Frontier Airlines to open crew base in San Juan in June
Low-fare carrier Frontier Airlines announced it will open a new crew base at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan (SJU) in June. It is expected to employ up to 90 pilots and 200 flight attendants in its first year.
Puerto Rico hasn’t had a crew base at Muñoz Marín Airport since American Airlines closed its own in the late 1990s.
Combined with airport and maintenance positions, the airline is expected to generate nearly $84 million annually in local wages, with further growth anticipated in the years ahead.
“We wish to extend our utmost appreciation to the Puerto Rican government, and our tourism and business partners on the island, as we prepare to open our 13th crew base in San Juan,” said Barry Biffle, CEO of Frontier Airlines.
Frontier is a fast-growing airline in Puerto Rico, offering flights to the island’s three main airports and has more than doubled its seat capacity serving Puerto Rico since 2019. For those reasons, it is reportedly starting to edge out its closest competitors, JetBlue and Spirit, as the top air carrier on the island.
The airline has also expanded its roster of nonstop destinations from Puerto Rico. Frontier currently offers 14 nonstop routes from San Juan, along with nonstop service to Orlando (MCO) from Ponce (PSE) and Aguadilla (BQN). Connecting flights are available to and from Puerto Rico and many additional destinations across the mainland U.S.
“Our base will provide significant economic impact and new jobs for Puerto Ricans. A crew base also helps support smooth flight operations – benefiting customers flying to and from the island who will have access to a wide variety of destinations, including a number of underserved markets, as we continue to grow our Puerto Rico operations,” Biffle said.
Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said, “Tourism in Puerto Rico has had three years of sustained growth, and we continue to invest in the promotion of our island as a destination. The announcement by Frontier Airlines to open a crew base at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is another positive milestone for the development of our tourism industry.”
“Frontier is betting on Puerto Rico by contributing to job creation and injecting additional funds into our economy. This initiative reflects the potential that Puerto Rico has for the establishment and development of the aviation sector,” he added.
The executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Co., Carlos Mercado-Santiago, explained that the agreement with Frontier to establish a crew base represents a “magnificent opportunity to reaffirm” to all sectors of the tourism industry the stability and excellent business climate on the island.
“This is in addition to promoting the creation of jobs, generating significant economic activity, and promoting the expansion of the airline’s operations among Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, Mercedita International Airport in Ponce and Rafael Hernández International Airport in Aguadilla,” Mercado-Santiago said. “This will result in the strategic positioning of the destination as the main access axis in the Caribbean region and an ideal place for domestic and international investment.”
Frontier will be interviewing candidates for flight attendant positions in February. Access to the event will be by invitation only; interested individuals can apply here.
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