Here’s the thing about Frontier Airlines A320neo UpFront Plus: it won’t be until the forward boarding door closes (moments before departure) that you’ll fully understand what the ‘plus’ thing is all about.
The seats are criminally firm, so it ain’t that. The extra a few inches of legroom is nice, but it isn’t any better than any other airline is offering. And the lack of power outlets? That’s a straight up minus IMHO.
But when the flight attendant makes the announcement that boarding is complete, and the seat next to you is still vacant, it all starts to make a little more sense.
F92818 San Diego, CA (SAN) – Denver, CO (DEN) Wednesday, February 4, 2026 Aircraft: A320neo Registration: N343FR Duration: 2 hours 11 minutes Seat: 2A (UpFront Plus)
Frontier Airlines A320neo (‘Meadow and West the Horses’) side view illustration by NorebboStock.comOur route from San Diego to Denver this morning as F92818
My full review of Frontier Airlines A320neo UpFront Plus from San Diego to Denver
Here’s another thing about the Frontier UpFront Plus experience: during the booking process, they tell you that you’ll either have a guaranteed open seat next to you OR a large larger (wider) domestic first class style seat. You won’t know exactly what you’re gonna get until you step onboard the aircraft. Another minus!
Arriving at Terminal 1 San Diego Airport
My flight to Denver was scheduled to depart at 7 AM (with a 6:15 AM boarding time). This being my first opportunity to depart from the all new Terminal 1 since opening in September of last year, I wasted no time in showing up at an ungodly early hour like the giant airline nerd that I am. I was a little excited, OK?
“Holy shit holy shit holy shit!” Ok, maybe it was a little irresponsible of me to step out into oncoming traffic on my way from the parking garage to the terminal, but you know me. I’m the guy willing to risk life and limb for a good airline review!Just kidding guys. It was actually really early still and I was in no danger of being mowed down by speeding hotel shuttle buses.I was also in no danger of being the very last passenger to check in for the 7am Denver flight here at the Frontier Airlines check-in area. My only concern was being ridiculed for showing up even before the janitors.Ridiculed by who exactly? Thankfully there was nobody around to point and laugh at me. BTW, the new Terminal 1 is pretty nice isn’t it? Gate 118. Flight 2818. 18 plus 118 minutes to go until boarding commences.Mornin’, partner. This A320neo (named ‘Meadow and West the Horses’) will be my steed to Denver this morning.Would it have killed them to mention the horses at the podium here at gate 118? The names of the animals is what makes flying Frontier Airlines fun! I take that back. These new spinny chairs here in T1 are what makes flying Frontier Airlines fun.
The boarding process for flight number 2818 to Denver
I’m a man of experience. I’ve flown Frontier Airlines enough times to know that their scheduled departure times are wishful thinking more than anything else. More often than not, they’ll miss it by a mile (and then casually shrug it off).
But not this time! They actually got the boarding process started at exactly 6:15 AM. Those needing extra time got to go first. Then families with small children. Then active duty military. Then Group 1 (which includes UpFront passengers). So far so good.
Preppin’ to mount up with my handy mobile boarding pass. Poor Meadow and West have no idea what’s coming.“Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to welcome you to Frontier Airlines flight number 2818 with nonstop service to Denver. Anyone making stupid horse jokes from this point forward will be denied boarding. Thank you for your cooperation.” If I were allowed to continue making stupid horse jokes, I’d caption this boarding door photo with a clever (perhaps inappropriate) reference to entering the horse through it’s largest orifice. But I won’t. Because I can’t.The moment when you transition from thinking about stupid horse jokes to assessing the Frontier Airlines A320neo UpFront Plus seating situation. *sigh*
Frontier Airlines A320neo UpFront Plus seat overview
There are 8 UpFront Plus seats on the Frontier A320neo. It consists of two rows of seats arranged in a 3-3 layout. I know! The math doesn’t seem to math, but here’s the important part: the middle seats are blocked (just as how they do it in European business class).
You:“Wait a sec. Scott, how is this any different from the Frontier Airlines A320neo Stretch Seat you reviewed a long time ago? It looks exactly the same!”Me: “But it’s not the same! Ok, yeah, maybe it is, but…now the middle seat is blocked (Euro style).”
Other than a few extra inches of legroom (and the blocked middle seat), these seats are exactly the same as all of the other seats on this aircraft. They are narrow, and very (very) firm. It’s like sitting on a park bench.
Generous extra legroom is the same. I like it.Criminally narrow seat width is the same. I don’t like that so much.The lack of a 16″ 8K video display with thousands of movies and TV shows (and Apple Music and podcasts) is the same. I totally expected that.I still can’t figure out the ‘Plus” thing though. Maybe they put it in the seat pocket? One could argue that ‘Plus’ refers to the blocked middle seat, but…wouldn’t that technically be a ‘minus’ more than a ‘plus’? Airline marketing is confusing!
