Mexican budget carrier Volaris has announced the reactivation of its previous reciprocal codeshare agreement with US carrier Frontier Airlines. The agreement, announced on May 9, 2024, will facilitate travel between the United States and Mexico, with the new codeshare services already on sale and in both airlines’ reservations systems for flights departing from May 16, 2024.
The pair of airlines first formed their codeshare partnership in 2018. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded Mexico’s safety status to Category 2 from Category 1 in May 2021, hindering US airlines’ ability to market and sell tickets on Mexican carriers via codeshare agreements.
Mexico’s Category 1 status was restored by the FAA in September 2023 meaning that the reciprocal agreement could be restored once more. A unilateral codeshare was maintained by the Mexican carrier throughout the FAA-imposed hiatus.
With the reinstatement of the codeshare agreement, Frontier customers can book flights through the airline’s website for either Volaris non-stop services between the US and Mexico or on Frontier/Volaris connecting services. In addition, Volaris customers can book flights on Frontier’s services to over 100 destinations in the US when booking through the Volaris website.
“We are very excited about the full resumption of our codeshare partnership,” said Enrique Beltranena, Volaris’ President and CEO. This collaboration not only expands the travel options for Frontier customers but also reinforces Volaris’ commitment to enhancing operational efficiency and offering an extensive range of destinations between our two nations.”
“We share Frontier’s dedication to providing accessible, low-cost, and welcoming air travel experiences, and look forward to the opportunities this renewed partnership brings for both our airlines and our passengers,” Beltranena added.
“We are thrilled to resume codesharing with Volaris, which will provide Frontier customers the ability to easily and conveniently book travel to a huge array of exciting destinations in Mexico,” said Barry Biffle, Frontier Airlines’ CEO. “Volaris is an excellent, well-established air carrier that has been in operation for nearly 20 years and, like Frontier, is focused on providing convenient, affordable, and friendly air travel.”
More about the partners
Volaris is classed as an ultra-low-cost carrier, with point-to-point operations, serving Mexico, the United States, Central, and South America. Since operations began in March 2006, Volaris increased its routes from five to more than 197 and now operates a fleet of 134 aircraft.
Volaris offers more than 460 daily flight segments on routes that connect 44 cities in Mexico and 29 cities in the United States, Central, and South America, and boasts the youngest aircraft fleet in Mexico with an average of 7.6 years. The carrier targets passengers who are visiting friends and relatives, cost-conscious business and leisure travelers in Mexico, the United States, Central, and South America.
In Mexico, it served popular tourist destinations such as Mexico City, Cancun, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Huatulco, Acapulco, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Tijuana.
Frontier Airlines, with its headquarters in Denver, Colorado, currently operates 142 A320 family aircraft and has the largest A320neo family fleet currently in the US. The airline also has more than 200 new Airbus planes on order for future growth and development.
Both Frontier Airlines and Volaris share a common investor in the form of US-based investment firm Indigo Partners. This company holds an 80.9% share in Frontier Airlines and also holds a minority stake in Volaris. Indigo also holds shares in several other low-cost carriers including Chilean carrier JetSMART and Europe’s Wizz Air.