{"id":215848,"date":"2026-01-08T16:00:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T16:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/08\/frontier-airlines-taps-new-ceo-a-longtime-exec-from-ryanair-the-points-guy\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T16:00:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T16:00:21","slug":"frontier-airlines-taps-new-ceo-a-longtime-exec-from-ryanair-the-points-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/08\/frontier-airlines-taps-new-ceo-a-longtime-exec-from-ryanair-the-points-guy\/","title":{"rendered":"Frontier Airlines taps new CEO, a longtime exec from Ryanair &#8211; The Points Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>One of America\u2019s top budget airlines has a new leader in charge.<\/p>\n<p>Frontier Airlines on Thursday announced it tapped James Dempsey as its new CEO, following the <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/frontier-airlines-ceo-barry-biffle-departure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">departure of longtime chief executive Barry Biffle<\/a> late last year.<\/p>\n<p>Dempsey had been serving as interim CEO since December and now will continue in the role permanently.<\/p>\n<p>The move comes at a pivotal moment for the Denver-based, ultra-low-cost carrier.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly before the holidays, reports surfaced that Frontier was, once again, <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/spirit-frontier-airlines-merger-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in talks about a potential merger<\/a> with top budget competitor Spirit Airlines (which is currently mired in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"jsx-3874346954 tpg-figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:0\" class=\"jsx-2453190082 full-width-auto-height-image\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"jsx-3874346954 figcaption\">LUKE SHARRETT\/BLOOMBERG\/GETTY IMAGES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Frontier, meanwhile, is <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/frontier-airlines-new-first-class-seats-timeline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on the cusp of rolling out its first-ever, first-class seats<\/a>, and it has overhauled some elements of the business model it used for the past two years. Those moves have come amid headwinds for the low-cost airline industry as consumers have<a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/travel\/tpg-trends-premium-budget-gap-widening\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> shown an enduring willingness<\/a> to pay more for premium seats that are a hallmark of their traditional rivals.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, Frontier has worked to fortify its Frontier Miles loyalty program and <a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/credit-cards\/why-frontier-airlines-mastercard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">up the appeal of its cobranded credit card<\/a> \u2014 critical elements of the business model for nearly every major carrier today.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read more: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/loyalty-programs\/what-is-frontier-elite-status-worth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Frontier Miles elite status: What it is and how to earn it<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not clear how the leadership change at the top of Frontier will affect any of these initiatives.<\/p>\n<div class=\"EmailSignUp_container__qYzYT tw-border tw-border-gray-2\"><picture class=\"tw-flex tw-items-center tw-justify-center tw-opacity-0\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"\/images\/EmailSignUp\/daily-mob.svg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/images\/EmailSignUp\/daily-dt.svg\"\/><\/picture>\n<div class=\"EmailSignUp_form__C8FWb\">\n<p>Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter<\/p>\n<p>Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG\u2019s experts<\/p>\n<form class=\"jsx-881693933 newsletter-form\">\n<div class=\"jsx-881693933 EmailCapture_confirmation__xasB3 EmailCapture_noCheckbox__n4fsN   &#10;          \">\n<p class=\"tw-text-xs-regular !tw-text-gray-5 hover:!tw-text-gray-5 tw-max-w-lg\">By signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our<!-- --> <a class=\"!tw-text-gray-5 hover:!tw-text-gray-5\" href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/terms-of-use\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Terms of Use<\/a> <!-- -->and acknowledge the data practices in our<!-- --> <a class=\"!tw-text-gray-5 hover:!tw-text-gray-5\" href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/privacy-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You may unsubscribe at any time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Dempsey, an industry veteran, has spent more than a decade in leadership roles at Frontier, most recently serving as the airline\u2019s president.<\/p>\n<p>Before that, though, he was on the leadership team at an airline frequent international travelers are likely very familiar with: Ryanair, the European low-cost carrier.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"jsx-3874346954 tpg-figure\">\n<div style=\"padding-top:0\" class=\"jsx-2453190082 full-width-auto-height-image\"><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;height:auto;width:100%\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 756px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/10\/passengers-are-boarding-on-ryanair-boeing-737-800-airplane-in-the-runway-of-the-dublin-airport_JJFARQUITECTOSTWENTY20.jpg?width=640 640w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/10\/passengers-are-boarding-on-ryanair-boeing-737-800-airplane-in-the-runway-of-the-dublin-airport_JJFARQUITECTOSTWENTY20.jpg?width=750 750w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/10\/passengers-are-boarding-on-ryanair-boeing-737-800-airplane-in-the-runway-of-the-dublin-airport_JJFARQUITECTOSTWENTY20.jpg?width=828 828w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/10\/passengers-are-boarding-on-ryanair-boeing-737-800-airplane-in-the-runway-of-the-dublin-airport_JJFARQUITECTOSTWENTY20.jpg?width=1080 1080w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/10\/passengers-are-boarding-on-ryanair-boeing-737-800-airplane-in-the-runway-of-the-dublin-airport_JJFARQUITECTOSTWENTY20.jpg?width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/10\/passengers-are-boarding-on-ryanair-boeing-737-800-airplane-in-the-runway-of-the-dublin-airport_JJFARQUITECTOSTWENTY20.jpg?width=1920 1920w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/10\/passengers-are-boarding-on-ryanair-boeing-737-800-airplane-in-the-runway-of-the-dublin-airport_JJFARQUITECTOSTWENTY20.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/10\/passengers-are-boarding-on-ryanair-boeing-737-800-airplane-in-the-runway-of-the-dublin-airport_JJFARQUITECTOSTWENTY20.jpg?width=3840 3840w\" src=\"https:\/\/runway-media-production.global.ssl.fastly.net\/us\/originals\/2022\/10\/passengers-are-boarding-on-ryanair-boeing-737-800-airplane-in-the-runway-of-the-dublin-airport_JJFARQUITECTOSTWENTY20.jpg?width=3840\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"jsx-3874346954 figcaption\">Ryanair Boeing 737-800 on the runway. JJFARQUITECTOS\/TWENTY20<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cHis expertise will help us capitalize on the opportunities we see ahead, preserve our industry-leading cost advantage and guide Frontier into the future,\u201d Frontier Group Holdings board chair Bill Franke said of Dempsey in a statement announcing the news Thursday.<\/p>\n<p><b>Related reading:<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/thepointsguy.com\/news\/frontier-airlines-new-ceo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of America\u2019s top budget airlines has a new leader in charge. Frontier Airlines on Thursday announced it tapped James Dempsey as its new CEO, following the departure of longtime chief executive Barry Biffle late last year. Dempsey had been serving as interim CEO since December and now will continue in the role permanently. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":215849,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-215848","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215848\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}