The departure from San Diego
If the on-time boarding process wasn’t enough to impress you, what if I tell you that our gate departure 10 minutes early? Well, it was. And I hope you can appreciate the significance of that.
Movin’ out at daybreak, like a cowboy. Giddy up Meadow! And West!Crossing your legs like a dignified human being (or manspreading like a total slob) is easy and comfortable here in Frontier A320neo UpFront Plus. Just sayin’.
It took 12 minutes to taxi out to the threshold of runway 27, which was two minutes longer than estimated (according to the Flighty App). Takeoff was still ahead of schedule though. We lifted off into the bright blue yonder eight minutes early at 7:02 AM.
Here’s a pretty good shot of the current state of phase 2 of the all new Terminal 1 build. They’ve got a ways to go yet.Is it safe to start making stupid horse jokes again? I dare them to kick me off now!
In flight entertainment
At the time of this writing, Frontier Airlines does not offer inflight entertainment of any kind. Not even Wi-Fi (paid or free). Onto the next section…
Food and drinks
Frontier Airlines has always been pretty good about offering a decent menu of food and drinks for purchase. The only downside is that nothing is free. Even if all you want is water, you’re gonna have to pay for it.
Eat! Drink! Enjoy! Funny how they forgot the ‘Spend!’ part, isn’t it?
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that UpFront Plus passengers aren’t special enough to deserve complementary drinks or snack snacks. The hell? Not that I was expecting freshly carved roast beast or anything, but seriously? Not even a little bag of chips? Seesh.
Not a bad looking menu of in-flight snacks and drinks IMHO. However, the fact that I (an esteemed UpFront Plus passenger) will be required to pay for anything on this menu that tickles my fancy leads me to believe that the ‘plus’ thing isn’t about free food and drink. The mystery continues…(Uh oh. Something appears to be tickling his fancy.)Shit. They actually got me to spend $4.29 on a can of orange juice.Actually, it’s not all that surprising. When it comes to fresh canned, cold, and concentrated orange juice at 7:30 AM, I’ve got the willpower of a hungry toddler left alone with a full cookie jar. Bottoms up mofos!
UpFront Plus seat comfort
I’d be lying if I told you that these were decently comfortable seats. Honestly? I can’t remember the last time I sat on an airline seat this hard. There is very minimal padding in these seats, and it will be uncomfortable. I promise.
If it’s large supportive armrests you seek, seek other options than Frontier Airlines A320neo UpFront Plus. These be tiny.But wait! Before you go scurrying off for a more supportive airline experience, it’s important to know that the blocked middle seat negates the awkwardness of tiny armrests. The extra bit of lateral wiggle room really helps.An unexpected benefit of the extra legroom? The tray table (which you’ll likely have lowered for the duration of the flight because you’ll want to take time to enjoy your $4.29 orange juice) won’t be poking you in the gut.Seriously. You’re damn right that I milked that can of expensive ass orange juice for the entire two hours.
The final kick in the nuts? Tried as I might, I could not find a way to recline my seat. There was no button in the armrest, or any levers to pull. I (we) sat bolt upright the entire way to Denver.
The descent and arrival into DEN
I don’t think I saw one cloud the entire way across the southwestern United States this morning. The weather was absolutely beautiful, which had me excited about getting a good look at the snow capped Rocky Mountains during the descent into DEN.
Little did I know that Colorado had been in a drought for a while, and there was very little snow to see.
“Rocky Mountain hiiiiiigh, Colorado…”(*snaps pic)Good thing I didn’t come here to go skiing I guess. This looks more like June than February.Welcome to Denver! Keep an eye out for that John guy. He’s gotta be around here somewhere…
We landed on runway 35L at 10:13 AM which (surprise surprise) was eight minutes early. We docked at gate A84 at 10:21 AM, 10 minutes early. What the hell is going on with Frontier Airlines? I expected to be late gosh darn it!
