In case you missed it, last month saw Frontier Airlines become the most recent low-cost airline to abandon phone-based customer care.

Before this, Frontier customers may contact a conventional customer service number for assistance with problems like reservations, cancellations, or misplaced bags. Flyers who require assistance must now use the airline's website's live chat feature, which is available around the clock, or contact the company via social media, email, or a written complaint, according to the airline.

I put on my investigative reporter hat and bought a cheap one-way ticket for a flight I wasn't going to take to test out Frontier's new online customer support portal. I then used the online chat feature to ask about including a seat assignment in my reservation.

In February, I paid $19 for a one-way travel from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) for the base fare only. I didn't choose any seats or add luggage, both of which were extra fees with Frontier.

I emailed a customer care person to ask how much it would cost to choose a seat through them. I then used the online booking tool to cancel my flight.

How to utilise the online chat feature on Frontier

On Frontier's homepage, scroll to the bottom to find the online customer service feature. Then select "Customer Support" from the "Need Help?" box.

Then click "Let's Chat" to bring up a chat window.

I chose English as my preferred language (you can also choose Spanish) and asked about adding a seat to my current reservation when the chat began at around 1:06 p.m.

The fact that it told me to choose a seat from their website right away made it obvious that I was conversing with a bot at this point. I responded "No" when it asked if that solved the problem, and it then informed me that I would be connected to a customer care agent. However, it issued a warning that the chat would be delayed since they were "experiencing greater wait times than normal."

Nevertheless, Dyana, an agent, and I were able to connect within three minutes. I enquired about the possibility of doing so and the associated expense.

She warned me that adding a seat online myself might cost less than adding a seat through a professional. At 1:17 p.m., I requested that she detail the costs, at which moment the conversation was shut down.

At 1:20 pm, I resumed the conversation and connected to a second agent. I typed in the same query and asked for a breakdown of seats by price. That information came in a total of around 40 minutes.

We concluded our conversation after she informed me that it would be less expensive for me to book a seat directly online than via her.

I went back to the customer care desk on December 14 to cancel my flight. Although I anticipated a similar wait time to my initial encounter, Jasmine, the customer care representative who answered my message, finished the transaction and sent a confirmation email in under 24 minutes.

A few other employees tested the brand-new online chat platform for the purposes of this tale. Mixed results were obtained.

TPG reporter Melissa Klurman experimented with the chat feature on the Frontier App and website. Both portals would not let her connect. She asserted, "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is,"

Clint Henderson, managing news editor at TPG, found it difficult to choose seats and to cancel, but he eventually got through to customer support. It took a lot longer than it would have to talk to someone on the phone, despite the fact that they responded quickly via chat. For background, he tried this on a Friday in December, during typical business hours.

The first conversation got off to a good start when the agent suggested selling an aisle seat using the card on file. Clint followed up with an inquiry on the price difference between doing so online and through the chat service, but the agent was silent for approximately eight minutes before finally confirming that it would "most likely be cheaper [to do so] online."

Although the response to his follow-up query was quicker, a phone call would have taken far less time to do the 10-minute online discussion.

Just a few minutes later, Clint opened a second chat to cancel a booking, and he got a response in under a minute. He responded that he could no longer travel when the agent questioned why he needed to cancel. The representative then instructed them to confirm that the ticket was refundable. He was given a refund when the agent said it was. The second chat lasted about seven minutes in total.

As far as these conversations go, I was quite impressed, Clint remarked. "The length of time it takes to complete tasks in chat is a little bothersome, but at least they were able to assist me. My main concern is that the chat could not be as reliable or able to manage several calls at once during erratic operations."

To sum up

I would urge Frontier fliers to try solving issues on their own before interacting with a customer support agent online based on my experience with Frontier's new online customer service chat function.

It took the entire exchange about an hour to convey facts that I already knew: that it was cheaper and simpler for me to buy my own Frontier seats and add baggage online. Therefore, it is simpler to follow the instructions online than to waste time looking them up.

Even though the second time we spoke was considerably quicker than the first, I would have had more time to spare had I cancelled my travel online.

To guarantee you have access to a gate agent, you might also think about adding Airport Agent Assistance for $10 one-way throughout the booking procedure. At the airport, you can also add this service, although it will cost more than it does online.

You are regrettably at the mercy of the other customers who are also waiting for service for more urgent matters, such as airline delays or cancellations. You may attempt contacting the airline via social media, though.