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]]]> pbb 2008-11-06T10:30:08-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/31/132311/69

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]]]> pbb 2008-10-31T15:30:04-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/