Frontier Airlines returning to LV

Brian Seals

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 1998 | 11:41 a.m.

Denver-based Frontier Airlines is coming back to Las Vegas's McCarran International Airport.

The company will offer three non-stop daily flights on Boeing 737s to and from Denver beginning Dec. 17.

"Las Vegas is the seventh top business destination from Denver and a natural fit in our strategy of serving top business markets from our Denver hub," said Frontier Vice President of Marketing Jeff Potter.

Frontier pulled out of Las Vegas on Aug. 1, 1997, saying increased competition from low-fare carrier Shuttle by United, a division of United Airlines, had taken a bite out of its business.

But Frontier officials said two factors have changed since that decision.

The bankruptcy of Western Pacific Airlines ended a Las Vegas code-share deal it planned with Frontier in which the airlines would coordinate schedules and sell tickets for each other.

And airline capacity has shifted out of Las Vegas.

"There are more hotel rooms and there is less air service," Frontier spokeswoman Elise Eberwein said. "We're hoping our low fares will stimulate demand."

She said the potential for profitability has increased as Frontier has added flights to cities on the East Coast, allowing travelers to make connector flights in Denver en route to Vegas.

The 4-year-old airline also announced it's adding service to several major cities including New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Dallas/ Ft. Worth, Chicago and Minneapolis.

"This gives people on the East Coast more opportunity to fly into Vegas," Eberwein said.

A Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority official said the re-entry of Frontier Airlines is welcome with more rooms coming to the Strip.

"With the growth of the marketplace and rooms that are going to be added, it is important we increase the flights coming into Las Vegas," said Rossi Ralenkotter, LVCVA vice president of marketing.

Frontier's announcement comes at a time when some airlines are showing greater interest in the Las Vegas market. Northwest Airlines began non-stop flights from Tokyo in June and Japan Airlines recently added a third weekly non-stop flight from Tokyo.

Also, National Airlines, a venture backed by the Rio and Harrah's gaming companies, is a start-up airline established to serve Las Vegas and is expected to begin service during the first quarter of 1999.

"There's a lot of interest in the marketplace, a lot of seats being added," Ralenkotter said.