LOS ANGELES — Frontier Airlines is offering a promotion that allows passengers to take unlimited flights for a flat rate of less than $500.

For frequent fliers, the airline’s GoWild Pass is a tempting deal, but there may be a catch.

LA Times experiences reporter Julia Carmel bought the pass to find out if the juice was worth the squeeze and joined Lisa McRee on “LA Times Today.”

Frontier offered a summer pass that started at $399 and an annual pass that is currently priced at $1,999. Carmel explained that pass holders are only charged one cent per flight — plus fees. 

“The big marketing thing was that you’re paying $0.01. That’s the fare. It’s $0.01 fares plus taxes and fees. It really depends on the flight. For a lot of domestic flights, it ends up being around $15. But it depends on the airport, it depends on the city, it depends on their fees,” Carmel said. 

Carmel spoke with executives at Frontier who explained that the airline flies thousands of empty seats every day. The GoWild Pass is a way to fill up planes for an affordable price. However, there are restrictions on when the pass can be used.

“They have some blackout dates, like Memorial Day weekend, for example. There are blackout dates throughout 4th of July weekend, like big, big times when everyone’s going to be traveling. I imagine with the annual pass, Thanksgiving is also a blackout weekend,” Carmel said.

Carmel tested out the pass with a trip to Colorado.

“The actual flights weren’t bad. They both arrived early. They were quick, with no delays. The second flight, I splurged on one of the extra room seats, which I would say is quite worth it. They’re about $30, depending on the flight, but the actual flights were pretty good. Most of the anxiety for flying with Frontier is actually before you get on the plane, because they’ve been known for checking people’s bags at the gate,” they explained.

Frontier does not operate from LAX, so it was harder for Carmel to get to the airport to depart. Still, Carmel said the pass is worth it for people who want to spontaneously travel, or those in long-distance relationships.

“You have to book your flights 24 hours ahead of time if they’re domestic and you get a ten-day period if it’s international. I would use it if I was going to visit someone who I want to visit indefinitely. I would buy a one-way ticket out here and stay for five weeks because I’m hanging out with my partner. I have a place to stay. So there are certain things where I could see this being super beneficial, even like for college students who have a summer off and just want to travel for cheap,” Carmel shared.

Watch the full interview above. 

Watch "LA Times Today" at 7 and 10 p.m. Monday through Friday on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News app.