Frontier Go Wild! Pass Questions
I have the Frontier Go Wild! Pass. If you haven't already read my full post about the things I considered before purchasing, definitely check it out here. I also wrote a post that recaps everywhere I went using the pass here. Here are some of the most common questions I get / have heard regarding the pass.
Most Popular: Should I get the pass?
Honestly, only a select few percent of people will make as much use out of it — but that doesn’t mean your shouldn’t get it. 1) You HAVE to have flexibility — in dates and routes!! If you are a person that doesn’t like flight ambiguity or not having secure flight plans, this might not be for you. IF you are that person, you will likely spend a bit more, specifically on booking your return flight as a confirmed instead of waiting for the Go Wild! Pass availability; but there are still one-way flights that pay for the pass themselves so it could still be a good option. 2) You have to be okay flying Frontier. At the end of the day, it IS a budget airline. All extras are a la carte, the seats are quite thin/most don’t recline, and they don’t have the same route availability like major carriers (which is important when there are delays/cancellations). 3) You have to be in close proximity to a Frontier hub (not just an airport they fly to). If you live somewhere like BOS or CVG, you will have a limited amount of direct flight options. Many of your flights will connect in MCO or ATL for those aforementioned examples (and I’m not talking short layovers either, I’m meaning upwards of 6-12 hours sometimes). If you live near near a hub like DEN, LAS, or MCO (as examples), you will have endless options of direct destination options. If you are good with these three things, then I think you should get it — but its definitely not for everyone.
Popular: Aren’t you flying standby?
NO! Any seat you purchase with your Go Wild! Pass is CONFIRMED! You are not standby.
Is it true that you can only book flights 24 hours before?
You are able to book confirmed seats on domestic flights the day before traveling (I do into more details in this post). It became sort of a game to predict which flights/routes would have the most available seats and to get them at the beginning of the booking availability window (which was 12am-2am). I had fun doing it, but I can see where others wouldn’t enjoy it. Midway through the summer, Frontier did add functionality to book them further than a day in advance for additional costs, but I'll talk about that in another post.
Is it true that you have to pay taxes on every flight?
Yes. We live in America and Uncle Sam is going to get his coins by any means necessary. Every direct domestic flight costs $14.90 in taxes, making it $14.91. Domestic flights with connections typically range from $25-$35. International flights are typically $75-$100 each way in taxes (that’s Uncle Sam AND his buddies in other countries). There aren’t any gimmicks here — even if you aren’t using the Go Wild! Pass you can see how much taxes are for every flight booked on Frontier.
What was the biggest con in your opinion?
For me, it was the lack of clarity surrounding which flights have Go Wild! availability and which don't. I understand having blackout dates, those were clearly listed before I purchased the pass so I was cool with those. But in some cases, flights were not sold out (for full paying customers) AND I was trying to book right at the beginning of the bookable window, and it STILL showed unavailable. Because I was flexible for the most part, it didn't have a HUGE impact on me. But it definitely irritated me from time to time because there was no way to know WHY the flight wasn't available (even reaching out to their chat).
Do you have to pay extra for bags?
The only bag you get for free is a personal item. I only paid for carry-ons for 5 of my 27 trips, and for the rest of my flights I used the Takeoff Luggage. 11/10 recommend and it is DEFINITELY worth the money. Use DEJATHEEXPLORER when you checkout to get a discount on yours :)
Is there any way to get the bags for free?
YES! If you have Frontier status (20K, 50K, 100K), then you will get a free carry-on and/or checked bag on each flight you book. For anyone that already has status with another airline, Frontier is (at the time of writing this through 12/31/23) offering status match. I will be using my American Platinum status to status match Frontier 50K, which means through all of 2024, every Frontier flight I book will come with a free carry-on — this will absolutely be a game changer.
Do you recommend paying for seats?
Short answer: NO! You are guaranteed a seat on the plane if you purchase using your Go Wild! Pass - you are NOT standby! Your seat will be assigned based on the time you check-in. They typically assign from the back to the front, so I wait until 2-3 hours before flights to check-in, and I almost always get assigned a seat near the front of the plane. Now, I only recommend this strategy when you are flying ALONE. If you flying with additional people and you really want to sit near them, I recommend checking in right at the 24 hours prior to flight mark.
Are you bidding for flights?
I wouldn’t say you are bidding on flights necessarily… but kinda. There are only a certain number of Go Wild! Pass seats available on the flights. So in some instances, the flight may not be sold out for full price tickets, but all the Go Wild! seats are gone. I did see that happen in real time a couple times and I had to pivot my travel plans. So I recommend booking flights at the beginning of your bookable window to have the highest chances of going where you want. Most windows open between midnight and 2am, so I would always set an alarm to increase my chances.
Can you book a round trip flight with the pass?
Kinda.. There are two cases in which you are able to use your Go Wild! Pass for a round trip: 1) you are taking a DAY trip to a domestic destination, or 2) you are taking a trip <10 days to an international destination. In both cases, IF there is availability for both directions of your trip (emphasis on the IF), you can book them at the same time. If your trip falls into two other cases: 3) domestic trip longer than 2 days, or 4) international trip longer than 10 days — you will NOT be able to book the trip as a Round Trip purchase. Me, personally, I only ever recommend booking a round-trip IF AND ONLY IF it is cheaper (often seen with transatlantic flights to Europe/Asia). If each leg is the same price, book it as a one way - I’ll write about that in another post though.
Did you ever get stranded?
Stranded completely? No. But I did have to do one of these three things at least once: 1) Reroute through a different connecting airport (ie: LAS instead of DEN), 2) Extend or shorten my trip due to availability, or 3) change return destination (ie: fly to Charleston and spend the weekend there instead of flying home to Jacksonville) / return airport (ie: flying from Hartford, CT to Orlando instead of flying from Boston to Orlando)
You didn't use your pass internationally. Do you not recommend using the pass for international trips?
During the Summer 2023 pass, I didn't use it for international trips for a few reasons:
1) The trips I took were to destinations they don't fly to (ie: Fiji, Senegal)
2) I used points/miles to go (ie: Nicaragua, Europe)
3) I was traveling with people/groups and needed to book in advance (ie: bachelorette and birthday trips)
Also, my plan this summer was to focus more on domestic travels to get closer to my goal of visiting all 50 states.
I do, however, plan on using mine for international trips this Fall/Winter and Summer 2024. Then I'll be able to share if I recommend it or not.
Where did you stay for these trips?
I mostly stayed in hostels and Airbnbs to be honest. I know the girlies hate Airbnb, but me... I'ma stick beside it. I am comfortable renting one room in a person's shared house, as well as staying in share hostel dorm room settings. For most of these trips, I was there to EXPLORE! So I was rarely in the rooms anyways. Now, I did spend some overnight layover in airports (Orlando, Denver, and Atlanta to be precise) since I'm cheap and was traveling solo for the most part. I know this wouldn't be for everyone either, but it worked for me lol.
What do you do for work to have this kind of flexibility?
I do work fully remote for a big pharma company. Much of my team/management is based in Europe so that did mean very early mornings when I was on the west coast - but it was worth it to have my afternoons mostly free to explore. I also don't work a job that requires specific hours. As long as my work is getting done and I'm available to answer questions when people need me, I'm good.
Now, I am in a full-time in-person masters program as well, so that is what usually prevents me from traveling freely. But, I tookd this summer off from classes so I didn't have that responsibility either. As long as I had my work laptop and charger, I was good to go.
These are just the most common questions, but if you're reading this and you have another please send it over!
Ciao for now,
DejaTheExplorer ✨