Barry Biffle has stepped down from his longtime role as Frontier Airlines’ chief executive.
Biffle’s abrupt departure was confirmed by the Denver-based discounter on 15 December. The airline does not specify a reason for parting ways with Biffle, who has held Frontier’s top spot since March 2016.
He will stay on in an advisory role until 31 December.
Meanwhile, company president James Dempsey will step in as interim CEO, effective on 15 December. Dempsey joined Frontier as chief financial officer in 2014, following a stint with Ryanair.
“Jimmy has been an invaluable member of Frontier’s senior leadership team for more than 10 years and has played an instrumental role in the company’s evolution and growth during that time,” says Bill Franke, Frontier’s board chair. “We believe Jimmy is uniquely qualified to guide our airline into the future.”
Biffle led the ultra-low-cost carrier through a period of rapid growth prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw Frontier and primary competitor Spirit Airlines aggressively grow their fleets and networks.
The post-pandemic period has been far less profitable for both carriers, though Frontier has avoided the acute struggles of the twice-bankrupt Spirit.
Frontier was modestly profitable for the full year of 2024 but appears unlikely to repeat that feat, posting losses in each of the first three quarters of this year.
Biffle, for his part, has acted a leading voice in the ULCC sector, often aggressively countering predictions of the low-cost model’s demise from the likes of United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby.
Notably, Biffle repeatedly tried to engineer an acquisition of Spirit without success. Spirit recently acknowledged that it is exploring potential combinations with other US airlines as it works through a critical phase of its second Chapter 11 filing in one year.
Franke says Frontier’s board is “deeply appreciative of Barry’s leadership and dedicated service to Frontier over the past 11 years”.
