South Floridians seeking a quick political business or leisure trip to the nation’s capital will soon have a new nonstop flight from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport among the choices to consider.
Ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines of Denver, a frequent but unsuccessful takeover suitor of Spirit Airlines, intends to add daily service to Dulles International Airport outside of Washington starting May 21, the company announced this week.
The airline is offering introductory one-way fares starting at $49. According to the airline’s statement, here is how to acquire the promotional price:
“Tickets must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on March 23, 2026. Sale fares are valid for non-stop travel on select days of the week, through Aug. 26, 2026.”
Some travel blackout dates do apply: June 18 and July 2-3 and 6. Twenty-one-day advance purchases are required, but round-trip purchases are not.
The new Washington service is Frontier’s latest nonstop route addition at the Broward County airport, pushing the number to 17.
Airport figures show that Frontier more than doubled the number of passengers served for the month of January from 43,273 in 2025 to 86,603 this year. The increase is good for an airport market share of 2.8%, placing the airline in ninth place among the carriers serving Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood.
“We are pleased to continue our growth at FLL with this new service,” Josh Flyr, vice president of the airline’s network and operations design, said in a prepared statement. “With this new route, South Florida travelers will enjoy Frontier’s signature convenience and affordability as they travel to our nation’s capital and the surrounding region.”
The airline did not respond to an email seeking information about its 2026 growth at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood.
Last November, Frontier announced new nonstop service to a half a dozen large U.S. cities.
They included: Baltimore/Washington International, Chicago O’Hare International, Dallas-Fort Worth International, Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan, Charlotte Douglas International and George Bush Intercontinental in Houston.
Dulles setting passenger records
Located 26 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C., Dulles International spans two counties in Northern Virginia.
According to the airport website, Dulles was served by 46 airlines which operated more than 340 daily departures to 164 destinations last year. United Airlines, the airport’s busiest carrier, operates a large hub there.
Dulles set new records in passengers served for 2025, with 29.01 million overall. More than 10.5 million traveled to and from international destinations.
“Much of the 6.4% rise in total passengers was due to a significant climb in domestic passengers arriving in Washington or connecting to other destinations,” according to the website.