all kindly for taking the time to listen to my ramblin’s. It’s been a pleasure shootin’ the breeze with ya. Adios, amigos!”
The pros and cons of flying in Frontier A320 basic economy
The fact that I’ve spent 4 days of my life writing this review trip report means that I felt Frontier A320 economy was worth telling you about. It’s not great as what you saw in my Frontier A320 Stretch seat review, but it’s not that bad either.
Pros
The A320 is shorter than the A321. It’s the aircraft to choose if your primary goal is spending the least amount of time on Frontier Airlines as possible.
The seats are extremely simple – but not ugly. That counts as something, right?
The food for purchase menu is impressive.
Cons
The seats are terribly hard. It’s going to hurt.
There’s not a chance in hell that you’re going to get any work done on your laptop thanks to the extremely small tray table is.
I think it’s becoming a bit of a tradition for me to comment on your reviews* a week after you’ve posted them. Haha!
To be honest, not much to say about this one other than, of course, the slightly different format. To be honest I didn’t mind the trip report format, and I wouldn’t mind you making more articles like this. All the information is there, just told in a slightly different way.
I’d also like to mention that the flight times (on both this and the previous flight) surprised me. I was expecting the MCO-DEN segment to last around 4.5 hours, not 3.5, and likewise, I’ thought this DEN-SAN flight would be shorter than 2 hours. I guess Denver is farther east than I’d thought!
Also, looking forward to the upcoming reviews from your Asia trip!
Better late than never! I do appreciate the continued support. #thumbsup
I think what’s funny about this is that there’s no discernible difference between one of my trip reports and a review. It all flows out of me just the same no matter what I’m trying to do lol.
But yeah, I agree about the flight times. I thought for sure that the Orlando to Denver segment was going to be painfully long, but it wasn’t that bad actually.
On the other hand, I’ve flown from Denver to San Diego enough times to know that it’s always 2 1/2 hours. Even when flying from the East Coast nonstop all the way to the West Coast, it feels good to reach Denver and to know exactly how much time is left.
Scott
Thank you for the Frontier reviews! It confirms that I should never be unlucky to have to take this airline anywhere…..
YOur reviews (and trip reports) are outstanding!
What a lanky old snowflake this is. I never have flown anything but economy in my eighty years, and not gonna start getting used to useless perks now. Save your money for when you land, which will be at the EXACT SAME TIME as those in First do. It is always possible to get comfy if you are sleepy enough. I have slept with socked feet straight up above my head! And entertainment? Brng a BOOK. And food? Bring a SANDWICH. Sheesh!
Normally I delete comments containing direct insults, but I’m gonna let this one slide considering that there is a smidgen of truth to it. I am lanky. Old. And ok, yeah… perhaps a bit of a snowflake at times. I’ll concede to that. 🙂
*Nerd alert* The seats on Frontier are actually 18 inches wide, not 31 inches as you wrote in the review. Just sayin’.
I can’t imagine how effing HARD those seats are (that’s what she said). I wish Frontier (along with some other airlines) would put just a little more padding, even for a little extra cost. #shotsfired This review (along with your other reviews) deserves a hearty round of applause and some standing ovations. Greatly appreciate all the very hard work you’ve done.
*Applause that lasts for 73 seconds*
P.S. Sorry for keeping you busy with these comments.
Whoa. I’m not sure where I got 31 inches from. It was a slightly optimistic typo to say the least! Thanks for letting me know though – the correction has been made.
Thank you for the extended applause! I’ll tell you what: long-haul international business class reviews are a LOT more fun than domestic US ultra low-cost carrier reviews. At least now I figured out why very few other airline reviewers do this kind of stuff. Haha!
Well, I guess reviews like this one make SANspotter special! Reviewing lots of different airlines’ products does provide the reader with a more complete view of what air travel is like. I only come to this blog for airline reviews, cuz I know you’ve got a very diverse mix of airline reviews under your belt (and in your archives).
Peter
I think it’s becoming a bit of a tradition for me to comment on your reviews* a week after you’ve posted them. Haha!
To be honest, not much to say about this one other than, of course, the slightly different format. To be honest I didn’t mind the trip report format, and I wouldn’t mind you making more articles like this. All the information is there, just told in a slightly different way.
I’d also like to mention that the flight times (on both this and the previous flight) surprised me. I was expecting the MCO-DEN segment to last around 4.5 hours, not 3.5, and likewise, I’ thought this DEN-SAN flight would be shorter than 2 hours. I guess Denver is farther east than I’d thought!
Also, looking forward to the upcoming reviews from your Asia trip!
Scott (SANspotter)
Better late than never! I do appreciate the continued support. #thumbsup
I think what’s funny about this is that there’s no discernible difference between one of my trip reports and a review. It all flows out of me just the same no matter what I’m trying to do lol.
But yeah, I agree about the flight times. I thought for sure that the Orlando to Denver segment was going to be painfully long, but it wasn’t that bad actually.
On the other hand, I’ve flown from Denver to San Diego enough times to know that it’s always 2 1/2 hours. Even when flying from the East Coast nonstop all the way to the West Coast, it feels good to reach Denver and to know exactly how much time is left.
Anthony
Scott
Thank you for the Frontier reviews! It confirms that I should never be unlucky to have to take this airline anywhere…..
YOur reviews (and trip reports) are outstanding!
Scott (SANspotter)
Thanks (and you’re very welcome) Anthony! You gotta do it though…at least once.
Stef M
What a lanky old snowflake this is. I never have flown anything but economy in my eighty years, and not gonna start getting used to useless perks now. Save your money for when you land, which will be at the EXACT SAME TIME as those in First do. It is always possible to get comfy if you are sleepy enough. I have slept with socked feet straight up above my head! And entertainment? Brng a BOOK. And food? Bring a SANDWICH. Sheesh!
Scott (SANspotter)
Normally I delete comments containing direct insults, but I’m gonna let this one slide considering that there is a smidgen of truth to it. I am lanky. Old. And ok, yeah… perhaps a bit of a snowflake at times. I’ll concede to that. 🙂
Michael
*Nerd alert* The seats on Frontier are actually 18 inches wide, not 31 inches as you wrote in the review. Just sayin’.
I can’t imagine how effing HARD those seats are (that’s what she said). I wish Frontier (along with some other airlines) would put just a little more padding, even for a little extra cost. #shotsfired This review (along with your other reviews) deserves a hearty round of applause and some standing ovations. Greatly appreciate all the very hard work you’ve done.
*Applause that lasts for 73 seconds*
P.S. Sorry for keeping you busy with these comments.
Scott (SANspotter)
Whoa. I’m not sure where I got 31 inches from. It was a slightly optimistic typo to say the least! Thanks for letting me know though – the correction has been made.
Thank you for the extended applause! I’ll tell you what: long-haul international business class reviews are a LOT more fun than domestic US ultra low-cost carrier reviews. At least now I figured out why very few other airline reviewers do this kind of stuff. Haha!
Michael
You’re welcome!
Well, I guess reviews like this one make SANspotter special! Reviewing lots of different airlines’ products does provide the reader with a more complete view of what air travel is like. I only come to this blog for airline reviews, cuz I know you’ve got a very diverse mix of airline reviews under your belt (and in your archives).
Kudos to you, and keep up the great work!
Scott (SANspotter)
Thanks so much!
Michael
“I only come to this blog for airline reviews”
*Correction
“This is the only blog I visit for airline reviews”
I make typos too(everyone does), so the 31 inch thing is completely understandable.
Scott (SANspotter)
Thanks so much…again! haha