Jaunted - Tag: Midwest Airlines

Mexicana to Get Midwest's Boeing 717 Hand-Me-Downs

JetSetCD — 2009-03-10T16:26:18-05:00

If you're planning to head south of the border on Mexicana later this year, don't be surprised if you find Best Buy receipts and Sbarro packaging stuck down in your seat cushion, as you might be hitching a ride on one of Midwest Airlines' former fleet. According to the Chicago Tribune, Boeing has just agreed to lease 25 fuel-efficient, twin-engine 717 aircraft to Mexicana and their LCC, ClickAir. Of these, 16 will be coming straight from flying the Midwest skies and therefore begin something like a prolonged vacation in Mexico.

The 104-passenger planes are no longer made by Boeing, although popular with travelers, and will thus be passed around probably a few more times before heading to the great scrap pile in the sky. Sadly, there's no word on whether or not the planes will be haunted by the ghost of defunct carriers past.

Related Stories
· Midwest Airlines' Boeing 717s to Go to Mexicana [Chicago Tribune]
· Despite Death Watch, Midwest Remains Zagat Favorite [Jaunted]
· Midwest Airlines Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: caribb]

Despite Death Watch, Midwest Remains Zagat Favorite

pbb — 2008-11-24T14:34:11-05:00

The annual Zagat Survey look at airlines is out today, and leather seats are in. Despite a monumentally rough year, Midwest Airlines is still the favorite "mid-sized" airline for coach of the nearly 10,000 people Zagat polled this year. Among bigger players, JetBlue took the top slot with Southwest coming in second. Yep, those chairs are leather, leather and leather.

Midwest, however, didn't show up in the list of winners for "mid-sized" premium product--which isn't surprising given that passengers now have to pay extra for the swanky seats that used to be free. Virgin America, instead, pulled first place for first class; in-seat massages probably helped, uh, finesse the results.

Among legacy carriers, Continental did better than its peers, apparently because survey respondents think free airline food is priceless. (We'd call it worthless.) For international trips, Singapore was the top pick either up front or in coach, but you won't go wrong, Zagat says, with either Emirates or Cathay Pacific either.

Related Stories:
· Global Air Travel Survey Results [Zagat Survey]
· Zagat Airline Survey: The Winners and The Losers [Jaunted]
· Midwest Airlines coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: md11forever]

Oak Park: Midwest, Angry Pilots Headed For Arbitration

pbb — 2008-11-06T10:30:08-05:00

Pilots and flight attendants working for Midwest Airlines have been picketing and protesting the carrier's September decision to hire Republic Airways to operate a number of flights on Embraer 170s instead of Midwest's signature 717s. As a part of that contract, 270 jobs were cut, though Midwest says the 125 pilots that were let go will be re-hired after they are trained on the smaller jets. The pilots aren't buying that.

But starting today the pilot's union and the airline will enter arbitration to sort out the mess. A different union representing flight attendants will sit down for similar talks starting Saturday, the Journal-Sentinel reports. Will this be the end of the animosity between the airline and its workforce? Doubtful. And no matter what agreement is made, it likely won't fix the rapidly eroding quality of the Midwest product.

Still, at least one person must be welcoming this news: CEO Timothy Hoeksema has been enduring pilot picketing at his house.

Related Stories:
· Midwest Union Grievances Go to Arbitration [MJS]
· Midwest Death Watch coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of a protest at Casa Hoeksema: Dontoutsourcemidwest.com]

"You Have Chunks In Your Beer"

pbb — 2008-10-31T15:30:04-05:00

A friend of the blog Upgrade: Travel Better has finally had it with Midwest Airlines and its strategy of cutting its way to survival. In an epic letter to CEO Timothy Hoeksema, a miffed passenger outlines how Schlitz ruined its beer while trying to cut costs, eventually turning customers off and ruining the brand. Same thing's happening to Midwest, he argues:

Midwest has long been known for the comfort of its seating and the quality of its service. I read some time ago that Midwest was refitting its planes to offer two types of seats, but the implication was that the smaller seats were for cheaper, discount tickets and tourist travel, not business travelers. However, you recently decided to start charging an extra $50 fee for the types of seats that were standard on your flights just last month. ...
On my [recent] flight to Washington, there were nine people in the “Signature Seating” section. On my return, exactly three people. The back sections of both flights were full. The difference was so obvious that I’m surprised that, while you were refitting the 717s, you didn’t add a tail wheel to address the potential load imbalance.
In other words, it appears that your new seating charges netted you $450 in extra fees going to DC, and $150 on the return.

Hey, with 600 extra bucks in the bank, maybe Hoeksema can host a BBQ and make nice with the pilots' union before the airline implodes!

Related Stories:
· "You Have Chunks in Your Beer" [UTB]
· This Is What a Struggling Airline Looks Like [Jaunted]
· Struggling Airline Now Yanking Legroom [Jaunted]

[Photo: Cubbie_n_Vegas]

Oak Creek: Midwest Death Watch: Rallying Pilots Say, Outsource This!

egw — 2008-10-13T14:49:46-05:00

Struggling now-basically-regional carrier Midwest Airlines is hardly the only carrier trying to cut jobs these days to stay afloat. But Midwest may have got more than it bargained for when its deal with Republic Airlines eliminated 270 jobs, including the positions of 125 unionized pilots whose jobs will be taken over.

First-Person Flight Reviews: Passenger Says Midwest Airlines Service Not Suffering Yet

pbb — 2008-09-15T17:05:28-05:00

Just last week, a bunch of Midwest Airlines pilots were saying that all the changes at the company would hurt passengers' experiences with the carrier. But at least one person told the Washington Post today that flying Midwest is still a pretty good time:

I had something weird happen to me last weekend: A great airline experience. Nothing major, but I flew Midwest Airlines for the first time.

Midwest Pilots Convinced Service Will Suffer

pbb — 2008-09-12T13:15:26-05:00

Roughly 200 Midwest Airlines pilots rallied at Mitchell International in Milwaukee Thursday to protest upcoming layoffs and outsourcing. The troubled carrier, which recently got a cash infusion that could stave off bankruptcy, has decided to outsource some service to Republic Airlines, which will fly Embraer 170s instead of Boeing 717s.

One of the protesting pilots says that's not what passengers expect:

Midwest is going to be down to about 360 of the wide leather seats and 2,000 basically coach seats. The passenger is going to see a big difference in what kind of service they're going to receive.

Another pilot was more blunt:

They must think the public is stupid, and isn't going to notice.

Oh, we noticed!

Related Stories:
· Midwest Airlines Workers Protest Leasing Plan [J-S]
· Midwest Pilots Protest, Claim Service Will Suffer [WTMJ]
· Midwest Airlines coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Journal-Sentinel]