Frontier Airlines drops open-seat fee that drew criticism

Frontier Airlines is dropping plans to charge passengers extra to sit next to an empty middle seat.

The plans drew criticism from congressional Democrats, who accused the airline of attempting to profit from coronavirus fears.

“We recognize the concerns raised that we are profiting from safety and this was never our intent,” Frontier CEO Barry Biffle said in a letter to three lawmakers. “We simply wanted to provide our customers with an option for more space.”

Read more from The Associated Press.