New flights will cover daily service from LI to Florida

Frontier Airlines will add 38 round-trip flights a week this winter at Long Island MacArthur Airport, including daily service to the Florida destinations of Tampa, West Palm Beach and Fort Myers, an airport official said.

Frontier’s additional flights will begin in November and are scheduled through March 2020, said Airport Commissioner Shelley LaRose-Arken. Frontier began flying to Orlando from the Ronkonkoma airport in August 2017. The additional flights contribute to Frontier being the fastest growing airline at MacArthur, LaRose-Arken said.

“We’ve had a lot of positive response from the Long Island community in terms of passengers using Frontier on a regular basis. Frontier has been a great partner," she said.

After March 2020, Frontier will decide whether to keep the flights, add more, or decrease service, LaRose-Arken said, but she does not expect a reduction in flights.

Frontier now offers eight nonstop destinations from MacArthur, officials said.

Southwest and American airlines also fly in and out of MacArthur. LaRose-Arken said Frontier in 2018 represented about 33 percent of total passengers at MacArthur, or more than 536,000 round-trip passengers. The airport last year served 1.6 million round-trip passengers, LaRose-Arken said.

Southwest booked the most passengers at MacArthur last year, serving more than 1 million who flew round-trip, LaRose-Arken said.

Frontier will also offer year-round flights to Atlanta and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, officials said. The destinations are now seasonal.

Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter said in a statement the additional Frontier flights are a response to passenger needs.

“Frontier’s decision to focus on Long Island indicates the enthusiasm we are seeing from Nassau and Suffolk County travelers. … The new service means good choices for our customers.”

In June, Frontier served its millionth passenger since it began operations out of MacArthur.

Daniel Shurz, a Frontier Airlines senior vice president, said in a statement that ticket prices are drawing customers in.

“Once Long Island customers see our fares and fly Frontier, they realize our commitment to customer service is real … and that travel truly can be more accessible and affordable,” he said.