Frontier Group Holdings, the parent company of Frontier Airlines, has made sudden leadership changes, appointing President James Dempsey as the new CEO of the airline, taking over from long-time leader Barry Biffle.
In a statement issued on December 15, 2025, the company said that Dempsey has been named Interim Chief Executive Officer effective immediately.
Dempsey joined Frontier in 2014 as the Chief Financial Officer and is currently the President of Frontier.
Prior to joining Frontier, he held senior management roles at Ryanair Holdings PLC along with various management roles with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
“With 13 bases and a strong cost advantage, I believe Frontier is well positioned to deliver unrivaled value to customers across the United States,” Dempsey said. “I look forward to partnering with our team to write Frontier’s next chapter.”
The company said that Biffle will remain with the company in an “advisory capacity” until December 31, 2025. The reason for his departure was not disclosed.
Smaller low-cost airlines like Frontier have faced challenges in achieving consistent profits in 2025 and are predicting lower-than-expected revenue growth, as weakened demand and tariff impacts have led to profit difficulties, revenue shortfalls, and capacity cuts.
Frontier Airlines reported $886 million in revenue for Q3 2025, with a net loss of $77 million and total liquidity of $691 million.
Commenting on the airline’s November 2025 financial results, Biffle said the carrier expects “ongoing competitive capacity reductions to continue through 2026, supporting a more balanced supply environment and improved revenue performance.”
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