Here come more cuts as these fine people lose their jobs...half of the workforce! Look for Midwest to disappear as well as Frontier. My bet is jetBlue and Frontier hook up. Same aircraft, same in-flight television...we shall see...the landscape will change as never seen before in the next year. I told you so!
ed.

Midwest Airlines to cut half of workforces with flight reductions and grounding all MD-80's
Monday, July 21, 2008 - 9:40 AM CDT Modified: Monday, July 21, 2008 - 9:41 AM
The Business Journal of Milwaukee

Midwest Airlines announced Sunday its new flight schedule beginning Sept. 8, slicing 11 cities to cut service back to 32 destinations while expanding its ticketing partnership with Northwest Airlines Corp.

Oak Creek-based Midwest Airlines will eliminate service to three airports: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Ft. Myers, Fla.; and San Diego. Service to two West Coast destinations -- Los Angeles and Seattle/Tacoma -- will now be offered via Kansas City year-round, in the same way the airline currently offers service to San Francisco, but travelers flying from Milwaukee to those two cities will have one stop in Kansas City, as opposed to the non-stop flights now offered.

Long-haul flights from Milwaukee to West Coast cities are affected by the airline’s decision to ground its MD-80 aircraft, which have longer range than its Boeing 717s but are also less fuel-efficient. The airline is restructuring its routes, cutting back service and eliminating about 1,200 jobs -- about 40 percent of its work force -- because of skyrocketing fuel costs.

Service to Orlando, Fla., will now be offered seasonally during peak travel months. This season, nonstop Milwaukee-Orlando service will commence Oct. 21 and end April 30, 2009. As Midwest transitions to seasonal Orlando service, it will suspend service to that city from Sept. 8 through Oct. 20. Nonstop service between Kansas City and Orlando will be discontinued, but Kansas City-Orlando service will continue to be available via Milwaukee.

Midwest is also expanding its codeshare agreement with Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest Airlines (NYSE: NWA), adding more than 100 new city pairs to the program. Codeshare flights are essentially flights offered by an airline on a partner airline’s planes.

“We will remain true to our mission of serving major business destinations with more nonstop flights from Milwaukee than any other airline,” said Timothy Hoeksema, chairman and chief executive officer. “From Kansas City, we will continue to serve as an important resource for the business community, with flights to key East and West Coast cities. While there will be adjustments to frequency in some of these markets, we will continue to offer convenient service and the unparalleled customer service our passengers expect from us.”

The airline will also discontinue service to eight airports currently served by its Midwest Connect regional jet service: Baltimore; Hartford, Conn.; Louisville, Ky.; Muskegon, Mich.; Raleigh/Durham, N.C.; St. Louis; San Antonio; and Wausau/Stevens Point. Additionally, it will discontinue its nonstop Kansas City-Madison route, but will continue to offer the service via Milwaukee.

The new schedule, which is posted at http://www.midwestairlines.com, also includes frequency and timing adjustments on various routes.