Denver-based Frontier Airlines is adding nine new routes connecting 13 cities, including four from Colorado Springs, as part of a broadening of its network announced Tuesday.
Colorado Springs flyers will be able to head to San Antonio and Seattle starting April 8 and to San Jose and Minneapolis starting April 9.
Two months ago, the carrier similarly , which are now all on sale. With a total of 72 cities, Frontier is the second largest carrier ahead of Southwest Airlines and behind United Airlines at Denver International Airport in terms of destinations served. Frontier remains third in passenger traffic.
The expansions come as Frontier plans to go public. The airline in March, indicating it could raise up to $100 million. An offering date has not been announced.
The first expansion earned a rare, direct warning from United. After Frontier’s announcement, United President Scott Kirby said his airline would stave off any attempt by Frontier to grab a bigger share of the Denver market, .
Frontier’s plan suggests “that the old business model has run out of growth opportunities in the middle of an IPO process,” he said in a conference call after United reported earnings.
“They’re now competing on our turf and trying to be a network carrier in Denver,” Kirby said. “That is a battle I guarantee United will win.”
Notably, none of the routes announced Tuesday are out of DIA.
Frontier has received fines each of the past three months from the U.S. Department of Transportation for service-related issues. Last week, the department for more than three hours during a weather-related snafu in December that resulted in hundreds of flight delays. Frontier was credited for payments it made to affected passengers and owes $600,000 of the total.
