It isn’t all beer and skittles, of course.

The combo is still confusing to many out there, those looking for definitive answers now. but as each press announcement comes out, we get closer to the truth of it.

And I am sure there is confusion about the future among both Frontier and Midwest staff. I believe some of this will be very much clearer, and very much more settled, by January.

In the meantime, we stand at the threshold of the future - in practical terms - whatever that future is to be.

On Tuesday, Frontier A319’s start flying some Midwest routes from MKE and some Republic/Midwest E190’s start flying some routes from DEN.

The pressure is on the MKE routes, because tomorrow, Southwest starts flying at MKE.

There will be a huge Southwest press junket at MKE this week-end - I believe they are flying in 90 additional staff to make sure the start of service goes smoothly, and here will be a deal of razzmatazz. They may even announce some additional MKE flying, it is their style.

And I assume that at least some of the press and some analysts will wake up to what has been blatantly obvious for some time - that DEN isn’t the only battleground.

I can’t predict the future, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I only know that the future will not be dull.

Like actors on the stage “counting the house” (the audience) to see how well the show is doing, I’m have no doubt that we’ll get reports of “low loads” on one or two flight as proof that some some other airline is losing the battle.

They will ignore the full loads, because that is the way of it - as Abraham Lincoln said, if you look for the bad an expect to find it, you will.”

Nor do I know which will be the true “battleground” routes. I have few concerns about the western routes, but, as an uneducated guess, it is possible that MKE-Florida will take some little time - until the snowbirds fly? - to absorb the additional capacity being thrown at it.

But one swallow doesn’t make a summer, nor one snowbird a winter - so I’ll leave the last word on the future to Southwest’s CEO Gary Kelly.

What Abraham Lincoln said is true - but what my old (black) writing partner said is also true - find the good and praise it.

Interviewed about DEN, Mr. Kelly struck his also “most successful city start-up ever” theme, while at the same time effectively admitting that a number of the new Southwest routes at DEN were not yet “mature.”

He was also asked about the failed attempt to buy Frontier, and, of course and as I would expect, presented it in the possible light - for Southwest. Find the good and praise it.

But then he ended with this little gem:

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?s...

9News: <<“Southwest CEO disappointed but optimistic after Frontier sale

9News: <<“However, Kelly says the fact the transaction did not occur is probably best for both entities in the future.”>>

And for once, Mr Kelly and I are in complete agreement.

mariner