Over the weekend, Frontier Airlines passengers were advised to be at the airport a few hours early, and to be prepared for delays.
Why? Because a new software was being installed to — wait for it — improve customer service.
Denver-based Frontier Airlines switched its reservations and check-in system from to Navitaire’s New Skies. The airline hopes the new system will expedite booking and check-in, and provide a better overall customer experience.
The system works as “the brains of the airline,” Frontier spokesman Todd Lehmacher said, managing reservations, passenger manifest and itineraries. The swap started at 10 p.m. Friday and was done around 2 a.m. Saturday. Passengers were asked to arrive for Saturday flights early just in case there were issues with the transfer of data.
“This streamlines so many processes,” Lehmacher said. “We’ve all been at a ticket counter and had to make a change to our reservation, and wondered why the ticket agent has to hit so many keys. (Navitaire) is faster and more intuitive.”
The new system also will help Frontier’s website — which generates a lot of consumer angst — run much faster and more efficiently, Lehmacher said.
It also better matches Frontier’s ultra-low cost carrier business model in which services such as checking bags have been unbundled into an a la carte menu. The airline switched to ULCC in April.
Navitaire also is used by ULCC carriers including AirAsia, AirTran, Ryanair and Spirit Airlines.
The switch-over went smoothly, Lemacher said.
Frontier thinned Saturday’s schedule to 207 flights from about 230 and placed a cap on flight loads to prevent overbooking.
There were a few hiccups, including network and hardware issues that affected several morning flights, according to a memo to employees.
When March 2012, there was a rash of across the country.
“Because these systems are so complicated … there have been tremendous problems,” said James Simmons, professor of aviation and aerospace science at Metropolitan State University of Denver. “For reservations, for seat assignments, for everything like that, these are huge systems.”
The Sabre system is run by the company that owns online travel behemoth Travelocity.
Despite migrating from Sabre, Frontier will continue to sell tickets through online travel agents like Travelocity, Expedia, Hotwire and others, Lehmacher said.
Consumer trust in Frontier has been shaken in recent months, with complaints about pricing, flight delays and the company’s clunky, oft-malfunctioning website.
The airline, which is the third-largest carrier at Denver International Airport, had the most consumer complaints among the nation’s 12 largest airlines in 2014, according to U.S. Department of Transportation year-end Air Travel Consumer Report.
But regardless of these complaints, the ULCC model is still quite viable, Metro’s Simmons said.
He pointed out that the big three carriers — United, Delta and American — each made about $38 billion in operating revenue in 2013, trailed in a distant fourth by Southwest, with $17.7 billion.
This first tier is leaps and bounds above the rest of the pack, which includes Frontier, JetBlue, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines.
“But (ULCC carrier) Spirit Airlines had the highest profit of any airline in America in 2013, based on return on investment. What that tells me is that the ULCC model can work,” he said. “Even if Frontier is having problems and upsetting the apple cart of what people have gotten used to, it can still represent a very viable business model.”
However, the cost savings from the ULCC model are not the only factor in determining if Frontier can emerge from this trial unscathed, Simmons said.
Frontier has also recently been under fire from workers upset over the airline’s plans and 140 jobs in Wisconsin.
On Friday night, many of the eliminated reservations positions were switched over to contractor Sitel.
“Right now reservations functions are shared between Sitel and Frontier. Denver reservation functions will then be fully assumed by Sitel on March 31,” Lehmacher said.
The remaining jobs, which include ramp, baggage and gate positions, will switch over to contractor Swissport transition towards the end of March as well.
Lehmacher said that airline leadership recognizes it has a PR problem and is taking strides to improve things, both internally and externally.
“We need to do a better job of communicating. We know we’re not there yet,” Lehmacher said.
With employees, the company is setting up a series of town hall-style meetings to address concerns. As for customers, Lehmacher says that will take some work.
“The best thing to do is we need to run a reliable operation. Their bags need to get there and they need to get there on time,” he said.
Laura Keeney: 303-954-1337, lkeeney@denverpost.com or twitter.com/LauraKeeney
