Free Lunch in Air Fare War

Frontier Airlines passengers who didn’t want to pay $3 to $6 for on-board meals could walk over to the ticket counter of archrival Continental Airlines on Saturday and get a free lunch.

The free box lunch was the latest gambit sinced the two carriers became engaged in a fare war that has dropped one-way tickets to as low as $29 from Denver to such places as Albuquerque, N.M.; Salt Lake City, and Casper, Wyo.

Continental offered free box lunches to Frontier and People Express passengers on Saturday at Stapleton International Airport to steal business away from Frontier’s new in-flight food sales.

“I guess this means there really is a free lunch,” said James O’Donnell, vice president for marketing services at Continental, who said the one-day promotion cost the airline about $15,000.

Along with the elimination of free meals, Frontier is now charging $3 for each bag checked and 50 cents for coffee and soft drinks--all part of its new image as a subsidiary of no-frills People Express.