Frontier Airlines has pulled out of Burlington International Airport.
The airport’s aviation director, Nic Longo, confirmed the airline’s departure in an email to VTDigger Wednesday.
“Frontier is a great partner with BTV and we have enjoyed working with their team, and would welcome them back anytime,” he wrote. In addition to Burlington, Longo said Frontier also dropped routes to Portland, Maine, and Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, New York.
Frontier, which did not respond to requests for comment, began offering its popular seasonal service twice a week during the winter from Burlington to Orlando in 2019.
Longo said the airport is continuing to work with other potential providers for winter Florida routes, in particular to Orlando. He said American Airlines flies from Burlington to Miami in winter.
Frontier has also ended its summer flights from Burlington to its home base in Denver, according to Longo. The aviation director noted that the airport continues to provide direct flights to Denver through its partnership with United Airlines.
The pandemic has played a role in decreased airline service to smaller cities.
A recent report from the Regional Airline Association found that between October 2019 and October 2022, Burlington was one of 161 airports that lost more than a quarter of their commercial airline flights.
In its report, the association pointed to a shortage of pilots as the main reason for the cuts in flights.
Want to stay on top of the latest business news? Sign up here to get a weekly email on all of VTDigger’s reporting on local companies and economic trends. And check out our new Business section here.
Did you know VTDigger is a nonprofit?
Our journalism is made possible by member donations from readers like you. If you value what we do, please contribute during our annual fund drive and send 10 meals to the Vermont Foodbank when you do.
