In Marzo, the President of the Dominican Republic issued an executive order limiting international travel which closed the borders to air travel from all locations. This posed a challenge to travelers from the U.S. needing to get home. In order to get Frontier customers home, the airline operated eleven ferry flights to Santo Domingo (SDQ) and Punta Cana (PUJ) to return them to the U.S.
“We ran two flights to SDQ and nine flights to PUJ,” said Matt Jarosik, Director, Airport Customer Service-West. “The returning flights ended on March 22, 2020, and we were able to get our passengers back home safely,” he said.
One Frontier passenger had such a positive experience with Mario, a customer service agent at the SDQ station, that he shared it with Jarosik’s team. “I want to commend Mario Gerardino in your Santo Domingo station,” said Frontier passenger Stan F. “Mario gave me such exceptional service that he deserves great praise and appreciation.”
"I am a U.S. citizen. Like many of us, we were essentially stuck in Santo Domingo when the President of the Dominican Republic shut down the airport due to the coronavirus threat. I spent most of an afternoon walking around the airport trying to find somebody who could sell me a ticket to the United States, anywhere in the United States. Everyone told me there was no possibility. The planes were full and there would be no more future flights for at least two weeks.”
"Then, I found Mario. He assured me that Frontier Airlines was going to continue to fly, coming into Santo Domingo from the U.S. with empty aircraft, and flying U.S. citizens back home. He even spent the extra time to help me make a reservation for the next day using my cell phone and the Frontier website."
“Because I have been both a college business instructor and a business counselor, I have learned to identify people who provide excellent customer service. Mario is a treasure! What is even more unique about Mario is that he performs his complex work, often multitasking, with patience and grace under pressure, speaking in Spanish and English without any hint of frustration or impatience.”
"Mario is a great asset to Frontier Airlines. Please commend him for me.” We agree wholeheartedly with our passenger, Stan F. - Mario is a rock star and we’re thankful to have him on team Frontier!