In Denver’s lively low-fare airline war, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines has fired the heaviest artillery with a barrage of television commercials lavishing love on the Mile High City.
But Frontier Airlines, which maintains its major hub of operations in Denver, is retaliating by bringing out the big guns — its talented team of tail animals.
On Monday, the spokesanimals climbed down from their perches on the aircraft tails to frolic through destination cities in the new ads.
The tagline for the multimedia campaign: “fares so low everyone’s flying.” That’s a message that might have been lost on consumers after Frontier seemed to lose its voice due to financial hardships stemming from the bankruptcy and acquisition by Republic Airways.
“Frontier has generally been known as a low-fare-type airline with good service,” said Jim Reichert, Frontier’s vice president of marketing and sales. “Recent Department of Transportation fare data confirms that Frontier had the lowest average fare on nearly every nonstop route we serve from Denver, Milwaukee and Kansas City.”
To hammer home the low-fare point, Frontier has enlisted a little help from its predominantly furry friends who travel “tail-less” to various cities.
If the spokesanimals were unleashed on Denver to see the sights, where would we send them?
Foxy the fetching fox might feel at home in the bar at Elway’s Cherry Creek where she could compete with other cougars (sorry, spokescat Sal) for male attention.
Jack, the wiley wabbit who fancies himself as Love Shack Jack, might find his niche (hutch?) cracking wise at an open mic night at Comedy Works in LoDo.
Flip the dolphin, who is obsessed with Mexico, could fiesta Colorado style with a bowl of pork green chile and a margarita at Benny’s. Our flippered friend would need an assist from a local lovely who knows a dolphin from a porpoise.
While the Denver Zoo might be an obvious visitor destination for Grizwald the bear, why not let him loose in the wilds of Red Rocks Amphitheatre? During a Phish concert, Griz could grasp the other meaning of “Rocky Mountain High.”
Wild West auction.
Fancy yourself the owner of a Wild West replica town in Saguache? Then cowboy up at 11 a.m. Thursday during an auction of the Old Cow Town, a 320-acre spread with 15 buildings that was built to look like an 1880s Western town in south-central Colorado.
Auction house J.P. King, on behalf of owner Myron Smith, is selling the properties, which include a saloon, dance hall, general store, museum, dining hall, gift shop, horse barns and RV hook-up area.
The original asking price was $10 million, but the parcel will sell to the highest bidder at or above $2.7 million. Details: .
The seen.
Hall of Fame Denver Broncos tight end No. 84 Shannon Sharpe celebrated the Broncos’ win at Elway’s Cherry Creek on Sunday night.
After retiring from the NFL, Sharpe pointed his career at television broadcasting as a CBS Sports analyst.
EAVESDROPPING
A woman during a wedding reception at The Teller House in Central City:
“I’m always the bride, never the bridesmaid.”
Penny Parker’s column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail pparker@denverpost.com.
