Frontier Airlines plans limited Delaware return
Frontier Airlines plans to offer Delaware customers at least one non-stop Florida route from New Castle Airport in late 2015, a spokesman said on Wednesday.
The Denver-based airline said Monday it would seasonally suspend all flights out of Delaware in April.
Frontier began flying out of New Castle in mid-2013 but quickly and dramatically slashed its offerings here, eliminating service to Houston, Detroit, Chicago, Denver, Atlanta and Fort Myers, Florida.
"Frontier does plan to return to Wilmington on a seasonal basis sometime in late 2015 with non-stop service to at least one destination in Florida," Frontier spokesman Todd Lehmacher said in a written statement.
On Monday, Lehmacher said the Delaware suspension would be "seasonal" but failed to elaborate, saying, "We have not yet announced our intentions beyond that time."
"Certain routes have not shown the strength necessary to justify year-round service," he added.
Wednesday's reassurance was welcomed by Stephen Williams, director of airports for the Delaware River & Bay Authority, which operates the New Castle airport.
"Our customers want more service, not less, and we know they will continue to support air service to Wilmington by flying Frontier from ILG whenever it fits their travel plans," Williams said in a prepared statement.
Delaware customers have few local options left. Currently, Frontier is flying only to and from Orlando out of the New Castle airport.
Tampa service will resume on Dec. 20 but Florida service will last only through April, when Frontier intends to shut down all flights to and from the Delaware airport.
Meanwhile, Frontier has ramped up its offerings at nearby Philadelphia International Airport. Frontier will begin flights from Philadelphia to Miami, Orlando and Tampa on Dec. 20, and to Cancun on Dec. 21.
Routes to Atlanta, Charlotte and Chicago-O'Hare will begin in the spring, Frontier has said.
Contact Jonathan Starkey at (302) 983-6756, on Twitter @jwstarkey or at jstarkey@delawareonline.com.