Down 36%, Frontier Airlines Takes a Shot at Southwest in a Desperate Move (It Backfires)

What do you do when your stock is down 36% in a month and every time you try to acquire Spirit Airlines, they swat you away like an annoying fly at an outdoor restaurant? If you're Frontier Airlines and you’re running out of options, you try to find some kind of momentum… any kind of momentum. And, lucky for them, Southwest just gave them a perfect opportunity.

As we all know, Southwest did the unthinkable… they killed their two-free-checked-bags policy (a cornerstone of the budget airline experience). It was basically the only thing that made getting elbowed by a 600-pound, questionably hygienic middle-seat neighbor worth it. Naturally, customers were outraged. And rightfully so.

Frontier took one look at Southwest’s blunder and said, Oh, you hate baggage fees now? Watch this. So, they launched a limited-time free checked bag promotion for flights booked by March 24, covering travel from May 28 through August 18. If that wasn’t enough, they also threw in seat assignments and a carry-on bag in their economy bundle. Yes, the same Frontier Airlines that normally makes you pay extra to bring your literal pants onto the plane.

Frontier’s CEO Barry Biffle didn’t miss his shot, either. In what can only be described as a petty masterclass, he said, “We’ve always had heart.” Now, if you’re wondering why that statement sounds like a backhanded slap, it’s because it is. Southwest’s entire branding revolves around a heart motif, and their stock ticker is literally LUV. Biffle might as well have tweeted: Y’all are heartless. We’re the good guys now.

Of course, this is clearly just desperate play for relevance. Frontier has spent the last two years acting like a lovesick ex, trying to merge with Spirit Airlines. Three times they’ve tried, and three times they’ve been rejected. Even Spirit (who just filed for bankruptcy) looked at Frontier’s latest bid and said, “this is pathetic.” When a company in financial ruin doesn’t want to merge with you, it’s time to rethink your strategy.

And they’re not alone, all the other airlines are smelling blood. Delta, United, and even Spirit’s CEO (fresh out of Chapter 11) have all openly salivated over the idea of stealing Southwest’s customers. United CEO Scott Kirby even called Southwest’s baggage fee policy reversal “the slaying of a sacred cow.” This has made the budget airline war just got a whole lot more interesting.

Frontier is hoping that giving away bags (for a limited time) will build enough goodwill to keep customers around long-term. If the promo proves successful, Biffle even hinted that Frontier might make the free baggage policy permanent. But here’s the thing… Frontier’s whole business model is based on charging you for things you didn’t know you had to pay for. So, forgive me for being skeptical about this sudden generosity.

At the end of the day, this is a great marketing stunt… but a long-term strategy? That’s less clear. If travelers actually “show them the love,” as Biffle says, maybe they’ll stick with the free-bags approach. But if this flops, expect Frontier to go back to charging you for oxygen. Ironically the stock is actually down 3% on the news.

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Stock.News does not have positions in companies mentioned.