I Was On The First Frontier Airlines Flight to Portland, Maine from Tampa
Frontier Airlines now has nonstop service to my hometown of Portland, Maine. That’s great news for skiers and lobster roll lovers. I didn’t realize it when I booked the flight but I apparently was on the first ever flight. It wasn’t a flight I intended to be on. But there I was being handed my collectible novelty commemorative airline ticket at the terminal at TPA. I lost it before the flight even landed. But how did it go? We hear horror stories about Frontier Airlines. Did I regret it?
2 Roundtrip Flights Booked
Last summer, I booked my Christmas flight back home to New England to see my family. The price was right… somewhere around $200-$250. But when Christmas approached, I noticed I didn’t pay close attention to the flight times. The flight from Tampa would arrive in Boston at 11PM. My 96 year old grandmother that I’d be visiting lives about 2 hours away. I wasn’t going to knock on her door at 2AM. So I looked to see if I could change my flight. No luck. I got a deal so you know how the airlines are when you don’t overpay. You board last, get stuck in the middle seat near the bathrooms, and you get no perks like a flight change.
Frontier Airlines from Tampa to Portland… non-stop!?
As luck would have it, Frontier Airlines launched nonstop service from Tampa International to Portland the week before Christmas. I had to rub my eyes when I saw the price. A non-stop Christmas flight direct to Maine without having to connect or take a bus from Boston was only $61 each way! I know many despise Frontier. I wouldn’t call myself a fan. But that price… and no connecting flights… I couldn’t buy it fast enough. The bus ticket alone from Boston to Maine would’ve cost half that.
Tampa to Portland Frontier Flight Review
The overall experience I would rate a B-. There are certain things you expect on a flight these days. I can deal with Frontier not having monitors at your seat to catch a movie or pass the time watching episodes of The Office. But the big gripe I have is they don’t even offer WiFi. It’s annoying to pay $10-$20 for WiFi on a flight, but when you’re on board for 3 or 4 hours, you need it. And Frontier’s plane to Portland had no internet options whatsoever.
Another big negative is for us big people. I’m 6’4″. Squeezing into Frontier’s tiny seats is not comfortable. At least they don’t make me sit in the fetal position like the other airline that flies direct to Portland from Tampa (Breeze Airways). Sure I’m aware I can shell out more cash to get more room, but I’m cheap. I’d rather take 10 flights in coach than 3 in first class. The vacation for me happens when I arrive at my destination… I’m not wasting my money on the transport part.
Now for the positives. The obvious one is time. We took off from Tampa at 8am and I was in my grandmother’s kitchen by lunchtime. Tampa and Portland are both super easy airports to fly in and out of. I used my usual parking spot in Tampa near the airport. And when you land in Portland, Maine, you’ll be at the curb 10 minutes later. (Unlike Tampa, one of my few gripes about TPA is how after landing you often are stuck on the runway and then have to deal with only one shuttle running.)
The Frontier Airlines gate crew in Tampa was friendly. And the on board staff was fine. The whole experience was just ok. Yes, I was cramped. No, I didn’t have any kind of entertainment other than my own cell phone. But Frontier got me to Maine in record time… and cheap… the week before Christmas. That’s pretty impressive.
