Travel alerts straight to your inbox:

Tag: Midwest Death Watch View All Tags

Despite Death Watch, Midwest Remains Zagat Favorite

November 24, 2008 at 2:34 PM | 0 Comments

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]

Midwest, Angry Pilots Headed For Arbitration

November 6, 2008 at 10:30 AM | 0 Comments

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"

October 31, 2008 at 3:30 PM | 1 Comment

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]

Midwest Death Watch: Rallying Pilots Say, Outsource This!

October 13, 2008 at 2:49 PM | 0 Comments

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.

more ›

Midwest Death Watch: This Is What a Struggling Airline Looks Like

October 6, 2008 at 9:50 AM | 0 Comments

This Friday-night flight to Milwaukee boasted just five passengers, leaving plenty of leg room and plenty of cookies, but also a new wealth of worries for the struggling Wisconsin carrier.

When we asked a gate attendant why there were so few people waiting in the terminal to depart, she said, "Well, because it's so late." This was at 8:30 pm, though, admittedly, right around last call at the airport bar.

Our flight wasn't one of the newly outsourced routes officially taken over Wednesday by Republic Airlines, and potential Midwest passengers may well be scared by the subcontractor. Republic is more like an octopus of regional operations, a former subsidiary of Frontier which currently flies for Midwest as Midwest Connect (to New York-LaGuardia, Denver and Washington-Reagan among others) and for US Airways as US Airways Express. On the bright side, they're hiring!

Related Stories:
· First-Person Flight Reviews: Passenger Says Midwest Service Not Suffering Yet [Jaunted]
· Midwest Job Outsourcing Starts October 1 [WTMJ]
· Airline Open Thread: Is Midwest Still Worth Paying A Premium For? [Jaunted]

Midwest Pilots Convinced Service Will Suffer

September 12, 2008 at 1:15 PM | 0 Comments

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]

Airline Open Thread: Is Midwest Airlines Still Worth Paying a Premium For?

September 5, 2008 at 11:50 AM | 7 Comments

So far this year, Midwest Airlines has laid off more than 1,000 employees, trimmed its fleet, announced plans to add smaller seats and checked bag fees--and the carrier even started cutting back on the number of cookies it hands out. When will it all end?!

All the changes led us to wonder if it's worth booking a Midwest seat anymore. When the seats were large, the service terrific and the cookies copious, we'd pay a premium to fly the carrier, as long as we were headed to a city it served. But now? The airline is so focused on the bottom line it hardly seems different than any other out there. (Admittedly, a recent cash infusion has the threat of bankruptcy at bay for the moment.)

But what say you? Is Midwest still worth booking--even at a fare premium? Or have the glory days gone the way of its MD-80s? Spill your thoughts in our open thread.

Related Stories:
· Midwest Airlines coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Cubbie_n_Vegas]

Midwest Death Watch Trifecta: Cash Infusions, Outsourcing and Bag Fees

September 4, 2008 at 8:30 AM | 1 Comment

Struggling carrier Midwest Airlines has sealed a deal for $60 million in new financing, and has inked another bargain to add 12 regional jets to its fleet, while trimming its 717 holdings. The carrier has already secured $40 million of the promised money--needed for paying off debts to airports, among other things--and it also got a $15 million loan from Republic Airways, the company Midwest has hired to operate those dozen regional jets.

The outsourcing of the Midwest Connect service starts on October 1, which means another couple hundred employees will be furloughed--on top of the 1,200 jobs already cut this summer. The airline says that's to train its people on the new Embraer 170s that Republic flies; the Midwest pilots' union has its doubts:

Management [has] restated its continued intent to wring drastic, draconian concessions from our pilots, holding our very jobs hostage as part of its deal with Republic.

But the airline simply doesn't need as many pilots working because it's also renegotiated a lease with Boeing. Midwest will return 16 of its 25 717s to their manufacturer. That means just nine planes will be kitted out with the new seats announced in August.

Oh, and one last thing: Midwest will start charging $15 for your first checked bag on flights October 21 and later.

Related Stories:
· Midwest Airlines Announces Progress on Restructuring Plan [Official Site]
· Midwest Pilots Express Outrage at Airline's Deal [PRNewswire]
· Midwest Makes More Cuts [WTMJ]
· Midwest Death Watch coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: phantom kitty]

Midwest Death Watch: Struggling Airline Now Yanking Legroom

August 26, 2008 at 9:33 AM | 3 Comments

Midwest Airlines, once the classiest coach ride out there, will add 11 new seats to its remaining planes by October 21, a move that will no doubt result in middle seat armrest battles at the back of the carrier's 717s.