Warning: with all this extra legroom, you’ll need a good, strong, and very stretchy lower spine to retrieve your carry-on bag from under the seat in front of you at the end of the flight. I forgot to bring mine today (the spine – not the bag).Yes, the thought of abandoning my backpack (fresh underwear and all) did cross my mind as we all waited for the forward boarding door to open. Interesting! Somehow, despite having a hub at one of the largest and most beautiful airports in the United States, Frontier has been relegated to the basement gates of Concourse A (which doesn’t have jet bridges). This leads me to believe that either United is a bigger bully than we all thought, or Frontier just ain’t got the scratch to play in the big leagues.Imagine charging $4.29 for orange juice, and still not being able to afford proper gate space at your own hub airport. Not that I’m complaining or anything. Using air stairs to deplane (and getting the opportunity to walk out on the ramp) is a plus! Perhaps not the ‘plus’ they meant, but it’ll do for this dorky airline nerd…
Frontier Airlines A320neo UpFront Plus pros and cons
As you just read, the premium Frontier Airlines experience doesn’t quite match what Delta, United, or even American Airlines offers. It is a huge step above, say, Frontier A321 basic economy however. If that’s all you have to compare it to, UpFront Plus is friggin awesome!
Pros
Having a guaranteed blocked middle seat is a pretty big deal IMHO. You may not even notice how narrow the seats are because of it.
First on, first off privileges. It’s always nice to be seated at the very front of the airplane.
Cons
Bring your favorite credit card, because you won’t be eating or drinking anything without having to pay extra for it.
These seats are hard. Like, commercial grade cinder block hard.
No electrical outlets. No USB power ports. No nothin’.
I’ve been doing airline reviews for over 12 years now, so an in-depth Frontier vs Spirit comparison feels like the…
7 Comments
Frontier actually designed the Concourse A East extension to not include a 2nd terminal story nor fixed jet bridges. This was an effort to both save costs by reducing built infrastructure and load aircraft simultaneously from mobile front and back stairs to save time on turnarounds.
I didn’t think about the advantages of boarding from the front and rear. That’s actually pretty smart I guess. But still, I’d like to think that the $4.29 I gave them for the orange juice will be used to build better gate space at DEN at some point in the near future.
By the way, your trip sounded lovely (sarcasm alert!). I hope you saved a lot vs. United or Southwest coach. Regarding the $4.29, you are right. They have to make up for the empty seat next to you… But still didn’t charge enough to build a full terminal at DEN. Oh well.
I think the “Plus” is really just Frontier monetizing the blocked middle seat. On such a narrow seat, that empty space might actually be the most valuable upgrade they can sell — IMHO better than a snack service or extra amenities. It is crazy tho the cabin size of the UpFront Plus seats, and that there is no bulkhead behind them. BTW, great to see you in the air again!
Thanks John! I agree. Although I probably didn’t convey it all that well in this review, I’d much rather have an open seat next to me than a free drink and snack.
Great review as always!
I’m curious about the current Air Canada/Westjet situation in terminal 1. Is there already customs set up in the new terminal or do passengers have to deplane in terminal 2 in the main international arrivals facility?
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
Thanks Steven! Good question. A fully functioning customs and immigration facility will be included in T1. Whether or not it’s operational as of this moment, I do not know.
But it doesn’t matter for the Canadian airlines. All passengers on flights from Canada to the United States are required to clear US customs prior to leaving Canada. This means that they arrive in the United States as they would on any US domestic flight (no customs and immigration required upon arrival).
Frontier actually designed the Concourse A East extension to not include a 2nd terminal story nor fixed jet bridges. This was an effort to both save costs by reducing built infrastructure and load aircraft simultaneously from mobile front and back stairs to save time on turnarounds.
https://thepointsguy.com/news/frontier-airlines-boarding-stairs-denver/
I didn’t think about the advantages of boarding from the front and rear. That’s actually pretty smart I guess. But still, I’d like to think that the $4.29 I gave them for the orange juice will be used to build better gate space at DEN at some point in the near future.
By the way, your trip sounded lovely (sarcasm alert!). I hope you saved a lot vs. United or Southwest coach. Regarding the $4.29, you are right. They have to make up for the empty seat next to you… But still didn’t charge enough to build a full terminal at DEN. Oh well.
I think the “Plus” is really just Frontier monetizing the blocked middle seat. On such a narrow seat, that empty space might actually be the most valuable upgrade they can sell — IMHO better than a snack service or extra amenities. It is crazy tho the cabin size of the UpFront Plus seats, and that there is no bulkhead behind them. BTW, great to see you in the air again!
Thanks John! I agree. Although I probably didn’t convey it all that well in this review, I’d much rather have an open seat next to me than a free drink and snack.
Great review as always!
I’m curious about the current Air Canada/Westjet situation in terminal 1. Is there already customs set up in the new terminal or do passengers have to deplane in terminal 2 in the main international arrivals facility?
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
Thanks Steven! Good question. A fully functioning customs and immigration facility will be included in T1. Whether or not it’s operational as of this moment, I do not know.
But it doesn’t matter for the Canadian airlines. All passengers on flights from Canada to the United States are required to clear US customs prior to leaving Canada. This means that they arrive in the United States as they would on any US domestic flight (no customs and immigration required upon arrival).