Frontier Airlines, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Frontier Airlines, Inc. 401(k) Retirement Plan
Denver, COTransportation & Warehousing7,479 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$8,934Employer $ per active participant
$5,854Employee $ saved per active participant
0.29%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$961.9MNet plan assets, end of year
$156,844Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity46.7 / 5093th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost5.9 / 2524th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving10.1 / 1567th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score63 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Transportation & Warehousing plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (123 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 93th |
| Lower admin cost | 24th |
| Employee saving | 67th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 46% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $790,812 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Frontier Airlines put in about $8,934 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($1,834). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Direct plan expenses (0.29% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.12%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $66,818,666 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $43,778,727 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $3,303,493 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $2,578,352 |
| Contract administrator fees | $50 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $2,227,762 |
| Benefits paid out | $58,174,841 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $793.8M / $961.9M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 7,242 / 7,716 |
| Participants with account balances | 6,133 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Cbiz Cpas P.C. |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Mountain Capital Investment Ad | $1,725,940 reported compensation |
| Schwab Retirement Plan Services,inc | $459,912 reported compensation |
| Mattern Capital Management LLC | $55,298 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251104113838NAL0007057809001, received 2025-11-04, EIN 84-1256945, plan #003, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.