Along with the added seats comes a fee for the good ones, a move other struggling airlines have already instituted. But it's not as bad as it sounds, says the Midwest spin machine:

40 wide, two-across Signature seats will feature even more legroom than today and will be complemented by 59 newly designed Recaro Saver seats, uniquely engineered to provide maximum space between your knees and the row in front....

Travelers paying higher-value refundable fares will be assigned a Signature seat, if available, at no additional charge. Or, find the lowest available fare and secure your Signature seat for a modest fee at time of booking.

Related Stories:
· Introducing Midwest Class [Official Site]
· Midwest Death Watch: Systemwide Cuts Starting to Hurt [Jaunted]
· Airline Death Watch: Are Midwest's Cookies Endangered? [Jaunted]

Midwest Death Watch: Northwest Writes Off Its Midwest Investment

August 8, 2008 at 11:45 AM | 1 Comment

More bad news for the Milwaukee-based airline: Northwest Airlines' 47-percent share in the carrier has lost so much value that NWA has written off its $213 million investment in Midwest Airlines, which it bought with TPG Capital in January.

Paying passenger traffic for Midwest also dropped 16 percent in July compared to last year's numbers with 324,002 brave souls taking the ailing carrier. Northwest ended up buying Midwest to keep budget carrier AirTran from gaining a toehold in Milwaukee; now it's looking like they just ended up with a white elephant.

Related Stories:
· Northwest Writes off Midwest Investment [Milwaukee JS]
· Midwest Passenger Loads Down in July [Biz Journals]
· Midwest Death Watch coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: md11forever]

Midwest Death Watch: Systemwide Cuts Starting to Hurt

July 28, 2008 at 12:30 PM | 0 Comments

Last week's announced cuts to Midwest Airlines' service are starting to take effect, and they hurt! Hundreds of vacationers bound for Orlando on one of the to-be-cut flights between September 8 and October 20 were stymied by error messages on Midwestairlines.com and consistent busy signals on the company's 800 number. Even travel agents reported trouble getting through on the domestically staffed help line.

One area particularly hurt by the service changes? The cities of Stevens Point, Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids, served by Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee. With Midwest goes the only flight connecting the northern half of WI to Milwaukee, forcing fliers to connect through Detroit, Minneapolis or O'Hare for an in-state destination.

At least this misery has company: Airline columnist Joe Brancatelli declared "every U.S. carrier except Southwest Airlines faces bankruptcy and possibly even liquidation" in his latest Seat 2B bulletin. Clearly people are cashing in those edgy Southwest coupons.

Related Stories:
· Midwest Death Watch: Capacity Costs Made Official [Jaunted]
· Passengers have trouble using Midwest Airlines refund site [MJS]
· Midwest Airlines callers get constant busy signal [MJS]
· Don't Take A Flier On Airlines [WaPo]
· Midwest Airlines Cuts CWA Flights [Fox 55 Wausau]

[Photo: retokurmann]

Midwest Death Watch: Capacity Cuts Made Official

July 21, 2008 at 10:45 AM | 0 Comments

When Midwest Airlines announced in June that it would ground a dozen planes, the carrier didn't say how the move would affect service. Now Midwest has it sorted out--and it's not looking good, despite the airline's spin that the new schedule "retains service to 32 cities."

Beginning September 8, Midwest will no longer fly to Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Meyers or San Diego. As for service to LA and Seattle, that'll now be via Kansas City. (That move, at least, was expected now that the carrier's MD-80s are no longer in the mix.)

The airline's regional service is also shutting down some routes; flights to eight cities will be discontinued. The glimmer of good news is that Midwest is expanding its code sharing agreement with Northwest. (As if frequent flier miles are worth anything anymore.)

If you had a ticket for after September 8 on one of the affected flights, you can get a full refund from Midwest. The best bet is to use the airline's website rather than a call center--but do it before the company goes bankrupt!

Related Stories:
· Midwest Airlines Slashing 1,200 Jobs [Jaunted]
· Are Midwest's Cookies Endangered? [Jaunted]
· Midwest Airlines Struggling to Avoid Death Spiral [Jaunted]

[Photo: Cubbie_n_Vegas]

Send us a tip