Frontier Airlines Top 5

I try to stay on an industry level when I talk about different travel issues though I do from time to time run into a level of service that is either so good or so bad that it merits mentioning a specific company.

I have flown Frontier Airlines three times now and each time has been the best experience I've had flying.

So, here is a top 5 list of what I enjoyed most about my experiences with Frontier:

5. The short films they show on the free channel, Wild Blue Yonder. It really is like attending a film festival.

4. The fact that I got a "comp" to watch Direct TV on one flight. Flight attendants hand out free cards to several passengers each flight as a way to give you a taste for the $5 per flight service. I love comps even when they have nothing to do with poker.

3. Denver Airport. Frontier is based in Denver and almost every flight goes through Denver. In Denver, the wheelchair service is provided by Frontier employees who refuse to accept tips and who spend time chatting with you instead of rushing you to the gate.

2. Friendly staff at all levels. Speaking of nice employees, I have yet to run into a Frontier employee who wasn't curteous and accommodating. In fact, I spent more time reassuring them that I was okay and didn't need anything than I did worrying about receiving something I needed. This includes the issue of what to do about the seat next to me. I didn't pay directly for any of these flights (they were booked and paid for by people who were flying me out to speak). So I didn't have a choice about booking an extra seat. That meant I was in danger of missing a flight because of seating problems (I can't get the arm down.) Only one leg of one flight was full. To get me on the plane, an employee of the airline who happened to be flying sat next to me and allowed me to put the arm up. She was one of the most enjoyable companions I've flown with and we had a great conversation. In all other cases, if the flight was not full at the time when seats are released (about 20 minutes before flight, the seat next to me was reserved without complaint and without demanding payment). One supervisor at Denver said flat out -- "we will accommodate if we can and a prepaid passenger who needs accommodation takes precident over standbys."

1. Wonderful seats. Finally, and a bit ironically, Frontier is probably the only airline I've been on where paying for the 2nd seat made the most sense. The arms fold up into the seats completely and the seats are even with each other (no buckets). This means that when the arm is up the seats feel more like a bench than separate seats. So if I were to for the second seat, I would comfortably be able to use both seats. One of the major complaints I have about the whole "two seat" issue is that sitting across two seats is frequently uncomfortable and creates a lot of pain -- an arm in the shoulder blade for 2 or 3 hours can really make a flight miserable, especially because fibromyalgia can be triggered.

Are they universally accessible? Not really. There are some things they could do to make it easier for people of all sizes, postures and mobility to have easier access.

But we're talking airlines here and in that world, Frontier is lightyears ahead of the pack.