It’s been less than two years since Frontier Airlines launched service from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
Now, the budget airline is pulling back at the airport in a big way.
This spring, Frontier plans to slash all but one route from its JFK schedule, as first reported by industry watcher Ishrion Aviation and later confirmed by the airline.
From mid-April on, the airline will only operate one daily nonstop flight from JFK to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).
Going by the wayside: Frontier’s current nonstop service from the Queens hub to Chicago, New Orleans, Orlando and Miami.
We should note that as recently as last summer, Frontier flew a fairly expansive JFK schedule, as shown in the below map from Cirium.
But costs to operate in New York are steep, and Frontier said its decision to cut back at JFK came after a hard look at its network.
“We periodically review and update routes based on market demand, seasonality, costs associated with operating from a particular airport, and other factors,” the Denver-based ultra-low-cost carrier said in a statement Monday.
Though Frontier is all but exiting JFK, the carrier maintains a presence at the New York City area’s two other large hubs: LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
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However, it’ll have a more measured presence at one: During the first half of 2026, its total departures from LGA will be down 20% versus last year, Cirium data showed.
Its Newark departures will be up 17% year over year.
Frontier launched JFK flights in June 2024 as part of a major route map shake-up that year as it tried to contend with stiff competition in some of its more tried-and-true leisure markets like Orlando and Las Vegas.
That the carrier’s lone JFK nonstop will be Atlanta, going forward, is fitting: ATL, the world’s busiest airport, is now Frontier’s busiest base.
These cutbacks in New York come days after TPG learned the carrier planned to exit 10 cities nationally as it sheds planes and revamps its network after losing $137 million in 2025.
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