Frontier Airlines: A Bear Tail, Some Bullish News, and RIP Doc, Sally & Wally

Back in April I wrote a blog post, Sad Buildings, Frontier Airlines and Further Thoughts on The Economy, who knew that the Ch. 11 filing of Frontier would hardly be one of the biggest bankruptcy stories of the year.

In fact, I hardly think that the Denver-based low-cost airlines chapter 11 reorganization hits on the radar of dismissal economic news of 2008.

Alas, it's a story I've been following.

One of my favorite things about Frontier is how each of the planes has a distinct animal on the tail, that serves as a fun airplane identifier. Having flown on a variety of Frontier's planes, I always pay attention to what plane I'm flying on, whether it's Trixie the Fox or Jake the White Tail Deer.

So in honor of this news I present an image of Grizwald the Grizzly Bear on the Airbus 318, pictured above.

But the fact of the matter is, with a Bearish-year, Frontier's beginning to announce some "Bullish" news. Yet Frontier airlines doesn't have a Bull on the tale of any of their planes...just a handful of Moose -- Floyd, Mickey, & Chocolate.

Bullish News For Frontier & A Changing Perception of Business

Hooray for Frontier. Some good news...In November Frontier posted profits! $2.9 Million in net income.

Traditionally the idea of company's making money make us feel like we're being ripped off. We want to complain about airlines, gas companies, car companies, food providers, health care, or any organization who is able to put money in the bank after their financial obligations have been been met.

I hope that out of our current down-turn, in a time when the government is buying up and investing in everything from home mortgages, cars companies, and banks, that perhaps we can hear more and more good news out of the Ch. 11 Bankruptcies and mergers taking place. I hope that the good news of business success is not soured with the doldrums of business-disdain.

Let's hope for continued good news in 2009 from Frontier and it's other Ch. 11 friends, like Lehman Brothers, KB Toys, Washington Mutual and Circuit City.

Rest In Peace Doc, Sally, & Wally

Re-organization has a cost. The bad thing about personifying this planes with the animals painted on the tails is that nothing last forever. Some planes are apt to go out of service, while others are sold off.

This reorganization has meant a number of planes have been sold off in 2008.

So long to the following planes removed from Frontier's fleet in 2008...Wally the Wolf, Ozzy the Orca Whale, Mel the Mule Deer, Lucy the Canadian Goose, Hamilton the Hummingbird, Sally the Mustang, O'Malley the Mallard Duck, Doc the Snowy Owl, and Perry the Horned Puffin Penguin.