Frontier Airlines scrapped its customer service call line. Here's how that's going

Frontier Airlines did away with its customer service call line a few months ago in favor of a messaging-based system available on multiple platforms. The airline says customer response has been good so far, but a number of Frontier passengers told USA TODAY that their experience with the new protocol was decidedly less positive. Joe Lorenz was booked to fly from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Denver to celebrate the New Year, and he received a message that his flight was canceled while he was on his way to the airport. He and his travel companions ended up renting a car and driving from Michigan to Colorado, but they were unable to confirm whether the reservation for their flight home was still valid. "I'm not doing it again. It's a deal breaker for me," he said. "We're fairly tech-savvy people. I can't imagine trying to deal with this if we didn't have three people on this trying to figure it out." Lorenz said getting in touch with the airline is frustrating and time-consuming using the new system. First, he said, the messaging app sent him through a series of automated prompts. It took Lorenz about 20 minutes to connect with a live agent through the chat, and even then, that person's responses were delayed. "Every time you ask this person, it's legitimately five to 10 minutes before they answer," he said, adding that the third-party customer service agents he dealt with were never able to confirm whether or not his return flight booking was still valid. Lorenz was unable to resolve an issue with online check-in for his return flight via customer service messages, too. Instead, he had to speak to a ticket agent at the airport, which he said resulted in a $25 charge for in-person check-in, which is Frontier's standard "airport agent assistance" fee.<br/>