Frontier Airlines History (1950–1986): Denver's Original – Airline Employee Shop

Frontier Airlines History (1950–1986)

The original Frontier Airlines grew from a 1950 merger of three small carriers into a major Rocky Mountain airline from Denver, flying for 36 years until it shut down in 1986. Here's a short history of the first Frontier, plus the Frontier Airlines collection that celebrates it.

Three airlines become Frontier (1950–1959)

On June 1, 1950, Arizona Airways, Challenger Airlines and Monarch Air Lines merged to form Frontier Airlines, based in Denver. The new carrier began with twelve Douglas DC-3s and about 40 cities across the Rocky Mountain region. Convair 340s joined the fleet in 1959.

Turboprops and Arrow-Jets (1960–1969)

Frontier flew turboprop Convair 580s from 1964, and the type became its workhorse. In September 1966 its first Boeing 727s arrived, nicknamed "Arrow-Jets." On October 1, 1967, Frontier took over Central Airlines of Fort Worth, adding its Convair 600s and DC-3s. By May 1968 Frontier served 100 airports. The first Boeing 737-200 entered service in 1969, and the early 727s went to Braniff.

The 737 years (1970–1984)

In the 1970s Frontier built its jet fleet around the 737-200. In 1973 it hired Emily Howell Warner, the first woman to fly routinely for a scheduled U.S. airline. A new stylized "F" logo by designer Saul Bass appeared in 1978. By 1979 Frontier had about 5,100 employees and served 94 cities. MD-80s arrived in 1982, the year the airline became all-jet.

The final years (1985–1986)

Deregulation brought tough competition at Denver. On October 5, 1985, People Express bought Frontier. Losses continued, and Frontier stopped flying on August 24, 1986, filing for bankruptcy four days later. People Express was bought by Continental Airlines, and in 1987 Frontier, People Express and New York Air were merged into Continental. A new Frontier Airlines took to the skies from Denver in 1994.

A few things collectors love

  • Saul Bass, who also designed logos for United and Continental, created Frontier's 1978 "F," and today's Frontier brought that "F" back in 2014.
  • Emily Howell Warner's Frontier pilot cap is in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.
  • Frontier's first 727s were marketed as "Arrow-Jets."

Shop Frontier Airlines

Browse Frontier Airlines logo T-shirts, coffee mugs, coasters, tote bags and vintage designs in the Frontier Airlines collection. Add an airline bag tag or key tag for the Rocky Mountain flyer in your life.

AirlineEmployeeShop.com is an independent retailer of airline memorabilia. This page is for historical interest.