Those who foster kittens often have to come up with names for whole litters of four, five, six, or even more of them. This is most easily achieved by deciding on a theme, say the spice kittens (Cinnamon, Clove, Cardamon, Chili) or the monster crew (Nessie, Yeti, Kraken), or why not, well, you may have guessed it from the title - the airline batch.Las Vegas-based The Animal Foundation, which operates an animal shelter and a low-cost vet clinic, unknowingly provided an extra incentive to adopt one of its kittens when it decided to name its latest batch of new arrivals after airlines. The organization dubbed its latest furry charges Frontier, Delta, and Spirit.This was picked up by a news channel and further by some good-willed folks over at Frontier Airlines. The ultra-low-cost carrier took to social media to offer no less than four flight vouchers to anyone adopting the little creature named after the airline. Meanwhile, in a gesture of generosity characteristic of the holidays, it is offering two vouchers each for the adopters of tiny Delta and Spirit as well.

Last minute name change

While some commentators (this is Twitter we are talking about, after all, so it shouldn't come as a surprise) seemed upset that Frontier can help save kittens while not refunding a ticket or indignant that Delta, "a real airline," could be mentioned in the same breath as the ULCCs Frontier and Spirit, let's focus on the amazing work of the Animal Foundation and airlines helping animals find a new home.

However, the Delta fan may be interested to know that the third kitten was originally supposed to be named Southwest, but due to recent events over the last week requiring no further explanation, the Foundation' thought it prudent to change the kitten's name to avoid any immediate negative connotations.

Other recent events in the intersection of animals and airlines

A few other heartwarming stories from the past year include when United Airlines rescued a puppy abandoned at San Francisco International Airport after he was denied entry to the US for failing his immigration check from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Little Polaris (named after the airline’s flagship business class cabins) was flown to LAX due to the lack of quarantine facilities at SFO, before the airline could find him a forever home.

Meanwhile, in other animal-related news, Denver Airport entered the Guinness Book of World Records for having the world's largest airport therapy animal program, Air France announced it would no longer carry primates for research purposes, and in September, we covered the incredible work of a rescue organization called Pilots N Paws.