Hello and welcome to my trip report, titled "The Battle of A321s: PBI-PHL, ACY-PBI", in which I sample two of the largest Ultra Low Cost Carriers' Airbus A321s during my trip to New Jersey, visiting family and friends during the Thanksgiving holiday!
INTRODUCTION
Towards the middle of October, my family and I started to flesh out our plans for Thanksgiving. With my sister and I attending college in Boca Raton, Florida, and the rest of our family living in South Jersey, it meant we had to start searching for airfare to get home for the much anticipated break from college homework, and a delicious turkey dinner! After a few minutes searching the different options out of the South Florida airports, we discovered a dirt cheap Frontier Airlines A321 flight from West Palm Beach (PBI) to Philly for only $29, plus a $13 seat fee (because I always need to have that window)! We also booked a ticket for my mom, as she'd flown down to see me complete my first solo flight a few days prior, as well as my girlfriend who decided to spend the holiday with us. After booking our outbound leg, it was time to book our return, and right away we found an affordable flight with Spirit on their A321 from Atlantic City (ACY) to PBI for only $42 a person (plus $16 for a reserved seat), which we booked right away.
I was very excited for these flights because it meant not only would I get to fly through PBI twice (I'd only ever used the airport twice prior), I also had the chance to compare and contrast the Airbus A321s of two of the largest Ultra Low Cost Carriers (ULCCs) in the United States.
FRONTIER AIRLINES A321 (N720FR, F91002, PBI-PHL)
I was particularly eager for this flight as it would be only my third flight with Frontier, and on my third different aircraft variant with them (A320-200, A320neo, and now A321). I knew what to expect; one personal item, tight legroom, no-frills service, no entertainment, but nonetheless I was excited as I am a big A321 fan.
Our Uber dropped us off at PBI's Terminal C at 09:15am, two hours ahead of our scheduled departure time. We didn't have time to print our boarding passes, so we proceeded directly to a lineless TSA checkpoint with mobile boarding passes and were through security in less than five minutes. PBI has a different feel to the terminals compared to its South Florida counterparts in FLL and MIA. It doesn't feel rushed or cramped, but rather upscale, with premium-looking seats in the boarding areas, complete with charging ports and free WiFI. I walked around the terminal, which Frontier shares with Delta, jetBlue, and Spirit, and saw our inbound aircraft arrive from PHL at 10:05am.
Frontier Airlines Check In Area
Airside at PBI
Very nice furnishing inside the terminal, as a Delta MD-88 boards for Atlanta
Today's aircraft, Crockett the Raccoon, arriving from PHL
Shortly after our aircraft arrived from Philly, boarding was announced from an energetic gate agent. Being in Zone 4, we remained seated for a few minutes more until they called our zone to board N720FR, which is a brand new A321, delivered to Frontier Airlines only a few weeks prior, in October 2017.
Crockett the Raccoon waits to welcome us aboard
A sign by the boarding door welcomes you aboard and lets passengers know the name of the critter that will follow them to their destination.
I made my way to my assigned seat of 22A, right over the wing. I paid $13 for this seat, as it was the cheapest available seat, as well as the seat closest to the front of the airplane. It didn't make sense to pay $13 for a seat towards the rear, when I can get a seat for the same price towards the front. The first thing I noticed about the seat, unsurprisingly, was the legroom. Surprisingly, however, the legroom felt very spacious and not cramped even the slightest. As a 6 ft., 3in., man, I felt very comfortable in the seat, which also slightly wider. Soon, after taking my seat, the rest of the cabin filled up, and the cheery cabin crew welcomed us aboard Crockett the Raccoon, and announced our flight time to Philly as 2hrs, 30 mns and proceeded with the safety demonstration.
