Republic to Announce Frontier's Fate

Merged airlines' single name to be announced next week

April 13, 2010, does not fall on a Friday, gut next Tuesday could mean bad luck -- or at least bad news -- for Coloradans who have been loyal to Denver-based Frontier Airlines, saddened when it was taken over by Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings and will be be heart-broken if the parent company removes the Frontier identification. Republic also took over Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines, and Cheeseheaads are rooting for that name to prevail.  And Indianapolis, the corporation's headquarters city, is probably so wrapped up in basketball that locals there aren't paying attention to anything in the air higher than a player can throw an alley-oop. FWIW, it has been reported that either the Midwest or Frontier name will be sellected.

Announcement "ceremonies" have been scheduled for the 13th in Denver, Indianapolis and Milwaukee to announce the decision. Republic's CEO Bryan Bedford is to make the announcement from Milwaukee, while Frontier employees and media (not including me) have been invited to a suite in Coors Field to watch event live via an Intranet connection. It is impossible not to read meaning into Bedford's selection of the announcement site.


The first Frontier Airlines, cobbled together from a merger of Arizona Airways, Challenger Airlines, and Monarch Airlines in 1950, flew until 1986, when Continental purchased Denver's hometown airline and wrapped it the Houston-based giant. The "new" Frontier took to the skies in 1994, and its name might meet the same fare as Frontier I.