Between uncomfortable seating arrangements and penny-pinching charges, flying on a budget airline can be an adventure in itself.
But for one traveler, her first Frontier flight took an unexpected turn. And others are saying this is typical of the budget airline.
Woman Documents ‘Insane’ Frontier Experience
In a trending video content creator Ashley (@ashleysodipo) shares what she calls “the most insane thing” that happened during her inaugural Frontier Airlines flight from Orlando.
Ashley arrived at the airport around 6:50am for her 8:50am flight to Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. Having never flown Frontier before, she kept her expectations low, especially after snagging a $50 ticket with a $100 oversized checked bag fee.
“I’ve flown Spirit. Love Spirit. Never had a problem on Spirit,” she says in the video. “I prefer to fly Delta if I can, but the Frontier flight was maybe $50.”
But that bargain price came with some serious hassles.
After printing her bag tags and getting her mobile boarding pass ready (knowing Frontier charges $50 if you don’t have it downloaded), Ashley was directed to what she thought was the correct line. She waited about 30 minutes before reaching the counter, only to be told she was in the international line—specifically for a Dominican Republic flight.
“A lot of people mistake me for being Dominican and think I’m Hispanic,” she explains. “And so many people were coming up to me, talking to me. And I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t speak Spanish, I’m sorry.'”
The agent sent her to another line. And that’s when things got wild.
Frontier Removes Multiple Passengers
Ashley says the scene at the Frontier counter was chaotic. More than 200 people were being served by just two or three agents at the desk, with another two or three people directing traffic. The rebooking line was packed with 50-plus people and only one or two staff members working it.
As Ashley anxiously watched the clock—knowing Frontier’s strict policy about checking bags at least an hour before departure—something shocking happened.
“They go, ‘Dallas, Houston,’ mind you, there’s people next in line to go,” she recounts.
“And they were like, ‘Yeah, we’re going to Dallas.’ They go, ‘You missed your flight.'”
One passenger protested, saying she’d been standing in line for two hours.
“‘You missed your flight. Go rebook. Stand in the rebook line. No, we’re not taking your bag. You missed your flight,'” Ashley says, mimicking the exchange.
“Well, they didn’t miss their flight. I guess they missed their chance to check their bag, but, like, in my mind, I was like, why wouldn’t you just take their bags, like, a five-minute grace period? Because you see all these people are standing here, and you see that you guys do not have the manpower to rebook people.”
The irony is that removing those Dallas and Houston passengers from the line is the only reason Ashley made her own flight since she suddenly became next in line.
Later, while scrolling TikTok, Ashley saw someone else posting about the exact same situation. She commented, asking if it was in Orlando, and they confirmed it was.
“It was making me so angry, but that was the only reason that I made my flight because they removed all of the Dallas, Houston people out of the line, and it literally made me next in line,” she says.
“Frontier, probably never again, like, know what you’re signing up for, but it does feel very, like, scammy and very predatory,” she concluded.
Understanding Frontier’s Strict Baggage Policies
Frontier’s policies leave little room for error when it comes to checking bags.
According to Frontier’s official guidelines, passengers need to arrive at the airport two hours before departure, with bag drop closing a full 60 minutes before takeoff. Boarding begins 45 minutes before departure and ends 20 minutes prior to takeoff.
The timeline is unforgiving by design. As The Points Guy notes, Frontier operates as an “ultra low-cost carrier,” where passengers choose what they pay for, meaning those rock-bottom fares come with strict rules attached.
But here’s where it gets expensive. Frontier’s baggage fees vary based on when you pay. Adding a bag during initial booking costs $53 to $62, while waiting until check-in bumps it to $69 to $74, according to NerdWallet.
Show up at the airport kiosk or ticket counter? That’ll be $79. And if you make it all the way to the gate? Prepare to shell out $99—nearly double the original price.
Commenters React
“I really dislike the Orlando airport lol,” a top comment read.
“Giiiirlll!!! I am terrified to fly Frontier especially to MCO. I bought tickets once for a super last minute trip, chickened out because I HAD to be back in time and ended up buying 500$ delta tickets haha sooo many horror stories for frontier especially at MCO!!” a person shared.
Another person shared, “I flew frontier once and had no problem but all these videos are telling me it’s worth paying more for united.”
“Charge you an extra $50 for printing the boarding pass?” a commenter added.
@ashleysodipo #frontierairlines #frontier @Frontier Airlines
BroBible reached out to Ashley via direct message and comment and to Frontier Airlines via email.