Legroom shot
Wing view
We pushed back from Gate C9 at 11:10am, about five minutes early, and taxied to Runway 10L at PBI, where we waited for a Gulfstream to depart, and then took its position. We roared off the runway and into the clear South Florida skies and East over the Atlantic Ocean, passing West Palm Beach, before turning North and following the coastline, with Jupiter, Stuart, and Port St. Lucie not too far away. We settled in for the journey to Philly, and I took a gander at the inflight menu. My sister and I decided to purchase the Kids Snack Pack for $3.99 each, which came with Goldfish crackers, Oreos, M&Ms, and a beef stick. It also includes a collectible Frontier Airlines trading card in each snack pack. Frontier, unlike other ULCCs, also offers free water.
Jupiter, FL, off in the distance, with Crockett peering at us from his habitat on the sharklet
Snack pack shot
Trading cards that feature the iconic animals on the tails of Frontier Airlines aircraft. On the back, it includes facts about the animals, as well as satire about each individual animals' personalities. It also includes the aircraft type on which you may encounter the animal.
Trading cards featuring Courtney the Cougar and Max the Lynx
I enjoyed the flight by looking out the window and playing games on my iPad. The time certainly flew by, as we began our descent into Philadelphia at around 12:45. We touched down on PHL's Runway 27L at 1:30pm, and pulled into Gate E10 about seven minutes later at 1:37pm, 18 minutes early! We deplaned, and made our way to the departures level roadway, where my dad was waiting for us.
Arrival shot
Thanks for the ride, Crockett!
Frontier's ticketing area in PHL
I will save my final conclusion of this flight for the end of the trip report, to better analyze both carriers, however, I was very pleasantly surprised with the level of service I enjoyed on this flight, and would love to fly on another Frontier Airlines A321 in the future.
SPIRIT AIRLINES A321 (N675NK, NK151, ACY-PBI)
We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving break in South Jersey. We went to the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade, had a wonderful dinner with the entire family, and even got to spend a couple days in New York. However, all good things come to an end, and it was time to get back to studying, and we were doing so in style, by flying on another new A321, N675NK, which was delivered to Spirit Airlines on my birthday this year (May 2017)! After a nice breakfast at our local diner, we showed up to Atlantic City International Airport at 11:15am, two hours and one minute before our scheduled departure time. Even though we checked in online, I decided to print out a boarding pass from the self service kiosks inside the small terminal, and we proceeded to security. Luckily, we were given PreCheck. Unfortunately, we still had to wait for the elderly passengers in line ahead of us to go through screening as there was only one lane open. We were soon airside, and made our way to Gate 8, which is in the new part of the terminal, part of the 2012 expansion.
Outside ACY
Inside ACY's empty terminal
The new terminal area, which is rarely used except for charter flights
It was particularly interesting for me to be inside this airport, as I'd previously done several presentations on it for one of my aviation classes. We got comfortable and waited for our aircraft to arrive from Orlando as NK132, which arrived at noon. As the ground team was prepping the aircraft for us, I noticed several F-16s from the New Jersey Air National Guard flying over the airfield and then landing. I counted approximately eight aircraft before I boarded my A321. As we waited to board, the area became increasingly congested with fellow passengers going to Palm Beach. Boarding started at 12:45, and with us being in zone 4 again, waited patiently until we were called at 12:55. We were greeted by another cheery cabin crew, and I made my way to 33F which allowed for a better view of the ground, while still allowing me to see the wing. The first thing I noticed when I sat down, of course was the legroom, and how tight it was. Even though I've flown Spirit's A321s before, it still felt very tight, perhaps even more so after flying on Frontier's A321.
Our goliath-like A321 sits dormant, while a tiny F-16 taxies behind...
