Frontier Airlines is opening a new crew base at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) in June 2024. The base is expected to employ up to 90 pilots and 200 flight attendants during its first year of operation. 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 coming years.
Frontier is the fastest growing airline in Puerto Rico, offering flights to the island’s three main airports, and has more than doubled its seat capacity serving the island since 2019. The airline has also greatly expanded its roster of nonstop destinations from Puerto Rico. Frontier currently offers 14 nonstop routes from San Juan (SJU) along with nonstop service to Orlando (MCO) from Ponce (PSE) and Aguadilla (BQN). Connecting flights are also available to/from Puerto Rico to many additional destinations across the United States.
“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, Frontier Airlines.
“I would like to personally thank Governor Pedro Pierluisi, Labor Secretary Gabriel Maldonado, Director, Air and Maritime Access Crystal Bell from the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, President of the House of Representatives Rafael Hernandez Montañez, Vice President of the Senate Marially Gonzalez Huertas, and Interim Mayor of Ponce City Marlese Sifre,” said Biffle.
“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 added.
“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 Frontier Airlines announcement to open a crew base at the 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 the creation of jobs and the injection of additional funds into our economy. This initiative reflects the potential that Puerto Rico has for the establishment and development of the aviation sector,” expressed Governor Pierluisi.
“The agreement between the Government of Puerto Rico and Frontier Airlines to establish this new crew base represents a magnificent opportunity to reaffirm to all sectors of the tourism industry the stability and excellent business climate available 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 the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the Mercedita International Airport in Ponce and the Rafael Hernández International Airport in Aguadilla. This will result in the strategic positioning of the destination as the main access axis in the Caribbean region and an ideal place to make investments at both a domestic and international level,” said Carlos Mercado Santiago, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.
"This shows how the industry perceives great opportunities in our destination with its growing demand for flights and accommodations,” said Brad Dean, Chief Executive Officer of Discover Puerto Rico. “It also highlights how the Puerto Rican tourism industry generates confidence in new investments and opportunities for our professionals, visitors, and those who reside on the island. We are very excited about this step taken by Frontier and are confident in their success on our thriving visitor economy.”
