Frontier Airlines cancels service from Trenton Mercer Airport (KTTN) to 5 destinations because of lack of demand

EWING — Frontier Airlines is discontinuing flights from Trenton-Mercer Airport to five of its 18 destinations, airline officials confirmed Monday.

As of Tuesday, Frontier Airlines will discontinue service to Nashville, Tenn., St. Louis, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Cleveland because of lack of demand, Frontier spokesman Todd Lehmacher said in an email. Service to Cleveland ended last month.

"Trenton is still a relatively new market for Frontier with not a lot of historical route data since no airline had ever attempted such an ambitious schedule out of the airport. With some cities we are still finding what works and what does not. We never like to enter a market and then discontinue service but due to the high fixed costs of operating an airline, we can only fly where service makes economic sense," Lehmacher said.

"Overall, we have been pleased with the response that our low-fare service in Trenton has received," he added.

Seasonal flights to Detroit and Minneapolis will end Tuesday and will resume April 30. Seasonal flights to Cincinnati will also end, but airline officials have not announced a resumption date.

Lemacher noted that some of the services ended were to cold weather cities with “significantly reduced” demand during the winter months and that Frontier could return service as some point though there are no specific plans at this time.

Lemacher noted that recently Frontier has increased weekly flights to Tampa, Orlando and Fort Myers.

“Frontier remains committed to the Trenton market,” he said.

County Executive Brian Hughes, a vocal supporter of Frontier and the airport, expressed confidence in the airline.

“These guy knows how to run an airline. I believe they have a bright future in Trenton,” Hughes said

Lehmacher said the new service between Trenton and Chicago-O’Hare set for April 15 would proceed as planned.

The move follows the cancellation of flights from Trenton-Mercer to the Bahamas. In addition, Frontier discontinued service from Trenton to New Orleans and Columbus, Ohio, in 2013 and 2014, respectively, Lehmacher said.

Frontier's domestic nonstop destinations from Trenton-Mercer Airport also include Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina, Chicago-Midway, and Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, St. Augustine/Jacksonville, Tampa and West Palm Beach in Florida.

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