This Budget Airline Is Introducing First-Class Seating for the First Time

If you’ve booked a flight on a budget airline, you probably have a pretty good idea of what to expect. In exchange for rock-bottom fares, these so-called “ultra-low-cost carriers” (ULCCs) provide a decidedly low-frills experience. Passengers are squeezed into seats with tight legroom (and often no recline) and need to pay for anything extra beyond their ticket — from a can of soda to carry-on bags to printing a boarding pass at the airport. But starting this year, not all budget airlines in the U.S. will offer a similar experience. Find out why Frontier Airlines is introducing a first-class section — and why other airlines are following suit.  

Frontier Announces First-Class Seating

Denver-based Frontier Airlines operates over 500 flights each day to around 100 destinations in the U.S., Mexico, and the Caribbean. The carrier is known for its low fares, which it can offer thanks to a high-density configuration on its Airbus A320 family planes, which are also outfitted with lighter seats to save on fuel costs. 

Currently, the airline fits its largest aircraft — the Airbus A321NEO — with a total of 240 seats, just four shy of the manufacturer’s maximum allowable seating capacity. For comparison, traditional legacy carriers such as American, Delta, and United configure the same aircraft with 190 to 200 seats. That’s because those airlines offer a dedicated first-class section, along with economy-class seats with extra legroom and a regular economy seat pitch that’s around 2 to 3 inches greater than that of Frontier and similar airlines such as Spirit.

But in December 2024, Frontier Airlines announced what it dubbed a “game-changing transformation” — including the introduction of a first-class section, a first for a ULCC carrier. (Spirit Airlines also offers a larger seating option called “Big Front Seat,” but service is otherwise similar to the rest of the plane.) True to its low-cost roots, Frontier promised to offer its new seating option at affordable prices, “making first-class travel more accessible than ever.”

Starting in late 2025, the first two rows on each of Frontier’s planes will feature the new seats, arranged in a more spacious two-by-two layout with extra legroom. So far, the airline hasn’t revealed what else will be included with the new first class, but we can look to competing carriers for clues: Passengers can likely expect perks like free seat selection, free baggage, priority boarding, alcoholic beverages, and more. 

Plus, members who have elite status with Frontier Airlines will be eligible for unlimited complimentary upgrades to the new seats, based on availability. The airline previously announced another premium product called UpFront Plus seating, which offers a standard economy-class seat with a few extra inches of legroom and a guaranteed blocked middle seat.

More Upgrade Options Coming 

Frontier isn’t the only airline making waves with new seating options. Also in December 2024, New York City-based JetBlue Airways confirmed plans to install new domestic first-class seats on its planes by 2026. 

The airline currently offers a business-class product called Mint that features lie-flat seats and multicourse meals; however, it’s available only on select routes, including transcontinental and Europe flights. The rest of its fleet offers only economy and extra-legroom economy seats — but that’s set to change next year. 

Meanwhile, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, one of the country’s largest airlines, is transforming a core part of its identity since the airline’s first flight in 1971. Traditionally, Southwest passengers are assigned a boarding number based on check-in time (and other factors such as elite status), and they can choose any open seat once they board the plane.

Starting in 2026, Southwest will offer assigned seating for the first time. But the good news is the airline is also adding an extra-legroom section at the front of each cabin (and in exit rows), which will offer up to 5 additional inches of legroom compared with the rest of the plane. 

Premium Travel on the Rise

All these new premium seating options should come as no surprise. As reported by Skift, “white-hot demand for premium travel” was the single biggest trend in the airline industry last year. 

While legacy carriers have long offered first- and business-class seating, they, too, are upping their premium game, adding more business-class seats to long-haul planes, introducing new suites with sliding doors, and opening high-end lounges with restaurant-style dining and spa services for customers traveling in premium cabins. 

While low-cost airlines have traditionally bucked that model in order to squeeze more economy seats onto the plane, the reality is that these airlines can’t ignore the trends in the industry. In fact, many of them have struggled as booking patterns have evolved, with Spirit Airlines entering bankruptcy in late 2024. 

Jungho Suh, a management professor at George Washington University School of Business, said in an interview with CBS News, “We can clearly see that consumer preferences have changed in favor of a more premium product, and the low-cost airlines are struggling. They don’t want to see any added costs; they want an all-in, full-service offering.”

For anyone looking to upgrade their next flight, that should come as good news, with more options and — hopefully — lower prices for a nicer experience than what many of us have become accustomed to these days.  

Feature image credit: Image courtesy of Frontier Airlines