Source: Frontier Airlines

  • Consumers Were Invited to Choose the Name via Social Media

Ultra-low fare carrier Frontier Airlines announced the name of the coquí llanero that will be featured on the tail of a future Frontier aircraft. Consumers were invited to choose the name through a social media campaign with ‘Bori,’ short for “Boricua,” winning the popular vote. Boricua is derived from “Borikén,” (the Taino Indian name for the Island) and used to describe a person from Puerto Rico by birth or descent.

Frontier’s Coquí Llanero Plane Tail

Last month, Frontier announced the winner of its Tropical Tails contest, which invited consumers to choose the next endangered animal to be featured on the tail of a Frontier aircraft. There were more than 86,000 votes received during the contest period and the coquí llanero, a tiny tree frog found in Puerto Rico, was deemed the winner. Consumers were then invited to help name the coquí via a social media contest which recently concluded. Choices included ‘Rios,’ ‘Atabey,’ and ‘Bori’ with ‘Bori’ receiving the most votes.

The Puerto Rican lowland coquí is one of the smallest tree frogs in the world. Mature llaneros are no wider than a dime and generally yellowish in color. Their tiny stature squeezes their vocal range into the highest pitch of almost any frog – just barely audible to human ears, making the sound they are so famously known for and named after — “Ko-Kee.” The coquí llanero is listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

“Frontier currently serves Puerto Rico from 13 destinations in the U.S. and Caribbean and we are very proud of our partnership with the Puerto Rican community,” said Tyri Squyres, vice president of marketing, Frontier Airlines. “We are equally proud of our efforts to highlight the plight of endangered species through our plane tails and thrilled that we are bringing attention to the endangered coquí llanero. It’s an indicator of our commitment to partnering with the destinations we serve and part of our broader mission as America’s Greenest Airline.”

“We’re looking forward to sharing our beloved Puerto Rican coquí with the world via Frontier aircrafts, and are proud that ‘Bori’ was selected as the winning name, given Boricua is used to describe those who are native to the Island, just like the coquí,” said Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico. “We encourage U.S. travelers to take advantage of Frontier’s vast network of routes to Puerto Rico and come experience our coquí’s magical song in-person, as well as the Island’s unparalleled nature offerings without the need for a passport, change in currency or a new phone plan.”

“We are delighted and honored that Bori, our coquí llanero, is now part of Frontier’s Animal Tails campaign, an initiative that raises awareness about the importance of protecting both iconic and endangered species found in destinations that Frontier Airlines serves,” said Carlos Mercado Santiago, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. “We thank Frontier for their steadfast commitment to Puerto Rico as a world-class destination and hope to continue strengthening our partnership and increasing operations and flight options to Puerto Rico in the upcoming months and years.”

To watch a video about the Puerto Rican coquí llanero featuring Dr. Neftalí Ríos-López from the University of Puerto Rico, click here.