Wing view from ACY
We pushed back at 1:08pm, about eight minutes early. The rear section of the aircraft (rows 35-39) was empty, which seemed odd considering the packed boarding area. Our cabin crew welcomed us aboard and we began our taxi to Runway 13. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any cool fighter jets landing next to us as we taxied! However, it was a very quick taxi and we were wheels up about ten minutes after leaving the gate. Today's flight, unlike my Frontier flight a week prior, was not as direct, and followed the coastline of the entire mainland US, never going more than five miles off shore. The cabin crew on this flight explicitly stated that "We don't give anything for free, not even water. The only thing you get for free is our smiles!" I thought that was a nice touch, since some passengers still may not understand Spirit's no-frills approach. I opted not to purchase a snack onboard this flight as I thought the prices were unacceptable. I spent most of the flight enjoying the views of the ground below. I also stretched my legs and had fun with "pretending to be an aisle passenger" in one of the empty seats towards the back- it's not as fun as sitting in the window! After an uneventful flight, we made our way down to PBI and landed at 3:25, and arrived at Gate C8 at 3:30, about 15 minutes early!
Another aircraft passes our sharklet, which I believe is a Southwest Airlines 737-800
Turning base for Runway 10L
Parked at Gate C8
After arrival, we disembarked the aircraft and made our way to the designated Uber pickup point at PBI. I stopped by our outbound gate from a week prior and saw a familiar face. N220FR is 1 out of the 3 Frontier aircraft I've flown on (my first ever Frontier aircraft) and was preparing to take passengers up to Islip.
Walking to arrivals
Passengers getting ready to board "Finn the Tiger Shark" to Islip
Arrivals area
FINAL VERDICT
After having the opportunity to fly the Airbus A321 with two different ULCCs consecutively, I can confidently say that the clear winner in this case is Frontier Airlines. Frontier Airlines not only offered a much lower airfare ($29 versus $42), they also delivered a much cheaper experience overall when factoring in seats, and buy on board service. Seat selection was cheaper on Frontier- $13 for a seat in the middle of the airplane versus $16 for a seat in the back on Spirit. I found that the $3.99 snack box on Frontier was somewhat filling, and at least I could wash it down with water without having to make another transaction. A comparable snack box on Spirit "Cafe Snack Box" with pretty much the same food items costs $7! Then, if you're thirsty, you need to pay $3 for a beverage if you did not bring your own. When it's all said and done, you could be spending $6 more on Spirit for a comparable snack and drink (water) on Frontier.
The legroom is perhaps the most surprising aspect of this experience. I went into this trip expecting the same, tight legroom as I'm used to on Spirit, so when I realized I had a lot more room than I was used to, I was shocked. Only after the flight did I look up their seat map and notice they offer 30 inches of legroom on their A321, whereas Spirit offers 28 inches (in the airlines' standard, non-extra legroom seats). Frontier also manages to pack an extra two rows in their A321s than Spirit, even though they offer more legroom, perhaps due to the new Space Flex lavatories by Airbus. Frontier's 30 inches of pitch is equivalent to the pitch found on some legacy carriers' aircraft.
Frontier's branding is also much more appealing than Spirit, and it doesn't just show on their website. I personally think its a cool touch to name each animal differently, and to have that sign near the boarding door that lets you know which animal you're flying with. Having the picture of the animal on the inside of the sharklet is also really cool, compared to the word "HOWDY" written in bold letters. Last but not least, I like that they offer trading cards not just in the snack boxes, but for free if you ask a flight attendant.
Spirit has a significant advantage over Frontier in other ways however. Spirit has more aircraft than Frontier and therefore boasts a much larger international network, and a larger South Florida presence which is very convenient for me. They also offer a higher frequency on the South FL to PHL/ACY area, as well as NYC, giving cost-sensitive travelers more options than Frontier.
In conclusion, I was impressed with Frontier's A321 which offers more legroom than Spirit's A321, as well as a slightly higher level of service with a more affordable buy on board menu, seat selection fee, and airfare (on this trip). Spirit will give you the average no-frills service on their aircraft which isn't bad at all, and much cheaper than the legacy carriers in most cases. However, if I'm ever faced with the choice of flying Frontier or Spirit, I would definitely choose Frontier. Perhaps if they bolster their route network and fit my needs a bit better, I may need to switch my $9 Fare Club for Frontier's Discount Den.