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DENVER - Larry, Jack, Griz, Flip and their fellow animal friends escaped the chopping block on Tuesday. Republic Airways announced it is combining Midwest Airlines and Frontier Airlines under the Frontier brand.
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The announcement was made simultaneously in Denver and Milwaukee and brought an uproarious cheer in Denver.

Colorado's Gov. Bill Ritter and Denver's Mayor John Hickenlooper were both on hand for the announcement, which was made at Coors Field.

According to a company spokesman, Republic Airways did a vast study, which included more than 4,500 online surveys. They said they found Frontier had the greater brand potential moving forward.

The company also announced it would give its customers chocolate chip cookies on each flight, which was one of Midwest Airlines' signatures.

Republic CEO Bryan Bedford says the Frontier brand is associated with low fares, and the Midwest name is not. Midwest was based in Milwaukee, which has become a hot spot of airline competition with both Southwest Airlines and AirTran.

Republic bought Midwest and Frontier last year. Frontier is based in Denver and is bigger than Midwest Airlines.

Bedford says travelers may see the Midwest name on some jets until October 2011. The company is also merging the frequent-flier programs of the two airlines.
(KUSA-TV © 2010 Multimedia Holdings Corporation with The Associated Press)"

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