Frontier paint scheme salutes Ohio Wright Brothers, state bird get nod

Orville, Frontier's Ohio-themed Airbus, may be making more frequent appearances in Cleveland in April. The airline announced the addition of four new routes from Cleveland on Thursday: Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

(Plain Dealer file photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Frontier Airlines announced a major expansion at Cleveland Hopkins airport on Thursday, adding new nonstop service to Portland, Oregon, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

The airline is kicking off the new service, which starts in mid-April, with a fare sale, offering $39 one-way fares to Philadelphia and $79 seats to the three West Coast cities.

The service to Portland marks the first nonstop between Cleveland and the hipster hub since United Airlines discontinued seasonal service several years ago. The Portland service will operate Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, starting Thursday, April 14.

Flights to Los Angeles also will operate Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, also starting April 14. Flights to San Francisco and Philadelphia will run Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, launching Friday, April 15.

In addition to the new routes, the airline also is restoring flights to five markets, including summer service to Atlanta, Denver, Raleigh-Durham and Seattle, and year-round service to Phoenix, all starting up again in April.

Fred Szabo, interim director of Cleveland Hopkins, said, "We are very pleased that Frontier has decided to grow again at CLE. Their expansion to 14 markets including seasonal service makes them the second largest airline at CLE in terms of nonstop markets."

Only United Airlines has more, with as many as 18 destinations depending on the season.

Both United and Spirit airlines currently fly between Cleveland and Los Angeles. United also flies nonstop to San Francisco. American Airlines offers Cleveland's only nonstop flight to Philadelphia.

Fares on the Philadelphia route, in particular, are high -- more than $500 round-trip, on average, according to recent U.S. Department of Transportation data -- and are likely to come down with the addition of Frontier service, which typically causes competing airlines to drop their fares in response.

The airline, based in Denver, has been experimenting in Cleveland in the years since United dropped its hub at Hopkins. The carrier has added and subtracted numerous destinations in an effort to see what works. Among those dropped: Dallas, New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

The airline currently flies from Cleveland to Tampa, Orlando and Fort Myers in Florida, Las Vegas and Cancun, Mexico.

At the same time Frontier has been expanding in Cleveland, the airline also has been solidifying its position in the industry as an ultra low-cost carrier, with low fares, minimal legroom and lots of fees.

The new Cleveland flights were included in a broader announcement from the airline regarding its summer schedule, which runs from mid-April through mid-August. The announcement also included route additions in Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Kansas City and dozens of other communities.

The airline, founded in 1994, is in rapid growth mode, expanding its fleet of Airbus jets from 56 planes to 101 over the next five years.

Said Frontier President Barry Biffle, "Frontier's low fares in these new markets will benefit millions of new fliers who are forced to drive because they haven't found affordable air travel options - or they simply stay at home. We see hundreds of additional opportunities like these throughout the country, fueling our growth for years to come."