Frontier Airlines Cuts Customer Service Phone Number Ahead of Busy Travel Season
In an all-to-familiar refrain, another company is cutting services in the name of corporate efficiency and tech-first game plans.
See: 9 Safest Places To Retire Abroad for Less Than $2,000 a Month
Find: States Whose Economies Are Failing vs. States Whose Economies Are Thriving
As CNN reported, low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines has changed over to fully digital communications by eliminating its customer support phone service. “We have found that most customers prefer communicating via digital channels,” said Frontier spokesperson Jennifer De La Cruz in a statement.
The transition from phone support to automated or live digital communication was completed this past weekend, according to USA Today. Customers looking for help or flight information will have to engage with an online chatbot — or live agent support via WhatsApp or a web client — moving forward.
Instead of getting through to a service rep when calling Frontier, customers are now greeted with this pre-recorded message: “At Frontier, we offer the lowest fares in the industry by operating our airline as efficiently as possible. We want our customers to be able to operate efficiently as well, which is why we make it easy to find what you need at Flyfrontier.com or on our mobile app. We also have a chat service available 24/7.”
Air Travel Demand Remains Sky High Despite Soaring Costs
This customer service change comes at a time when air travel demand remains high as we approach the hectic holiday season — despite flight prices being the steepest they’ve been in years. According to Fox Business, flyers can expect to pay around 33% more for an average domestic round trip ticket today than they did in 2019, per Hopper’s flight tracking data. For an average international round trip air ticket, prices are approximately $1,300, up 26% from 2019.
And the move by Frontier to receive information, as De La Cruz stated, as “expeditiously and efficiently as possible,” comes shortly after the airline was forced to pay $222 million in refunds and struck with a $2.2 million fine by the Department of Transportation. This penalty came in response to Frontier allegedly refusing or exceedingly delaying customer refunds for cancelled flights, per NPR.
As Fox Business reported, airlines operating without customer service call centers are rare — and, as CNN detailed, budget air brands like Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air still employ call center workers to serve customers. Still, there is another airline besides Frontier that has dropped its customer service phone line.
Take Our Poll: How Has Inflation Impacted Your Holiday Shopping Plans?
More: The Best Airlines for Booking Holiday Travel With Reward Miles
The Utah-based Breeze Airways also does not have a customer call center. It encourages customers to use the Breeze app and website, or go through Facebook Messenger, text or email for all customer-related flight queries.
More From GOBankingRates
Zelle Scams on Facebook Marketplace: How To Recognize and Avoid Them
5 Best Southern Cities To Retire on a Budget of $1,500 a Month
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Frontier Airlines Cuts Customer Service Phone Number Ahead of Busy Travel Season
