BlueHorseShoe2000

This morning I received an invitation to the brand launch announcement for Midwest/Frontier (actually it was a save-the-date email-the actual invitation will come by seperate email). Did anyone else get one of these?

The email read "Join as as two airlines become one." Like many big events in the past, this announcement will be held at the hangar on April 13th at 11:00 am.

It looks like April 13th will be a big day.

mke9499

No invitation here. You are one of the "chosen."

Do you plan to attend?

It will be interesting to hear if F9 is having the same type of event in Denver, with a giant screen set up for a simultaneous reveal.

flyYX

I didn't get an invite either. Probably because I don't fly as often as you do Blue. But now we know the date is really April 13th and what time it is going to happen!

newsmanhoss

Very interesting indeed.

So, based on this invite, I'm assuming the event is originating in Milwaukee. Any invites go to any F9 flyers in the Denver area? I guess a live videocast would suffice for that location.

But the fact that they chose Milwaukee is a decent indication that Frontier is the name. If it were going to be a new name, you'd think they would have the announcement at the largest hub for the combined carrier, which would be DEN.

But having the announcement in MKE would give them more good press in Milwaukee, and this is an opportunity to introduce the complete Frontier brand to the folks of Milwaukee. Perhaps they'll announce that the cookies will be expanded to the entire F9 network, and Milwaukee is the best place to announce something like that, too.

We'll see though...it could still be Republic or an entirely new name...but my money is on Frontier at this point.

It's looking like AirTran will not play a role in any of this...they have an event scheduled for the same time exactly a week earlier, when they will be kicking off their official "hub" operations at MKE.

BlueHorseShoe2000

I've heard that there will be a big launch event held at the same time in Denver as well.

mke9499

Details of the launch, courtesy of the Denver Post:

http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_14808375

Bedford is making the announcement from MKE.

Is the word "One" part of the new brand?

knope2001

Nothing yet, although it wouldn't surprise me if something still came. More than once someone else has received a Midwest Miles e-mail and talked about it here, but it didn't hit my mailbox until several hours later (sometimes even the next day). On the other hand Blue, you might have received this based on your contacts to get the FT meetings set up. I'm MME and have been for years, but maybe the invitations are not specific to MME's.

I am definitely glad to hear that 4/13 is planned as a big event. First, I was afraid that 4/13 wasn't really going to be "the big unveiling" people are looking for and expect it to be. If their plans for that date were just about some additional components...not the whole new brand...people would be disappointed and the uncertainty would drone on and on further. But a physical event with invitations isn't just about a couple of mundane details like how YX and F9 miles will be combined to a single account.

Second, they need all the good press they can get, and this kind of event will generate it. It's not just a press release.

Whatever the brand is, I hope they use this as a springboard to push forward beyond all the baggage of the past few years. And I hope they have plenty of money set aside for marketing.

knope2001

I have a feeling "1" is....

"we reveal our 1 promise, 1 vision and 1 goal for the new brand."

Normally those should be spelled out..."one promise, one vision, one goal".

Sounds like a very deliberate use of the numeral instead of the word. Hmmm...

Air1, perhaps?

mke9499

That was exactly where I was coming from. The message seems too deliberate and not just "poetic license."



This would also imply the unification of all entities.

BTW, there is a Christian music radio network that is called "Air 1."

There is also apparently an Italian airline called "Air One," and a charter operation out of TPA called "Air 1Aviation."

It looks like a very popular name.

knope2001

I'm very much with you...


There was also an Air1 in the early deregulation days (maybe 83-84?) who flew all-first-class 727's out of a hub in STL to Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Kansas City, Newark and Washington DC. Like everybody else who relied on better service bringing in higher fares, it didn't last too long.

I tried various web addresses with 1 which are airline related...such are fly1.com... and several are for sale.

Maybe 1 could be about First, too. Sounds dangerously bank-ish, though. I get enough of those names all day long at work, and it is sometimes painful to listen to banks in formation trying to come up with a name.

MKE 1K

Isn't Air1 associated/owned with/by Air Italia?

MostlyAir

AirOne merged with Air Italia, or maybe AirOne bought them out of bankruptcy.

Feel special blue, this list was pulled together by some pretty high up people and you were included. Some Denver people would have got a similar email.

I'm glad I was able to send it out. I was afraid I wasn't going to find an internet connection in Louisville.

flyYX

Someone on airliners.net said "One Republic". That got me thinking.

msntriathlete

Knowing BB, maybe "OneNationUnderGod"


Wow...I just made my first cynical post on FT! Wow! That felt good!

mke9499

The Business Journal of Milwaukee refers to a report two weeks ago from a Republic VP (Ian Arthur?) that the brand will be either Midwest or Frontier.

http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/mil...2&ana=e_du_pub

After today, I'm not so sure.

A question for MostlyAir...Right now, about how many people do know the final decision?