Frontier Group Holdings, Inc.ULCC
Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. Leases Disclosure
. Operating Leases
Aircraft
As of December 31, 2025, the Company leased 176 aircraft with remaining terms ranging from 2 years to 12 years, all of which are under operating leases and are included within operating lease right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. In addition, as of December 31, 2025, the Company leased 61 spare engines which are all under operating leases, with the remaining term ranging from 1 month to 12 years. As of December 31, 2025, the lease rates for 17 of the engines depend on usage-based metrics which are variable and, as such, these leases are not recorded on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as operating lease right-of-use assets or as operating lease liabilities.
During the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, the Company executed sale-leaseback transactions with third-party lessors for 19, 23, and 11 new Airbus A320neo family aircraft, respectively. The Company did not enter into any direct leases during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company entered into direct leases for 10 new Airbus A320neo family aircraft. Additionally, the Company completed sale-leaseback transactions for 18, 5, and 4 engines during the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The Company recognized net sale-leaseback gains from those sale-leaseback transactions of $302 million, $294 million and $147 million during the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively, which are included as a component of other operating expenses within the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.
Aircraft Rent Expense and Maintenance Obligations
During the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, aircraft rent expense was $748 million, $675 million and $554 million, respectively. Aircraft rent expense includes supplemental rent, which is made up of probable lease return condition obligations. The portion of supplemental rent expense related to probable lease return condition obligations was $20 million, $52 million and $20 million for the years ended December 31, 2025,
2024 and 2023, respectively. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company’s total leased aircraft and spare engine return cost liability was $19 million and $49 million, respectively, and are reflected in other current liabilities and other long-term liabilities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company extended the term for certain aircraft operating leases that were slated to expire between 2026 and 2027 and recorded a benefit of $27 million to aircraft rent in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations related to previously accrued lease return costs. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company extended the term for certain aircraft operating leases that were slated to expire between 2025 and 2027 and recorded a benefit of $14 million to aircraft rent in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations related to previously accrued lease return costs. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company extended the term for certain aircraft operating leases that were slated to expire between 2023 and 2024 and recorded a benefit of $53 million to aircraft rent in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations related to previously accrued lease return costs. These costs were variable in nature and associated with the anticipated utilization and condition of the airframes and engines at the original return date. Given the extension of these aircraft operating leases, such variable return costs are no longer probable of occurring.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company reached an agreement with one of its aircraft lessors which eliminated requirements to pay maintenance reserves held as collateral in advance of the Company’s required performance of major maintenance activities on its aircraft leases. As a result of the agreement, the lessor disbursed back to the Company previously paid aircraft maintenance deposits of approximately $104 million. As a result, the Company no longer has any aircraft maintenance deposits with any of its lessors.
Airport Facilities
The Company’s facility leases are primarily for space at approximately 100 airports that are primarily located in the United States. These leases are classified as operating leases and reflect the use of airport terminals, ticket counters, office space, and maintenance facilities. Generally, this space is leased from government agencies that control the use of the airport. The majority of these leases are short-term in nature and renew on an evergreen basis. For these leases, the contractual term is used as the lease term. As of December 31, 2025, the remaining lease terms vary from one month to 13 years. At the majority of the U.S. airports, the lease rates depend on airport operating costs or use of the facilities and are reset at least annually, and because of the variable nature of the rates, these leases are not recorded on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as a right-of-use assets and lease liabilities.
Other Property and Equipment
The Company leases certain other assets such as flight training equipment, building space, and various other equipment. Certain of the Company’s leases for other assets are deemed to contain fixed rental payments and, as such, are classified as operating leases and are recorded on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as a right-of-use asset and liability. The remaining lease terms ranged from one month to ten years as of December 31, 2025.
Lease Position
The table below presents the lease-related assets and liabilities recorded on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2025 and 2024 (in millions):
| December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance Sheet Classification | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Assets | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating lease assets | Operating lease right-of-use assets | $ | 4,806 | $ | 3,930 | |||||||||||||||
| Liabilities | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Current operating leases | Current maturities of operating leases | $ | 779 | $ | 664 | |||||||||||||||
| Long-term operating leases | Long-term operating leases | 4,070 | 3,302 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total lease liabilities | $ | 4,849 | $ | 3,966 | ||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average remaining lease term | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating leases | 8 years | 8 years | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average discount rate | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating leases | 6.46 | % | 6.28 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Lease Costs
The table below presents certain information related to lease costs for operating leases during the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023 (in millions):
_________________
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||||||||
Operating lease cost(a) | $ | 744 | $ | 643 | $ | 539 | |||||||||||
Variable lease cost(a) | 462 | 383 | 304 | ||||||||||||||
| Total lease costs | $ | 1,206 | $ | 1,026 | $ | 843 | |||||||||||
(a) Expenses are included within aircraft rent, station operations, maintenance, materials and repairs and other operating within the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.
Undiscounted Cash Flows
The table below reconciles the undiscounted cash flows as of December 31, 2025 (in millions) for each of the next five years and total of the remaining years to the operating lease liability recorded on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet:
| Total | |||||
| Operating Leases | |||||
| 2026 | $ | 806 | |||
| 2027 | 799 | ||||
| 2028 | 754 | ||||
| 2029 | 681 | ||||
| 2030 | 648 | ||||
| Thereafter | 2,784 | ||||
| Total undiscounted minimum lease rentals | 6,472 | ||||
| Less: amount of lease payments representing interest | (1,623) | ||||
| Present value of future minimum lease rentals | 4,849 | ||||
| Less: current obligations under operating leases | (779) | ||||
| Long-term operating lease obligations | $ | 4,070 | |||
During the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company acquired, through new operating leases, operating lease assets totaling $1,328 million and $1,373 million, respectively, which are included in operating lease right-of-use assets on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. During the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, the Company paid cash of $736 million, $627 million and $535 million net of lessor incentives received, respectively, for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities.
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Feb 18, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Feb 18, 2025 | |
| 2023 | Feb 20, 2024 | |
| 2022 | Feb 22, 2023 | |
| 2021 | Feb 23, 2022 | |
About Leases Disclosures
Lease disclosures under ASC 842 provide a comprehensive view of a company's leased asset portfolio, including the split between operating and finance leases, discount rates used to present-value future payments, and the maturity schedule of lease obligations. This section reveals a significant source of off-balance-sheet commitments that were largely hidden before the current standard.
Key signals: the weighted-average discount rate affects the size of recorded lease liabilities — a higher rate reduces the reported obligation, so compare the chosen rate against the company's incremental borrowing rate. The operating versus finance lease mix affects both EBITDA and operating income presentation. Watch the maturity table for concentration risk: large payment cliffs in specific years may create cash flow pressure. Variable lease payments excluded from the liability measurement represent real obligations that do not appear on the balance sheet. Compare total lease costs against prior-year operating lease expense to assess the true economic burden.