Want to Fly Free with Frontier Airlines? There's a Catch!

Frontier Airlines aims to become America’s Greenest Airline. Its fleet is 39% more fuel-efficient than its competitors, and it has been named the industry's most fuel-efficient airline by The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). While Frontier may be known as the green airline, the company's mission goes beyond the green logo and the menagerie of animals on its airplane tails.

Frontier's mission is evident in August 2019, with the launch of a memorable promotion. Frontier encourages everyone to live greener lives and invites everyone with the last name “Green” to fly for free on Tuesday, August 13, 2019.

According to Frontier's website (www.flyfrontier.com/deals/green): here's how to get a free flight on August 13, 2019:
(1) Confirm that your last name is Green or Greene
(2) Book a flight that departs on August 13, 2019
(3) Frontier will refund your trip!

There was small print, and it read as follows:

Individuals with the last name Green or Greene will be eligible to receive refunds for one way or round trip nonstop domestic travel on August 13, 2019. Flights must be booked on flyfrontier.com. Individuals who are eligible for this promotion will be refunded for round trip flights if both segments of travel are purchased on one PNR, the first segment departs between 12:00AM and 11:59PM on August 13, 2019, and the return segment arrives by 11:59PM on August 20, 2019. Eligible participants will receive a full refund, up to $400. Refunds will be rewarded to to the original booking contact person by September 15, 2019. (In the airline and travel industries, a passenger name record (PNR) is a record in the database of a computer reservation system that consists of the personal information for a passenger and his/her itinerary.)

Eligible participants in this promotion must have documentation that Green or Greene is legally their last name. Promotion is applicable only to individuals with the last name Green or Greene. Their immediate families (spouses, parents, children, siblings, and their respective spouses) are not eligible for this promotion if their last name is not Green or Greene.

Barry Biffle, President and CEO of Frontier Airlines, explained, “Our fleet’s fuel efficiency is unmatched by other U.S. airlines and allows Frontier to deliver not only the lowest fares but the most sustainable approach to flying. We are proud to serve communities across the U.S. and understand the importance of being good stewards of the environment. We’re focused on lessening Frontier’s impact on the environment and continually search for innovative solutions and technology to achieve that.”
 
Now the catch...upon hearing about this promotion last week, I sent a Tweet to Frontier Airlines and also tagged the brand on an Instagram post asking if my great-grandfather's name of "Green" would allow me to get a free ticket. Seven days after the Tweet and Instagram post, I still have not received any response from Frontier. The promotional campaign was well-executed and certainly memorable. But, what if I had not visited Frontier's website and read the small print? As those of us who understand social media and promote its benefits when it comes to customer service and customer experiences, this silence speaks volumes. At the very least, someone who monitors Frontier's digital footprint should have responded. Would your brand have responded to me?


Image Credit: Frontier Airlines and Instagram.