$11 Flights Near Bucks Co: Would You Fly In A Pandemic?

TRENTON, NJ — Airlines struggling during the pandemic are hoping discounted fares inspire customers to put aside their fears of catching the coronavirus and board a plane this summer.

At nearby Trenton-Mercer Airport, which is just over the Delaware River in Ewing Township, N.J., Frontier Airlines is offering flights to coronavirus-stricken Florida for $11 for members and $29 for non-members.

Travelers who opt into the airline's "Discount Den" program can go from Trenton-Mercer to four cities in Florida for $11. Those cities are Miami, Fort Myers, Orlando, and Tampa. Non-Discount Den members will pay $29 to go to Miami, Orlando, and Tampa. The fare to get to Fort Myers is $39 for non-members.

Coronavirus cases have recently exploded in Florida, with a record-breaking 9,500 new cases reported on Saturday. On Tuesday, more than 6,000 new cases were reported.

But Florida isn't the only place Frontier is offering cheap flights: Den members can also head to Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte for $11 or $39 for non-members.

Meanwhile, leaders in Philadelphia and New Jersey have instituted a quarantine order for travelers returning from states currently experiencing a spike. In Philadelphia, Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said Tuesday residents should avoid traveling to 15 U.S. states, including Florida, Arizona, California, North Carolina, South Carolina and 10 others.

Air travel is on the rise, however. That's according to TSA data, which shows that while travel dipped significantly in the early days of the pandemic, it is climbing.

Travel dipped most significantly in mid-April as stay-at-home orders were implemented to mitigate the spread of the virus. On April 14, just 87,500 travelers went through TSA checkpoints. That's compared to 2.2 million travelers on that same day in 2019.

Frontier has joined many other airlines in instituting a range of safety measures to prevent passengers from catching the virus aboard an aircraft, including mandatory temperature screenings for passengers and crew members.

If a customer’s temperature reading is 100.4 degrees or higher, they will be given the opportunity to rest before receiving a second check. If the second temperature screening is 100.4 degrees or higher, they will not be able to fly that day.

Passengers must also wash their hands before boarding and wear a face mask during the flight.