A Protest to Save Endangered Airplane Animals

March 31, 2010 — -- The protestors were angry. "Save our tails!" they shouted. Another shook a sign at the onlookers. "Let Flip Fly," it demanded. Clearly, this was not your average demonstration.

But I suppose you could say that Frontier - the focus of all this attention - is not your average airline. At least, not to the people of Denver, the city this low-cost carrier calls home.

Coloradans (and others) are proud of the scrappy little carrier, which has been in and out of bankruptcy - yet still soars over the Rockies, and still retains something of the spirit of the Old West (sure, they'll be happy to transport your rack of antlers, if you cover the tips, and fork over the $100 fee).

But what people love most about the airline - or so it seemed last Friday as they shouted and waved their signs - is Frontier's animals. Those pictures of wildlife that adorn the airline's tails, including the aforementioned Flip the Bottlenose Dolphin, Jack the Rabbit, Larry the Lynx, Grizwald the Bear and 58 other creatures.

So what, you may be thinking. If so, road warrior Rusty Dornin, with the D.C.-based media firm NewsCertified Exchange begs to differ; she says, the animals make you smile - and how many smiles do you see while traveling nowadays? "The airlines these days are so dull and dehumanizing," says Dornin. "Frontier's animal art is a like a breath of fresh air."

Unfortunately, Frontier and its fans may soon be saying goodbye to Griz and his colleagues because Frontier may not be Frontier much longer. These days, it's owned by Republic (which also bought Midwest Airlines) and there's a distinct possibility that the corporate overlords may combine the two popular names to create a whole new airline with completely revamped branding.

Which could mean there will no longer be room for Rudy the Raccoon or Charlie the Cougar or Andy the Antelope. And them's fightin' words, hence the rally. Or is this just sentimentality carried to extremes?

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