Frontier Airlines Begins Retrofitting Aircraft, Sets First Class Launch Date For Early March

Published Oct 25, 2026, 6:22 PM EDT Paul Thompson is an aviation & travel journalist, photographer, & airplane geek with over 25 years of experience at a large domestic US carrier. He is based in Denver, Colorado. Sign in to your Simple Flying account Frontier Airlines has been known forever as a bare-bones airline. Their low fares attract a lot of travelers, who then find themselves nickel-and-dimed for carry-on and checked luggage, as well as onboard refreshments. However, there are some big changes coming that could make the Frontier experience a lot more pleasurable. Frontier has announced a new first class will roll out beginning March 5, 2027. Along with that, Frontier will be installing power outlets at each seat, along with Starlink WiFi. The retrofits begin this month. Crucial Information & Key Details (Most Important Information) Credit: Wileydoc | Shutterstock A leaked internal document shared with View From The Wing revealed the changes and their timeline. Each plane will get eight of the new First Class seats, in a two-by-two configuration for the first two rows of the plane. Every plane in the Frontier fleet is from the Airbus A320 series, and Frontier has been receiving new Airbus A320neo and Airbus A321neo aircraft. Frontier will sell First Class seats on the reconfigured aircraft as UpFront Plus seats prior to the launch, as planes are fitted with the new seats. Passengers will have the opportunity to experience the new First Class seats, though no cabin service changes will be made until the official rollout. It seems clear from the messaging in the document that the UpFront Plus product will become a thing of the past. Starlink And Power Outlets Are On Their Way Credit: Frontier Airlines The memo did not specify exactly what this "cabin refresh" will mean to passengers beyond First Class. Options would include all-new seating, larger overhead bins, and updated cabin lighting. The Neo fleet will already have the larger bins and Airbus "Airspace" lighting, but Frontier could choose to upgrade the older planes for the sake of uniformity. The memo also did not specify what type of power outlets will be installed. It could be traditional AC outlets or USB-A/C. At any rate, this will be a welcome change for Frontier flyers. The biggest upgrade for the Frontier fleet may be Starlink WiFi, offering high-speed data and video streaming. Frontier hasn't announced any pricing for Starlink, but passengers should probably expect a fee unless the airline takes a big turn away from this ancillary revenue potential. US competitors Southwest Airlines and United Airlines offer Starlink for free through sponsorships to members of their frequent flyer programs. Credit: Frontier Airlines During the retrofit of its fleet, Frontier's seating page will tell passengers whether the seats up front will be the new First Class or their old UpFront Plus, which was a row of standard economy seats with extra legroom and the middle seat blocked, similar to the "Euro-biz" product of many European carriers. Frontier said in a July earnings call that it may expand beyond eight seats in First Class, which will be provided by Geven. Frontier chose Geven's Comoda model for its new 21-inch-wide First Class seats, which were first displayed at the annual Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany. Comoda means "comfortable" when translated from Italian. Frontier originally announced a new First Class in 2024, to debut in 2025, but that has been delayed. Frontier has a big opportunity to improve its cabin service by including drinks and snacks in its new First Class, but that's not in the plans announced thus far. For now, it appears the new First Class on Frontier will only grant you a wider, more comfortable seat with access to power outlets and WiFi. However, Starlink WiFi on Frontier could be a draw for passengers booking in any class who have previously dismissed the carrier.