Save the tulip, save the miles.
United Airlines will soon merge with Continental Airlines creating a super carrier with thousands of routes. And a new logo.
That has a group of aesthetic-minded Facebookers hot with aeronautic anger. In response to a potentially banal logo design, Timothy Jasionowski and Lori Quarnstrom created the facebook group "Save the United Tulip."
"The travel industry is full of globe logos and the United Tulip is something that stands out." said Quarnstrom, who is a Million Mile Flier club with United.
United is aware of the group, but not particulary sympathetic to its cries.
"The proposed merger of United Airlines and Continental Airlines will bring together two world class companies that have strong brand recognition," a spokeswoman from the company told NBC. "The new visual brand identity builds upon the significant value of each of the airline's current brand, while advancing the combined airline's future brand image".
Quarnstrom insists her Facebook group, however, is about more than just a logo and brand. She's worried that the proposed merger will ultimately destroy certain benefits of her frequent flier miles, and she wants to use the Tulip as an icon.
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"The Tulip is something you can rally around when you don't have any power or control over what they are going to do with the frequent flier program," she says.
Many frequent fliers are joining the rally on Facebook and Flyertalk.com to share their concerns and frustrations over changes. United customers are not the only party upset over the changes. Continental fliers are sharing their grief over the loss of their airline's name on "Save the Continental Name" Facebook group.
Both United and Continental said nothing pertaining to the frequent flier program has been discussed yet.
"United and Continental are still two separate companies and no decisions have been made about the frequent flyer program or Red Carpet Club," says united Airlines Managing Director for Brand Communications, Valerie Barker Waller. "They can't make any decisions or even share business data with eachother until the merger is completed on October 1st."
But that is not slowing down the movement on facebook or the speculation of what will happen when the negotiation and planning for a new frequent flyer program begins. Until then, it's all up in the air.
