Milwaukee's hometown airline, Midwest Airlines, officially died today, as Republic Airways Holdings Inc. announced that it has selected the Frontier Airlines name for its unified operation.

The Indianapolis-based company also said Frontier's "spokesanimals" will be the face of the unified branded airline. An image of a badger will be placed on the tail of the former Midwest Airline planes, the company said.

Frontier Airlines is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings Inc.

The announcement was made this morning during simultaneous press conferences in Frontier's hometown of Denver and Midwest's hometown of Milwaukee.

Republic said the familiar Midwest Airlines chocolate cookie will remain on the Frontier flights.

"This decision was an emotional one for everyone involved," said Bryan Bedford, president, chairman and chief executive officer of Republic Airways Holdings Inc. "While the research showed that customers preferred the Frontier brand, they also expressed a strong loyalty to both brands based on affordability, convenience, destinations and delivery of a differentiated experience. As we work to integrate these two brands into a unified Frontier Airlines, you can expect to see a lot of influence from the Midwest brand. This will include the introduction of the iconic Midwest Airlines chocolate chip cookie on all Frontier flights this summer."

Bedford added, "This airline is now bigger and stronger, with an immense opportunity for sustainable, profitable growth in Milwaukee, Denver and across our network. We are launching service to new destinations out of our Milwaukee and Denver hubs and we are adding more jobs in the communities we serve."

The 2010 growth includes 10 new destinations out of the Denver hub and five new destinations out of the Milwaukee hub. The company has more than 5,700 employees, including 1,200 in Milwaukee and 4,100 employees in Denver.

Republic purchased Midwest Airlines in July 2009 and Frontier Airlines in October 2009. Since then, the two carriers have operated as partners with the goal of eventually integrating into one carrier.

Over the past few months, the company has conducted independent research with consumers and employees to help in its decision-making process.

"This decision is a critical milestone for Republic's branded operation and allows us to focus on serving our guests better," said Ian Arthur, Republic's vice president of marketing and branding. "Together as Frontier Airlines we make a very important brand promise to our guests. Our promise is to deliver a better and different flying experience, because it is the best care in the air."

The company has set a timeline of 12-18 months to fully converge the brands. A web site has been developed to communicate with the public throughout this process at www.frontiermidwest.com.

"There's still a lot of work to be done in integrating these two carriers," stated Arthur. "Throughout this process we will keep an open ear to our customer's wants and needs. We appreciate your patience and support as we continue to develop an airline that treats our customers with respect, and will strive to provide those little things that make all the difference in our guests' travel experience."