You can soon pay to avoid sharing armrests on this airline

Erin Snodgrass

March 13, 2024 2:02 AM

Fliers will soon be able to enjoy the ensured luxury of both armrests on their next budget flight.

Frontier Airlines is offering a new seating upgrade. Seung Heo/ iStock

Frontier Airlines is giving passengers the option to pay for an empty middle seat.
The airline announced it will allow customers to pay extra to sit in rows with only two passengers.
The "UpFront Plus" seating upgrade starts at $49 and will be available on April flights.

Frontier Group Holdings Inc., which owns the ultra-low-cost Frontier Airlines, announced Tuesday that it will allow customers to pay extra to sit in specially designated rows that block off the middle seat.

Aisle-dwellers and window-seat devotees with a little extra dough to spend will be able to bypass the infamous tight quarters of Frontier's flights starting next Month, the company's CEO announced at a Tuesday industry conference, according to Bloomberg.

The "UpFront Plus" upgrade option starts at $49 and will be available on Frontier flights starting April 10. That price is being marketed as a special introductory offer. It was not immediately clear how much the upgrade would cost after the promotion ends.

In addition to more elbow room, the perk promises extra legroom and comfort, a seat located in the first two rows of the aircraft, and the benefit of being first to receive inflight service, the company said.

"Many consumers strongly prefer a seating option that offers extra space when flying," Barry Biffle, CEO of Frontier Airlines, said in a Tuesday press release. "Frontier is all about choice and giving consumers the flexibility to customize their travel to suit their individual needs and preferences."

Biffle said Tuesday that the upgrade — as well as new premium economy and business class offerings on the airline — will "give the company a revenue boost," Bloomberg reported.

The move comes as airlines seek to keep money coming in amid uneasy travel patterns in recent years. On budget airlines like Frontier and Spirit, every step of the trip is monetized, from baggage check-in to printed boarding passes to purchasing water.

Larger airlines have also tried to turn specialized seating into money makers, with carriers like Delta, United, and American increasingly segmenting their cabins and charging more for advanced seat selection.

Erin Snodgrass