Frontier Airlines Pilot Wing With Less Than Five Years of Service 4th Issue
Used Between 1978-1980

Denver, CO 1950-1986

The original Frontier Airlines was a "local service" airline in the U.S. formed by a merger of Arizona Airways, Challenger Airlines and Monarch Airlines on June 1, 1950. The airline dated itself to November 27, 1946, when Monarch Airlines began service. On October 1, 1967, Frontier purchased Central Airlines headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Frontier Horizon was formed in the early 1980s as a feeder for Frontier. People Express Airlines acquired Frontier on October 5, 1985 and continued operating Frontier as an independent entity. On August 24, 1986, Frontier shut down due to continued losses and four days later filed for bankruptcy. On October 24, 1986 Continental Airlines acquired People Express Airlines which had acquired Frontier Airlines the year before. Both air carriers were merged into Continental on February 1, 1987, along with New York Air and several other commuter airline subsidiaries.