Who doesn’t love a good deal on travel?

Our family always looks for ways to save money on travel. We take advantage of discounts and offers whenever possible. I wouldn’t exactly say we’re thrifty when it comes to travel, but I would say we are smart.

Airline tickets add up fast for families! So as a mom when you hear the words “kids fly free” you get excited. And you start packing your bags.

But is the offer as good as it sounds, or is it too good to be true? The answer to both of those questions is YES.

I know, that doesn’t sound like it makes any sense.

But let me tell you about our experience with Frontier’s Kids Fly Free program. Then I will dive into the pros and cons of the program and how you can make it work for your family.

When we decided to head west for Spring Break we immediately thought about the ad we’d recently seen from Frontier Airlines. Knowing they were based out West we assumed they would be a great option.

Frontier Airlines offers discounted tickets for everyone; however, in 2019 they began a Kids Fly Free Program. Here are a few key points from the fine print:

• This offer is a BOGO (buy one, get one). You only get 1 child’s ticket per 1 adult ticket.
• You must have an annual membership to their Discount Den. The cost of this is $60 per family.
• The free tickets only apply to select dates. Very select dates.

Determined to make this work for our family, I pursued the fine details. Originally our plan was for me to fly solo with the kids- joining Brent out West. To qualify for the free tickets, we adjusted our thinking and opted to book all 4 of us on the same flight.

Additionally, we had to change our ideal travel dates. Rather than flying out on Monday, we had to fly on Tuesday to receive the free tickets.

Unfortunately, we were not able to adjust our return to accommodate Frontier’s select dates. Therefore, we had to actually purchase the kids’ tickets for the return flight.

By now you might be wondering, did you actually save money?

The answer in our situation is not really. We purchased the $60 club membership, plus the two return tickets and then had to pay taxes AND baggage fees. In the end, we came up about $5 less than if we’d booked on a different airline.

So why am I still recommending this program? Because I do think some families can easily take advantage of these savings!

Here’s who benefits from the Kids Fly Free Program at Frontier:

1. A family that already owns a Frontier Discount Den Membership.
2. Families that plan to take multiple trips on Frontier in a one-year period.
3. Those with a flexible itinerary. From what I saw most of the free ticket dates were on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. If you can work with those days, you will be able to fly your children for free both directions.
4. A family that packs light. If you can avoid paying baggage fees, you will save money. If you are going to pay for a bag or two, you might as well go with a carrier that allows bags to fly for free. (*Frontier does not allow carry on bags. You are only allowed a personal item. To carry on a suitcase, you still must pay for it.)

My biggest piece of advice is to build out your whole itinerary online before you purchase the Discount Den membership. You will be disappointed if you pay the $60 and then realize that you can’t take advantage of the free children’s tickets.

Final Takeaway:

Cost aside, we were extremely happy with our experience on Frontier Airlines. Our flights ran on time and the staff displayed so much kindness towards our family.

The seats on Frontier Airline planes do not recline. While this might sound like a negative at first, keep in mind that the person sitting in front of you can’t recline either. I appreciated keeping that leg room for the whole flight! (Conversely, I wouldn’t recommend a red eye on Frontier because it is pretty hard to get comfortable when sitting straight up. Make sure you have awesome neck pillows!)

Our family has decided to make the most of the program and plan another trip for next fall on Frontier. With all the guidelines and fine print in mind, we’ll be mindful of our travel dates.

More free tickets for the kids and more travel for our family…I’m not going to complain!

If you found this helpful, please be sure to share this post:

What airline deals have you taken advantage of and was it worth it?

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6 Airline Hacks For Flying With Kids

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