James Dempsey is the new chief executive of Frontier Group, a move coming after Dempsey had been interim CEO following the abrupt departure last month of former chief Barry Biffle.
The Denver-based company, owner of ultra-discounter Frontier Airlines, said on 8 January that its board of directors elected Dempsey to the role and gave him a seat on Frontier’s board.
“Jimmy has demonstrated over his more than a decade at Frontier that he’s the right leader to drive our airline forward,” says Frontier board chair Bill Franke. “His expertise will help us capitalise on the opportunities we see ahead, preserve our industry-leading cost advantage and guide Frontier into the future.”
The appointment comes at an interesting time for Frontier and the broader US ultra-low-cost airline segment. Frontier’s primary competitor Spirit Airlines is operating under bankruptcy court protection and has been seeking additional financing to remain operational.
In December, Bloomberg reported that Frontier had restarted discussions with Spirit about a potential acquisition. Frontier had previously in recent years made several unsuccessful attempts to purchase Spirit, though the latest reported discussions came at a particularly uncertain time for Spirit.
Prior to becoming interim CEO in December, Dempsey had been Frontier’s president. Before that he was the company’s chief financial officer, working alongside Biffle, who had led the company for roughly a decade.
“It’s an exciting time at Frontier as we kick off 2026,” says Dempsey. “The dedication and hard work of our team members enables Frontier to deliver unrivaled value to our customers.”
Prior to joining Frontier in 2014, Dempsey had been treasurer of Ryanair Holdings.
