Roasted Nuts

The Final Frontier....Airlines, that is...

Posted by Andrew Franklin on April 15, 2010

 I don't know what's worse--that the uppercrusters at Frontier Airlines think all we care about is the cookies, or that the oafs at the journal sentinel think we're so insecure about our food issues here that we need reassurance in the headlines.

Case in point:  Republic Airways announced (big surprise), it would be dropping the Midwest name from their ships...er, planes.... as of 2011, and replacing them with more panoramic animal pictures.  I guess Frontier's plane designs are the Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom of plane designs. 

In an attempt to pander to us, a Frontier has thrown us a few bones.  First, lucky us, we're keeping the cookies!  Yay!  Second, we're getting planes decorated with badgers.   Um.  Yay?  At least they stopped short of cows.  Although, now that I think of it, a freshly painted dairy cow on the plane's derriere?  Kinda funny.  But no one asked me.

So in any event, what are we getting out of the deal?  We've lost what's left of our hometown airline's identity except--get this--the slogan!  Best Care in the Air!  We're keeping that!  Well, actually, we're not.  Frontier is getting it.  Midwest is gone.  So we'll get to see a completely different airline use it.  Maybe a fresh owner will pick up the dusty old slogan and give it some good use.  Most importantly, tho, is that  we'll get to keep the cookies.  Apparently no other airline in the last 25 years has thought of serving free gooey chocolate chip cookies on their flights.  So they'll remain our little secret.  

You know, it's funny.  Air travel is more stressful and time consuming than ever before.  We're charged to check our own bags.  It's more expensive.  I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather save a few hundred bucks on air fare for me and the family than get the cookies.  Although, I have to admit...they are good cookies.  Cooooooooookies.  Unnggghh....

I also have to admit something else.  I recently flew Frontier to Orlando.  And back. (technically not sure if it was Frontier or "Midwest DBA Frontier".  Not that it matters).   It was a good experience.  Very good.  Better experience than I've ever had on a midwest flight.  Leather seats. TV's (eat that Old Midwest!)  Plus I got cookies!  

Still, I'm holding out for free in-flight cheese curds.