Hey, AirTran, I've got two words (that are printable) for you:

Buzz off.

For the last month, we've heard you try to woo Midwest Airlines like a drunken, workout-obsessed, frat boy who just realized it's almost bar time and he's going home alone.

Just go away, we don't need your kind here in Milwaukee.

See, this city has spent a long time trying to shed this image of inferiority, inadequacy and dependence on others to come in and rescue us. It's still a work in process, but we're doing just fine without your meddling.

Maybe Midwest isn't the cash cow, big-time airline you think it could be, but that's fine. For us, it does the job just fine. Not many travelers in other mid-major-sized markets can fly direct to more than 20 major markets from their own backyard, and nowhere else can they do it in the style provided by our hometown airline.

I like my cookies, I like my leg room, and I really, really like not having to fly into Atlanta to get to where I actually want to go. Sorry, but while Mitchell International Airport isn't the most cosmopolitan travel hub in the world, it's a heck of a lot better than sitting through the endless delays made possible by the traffic at Hartsfield International in Atlanta.

Everybody knows about the service – obviously, you do or you wouldn't be breathing down our necks – but it's also the loyalty the airline shows the city in return. The Midwest Airlines Center sounds a lot better than the AirTran Center, and there isn't enough time or space to list the charities and events that have been supported by Midwest.

Midwest is something we can be proud of. Like Summerfest, Harley-Davidson, Miller Beer, and even Milorganite, it's something we can travel the country and smile knowing it's a little piece of home.

Somehow, Midwest has found a way to survive on its own in this post-9/11 travel nightmare. That happened because employees agreed to make sacrifices by giving up wages. How many companies can say that? Sure, it may not be the biggest, but it's definitely one of the best. And we're pretty damn proud of that.

Your CEO, Joe Lenoard, has made the rounds here to plead your airline's case. He's kissed more babies and shook more hands than a presidential candidate. And obviously, for all your concern about serving the "good people of Milwaukee," you've failed to recognize one major character trait of our population.

We can smell a steaming pile from a mile away.

We've read your rhetoric, we've heard your impassioned pleas, and what we can only assume are sincere promises, but we're not interested. So do us a favor, go find somebody else to prop up your portfolio. This is one city that doesn't need your help.

Sincerely,

A disinterested -- and annoyed -- Midwest customer