Air Midwest gone!

[The Prussian]

High fuel prices claim Air Midwest
Regional carrier to phase out service through May and June


By Russ Britt, MarketWatch
Last update: 11:12 a.m. EDT May 14, 2008






LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- A retreating airline industry claimed another victim as Air Midwest will phase out operations, the regional carrier's parent said Wednesday.
Mesa Air Group Inc. , which operates Air Midwest, said record-high fuel prices, low demand and a difficult operating environment were to blame for the discontinuation of service. Air Midwest's routes served 27 cities throughout the U.S.
"Unfortunately under the current economic conditions there was no foreseeable way to achieve sustained profitability," said Jonathan Ornstein, Mesa Air's chief executive, in a press release.
"Even with subsidies from the [Department of Transporation], Air Midwest has been unable to sustain profitability for the last several years."
The company, which could not be reached for immediate comment, said in the release that it was working to minimize the impact on passengers. It was unclear what plans pre-booked passengers would have to make.
Air Midwest's East Coast operations, including service to cities in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Georgia, will shut down May 23.
West Coast operations in Nevada, California, Arizona and New Mexico will follow suit on May 31.
And central U.S. cities in Missouri, Nebraska and Arkansas are expected to halt service June 30.
Air Midwest operates 20 Beech 19-seat airliners. It was founded in Wichita, Kan., in May 1965.
It isn't to be confused with Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines, a much larger carrier.
Shares of Mesa Air lost 7 cents to 66 cents in recent action.

Russ Britt is the Los Angeles bureau chief for MarketWatch.


Oops...sorry...should have posted on the Regionals...my bad..

 

[Ty Webb]

The headline had me thinking it was Midex . . .

Glad to hear it isn't Midwest Airlines.

TW

 

[spitfire1500]

Ornstein has been in the process of closing that place since 2000. They have tried to sell it numerous times and slowly knocked it down from about 75 planes to about 17 give or take few planes as the leases ran out.

 

[saab fixr]

Even with subsidies from the [Department of Transporation], Air Midwest has been unable to sustain profitability for the last several years.
What the hell about "GO"? they have been profitable?

 

[captain dad]

They helped nail the coffin shut on Aloha. What about Freedom being dropped by Delta? Is Mesa swirling the drain?

 

[crashpad]

The headline had me thinking it was Midex . . .
TW

I thought the same thing initially, but then remembered Midex Express
has some serious Jamaican MoJo Shaman in their corner!

 

[Colonel Savage]

The headline had me thinking it was Midex . . .Glad to hear it isn't Midwest Airlines.

No, but it is the end of a great name. I remember the origional Air Midwest from when I was in college in Denver in the late 70's. Nice outfit with Metros run by that Adams fellow who went on to run Frontier II up 'till recently.

Air Midwest, Rocky Mountian Airways, Aspen Airways and a few others were all good outfits based at Stapleton. They represented a big opportunity to anyone aspiring to become an airline pilot.

 

[flying zephyr]

Once again feel bad for those guys. I sure loved flying that beech. Wonder who is going to feed MCI or is that just over now??

 

[Bringupthebird]

No, but it is the end of a great name. I remember the origional Air Midwest from when I was in college in Denver in the late 70's. Nice outfit with Metros run by that Adams fellow who went on to run Frontier II up 'till recently.

Air Midwest, Rocky Mountian Airways, Aspen Airways and a few others were all good outfits based at Stapleton. They represented a big opportunity to anyone aspiring to become an airline pilot.

Huh???

Gary Adamson started Air Midwest which was based in Wichita KS. Stapleton was the westernmost terminus of an EAS route that went through western Kansas to DEN. They were the launch customer for the Saab 340 (s/n 2 "Bernice" named after Gary's wife).

Air Midwest was a great airline in it's prime. An unblemished fatal accident record for about 30 years until Mesa came along.

There will likely never be another success story in aviation like the original Air Midwest.

 

[Lear70]

This news has been coming for a while, the gate agents and pilots were telling me about it 3 weeks ago when I flew from MCI to somewhere else in Missouri (some small town, can't remember where right now, I was the only person on board besides a mechanic who was going out to fix another airplane).

Suffice it to say, when you bid a contract based on $2.00 a gallon fuel with government subsidies to operate your routes and fuel costs increase by 50%, you can only operate it for so long at a loss before you just write the operation off.

They said something about the contract getting put back up for bid and that Mesaba was on the short list to run it with Saabs out of Memphis (station manager mentioned it when I asked) but that's just a rumor, like everything else. I doubt she was high enough up the food chain to really know other than what she had been told, except she said the employees had known for over a month.

 

[Bringupthebird]

If people really need air service from these types of cities, why wouldn't some Caravan operator, whose airplane sits all day, fly passengers (at high high $$) and position the airplane to carry boxes at night?

Who needs a subsidy if you're providing a needed service? The subsidy just brings the price (to the traveler) down because you're getting the taxpayer to pay part of your ticket. Could you imagine if the businessman actually had to go around and beg for money to help pay for his ticket to St. Louis?

 

[Lear70]

If people really need air service from these types of cities, why wouldn't some Caravan operator, whose airplane sits all day, fly passengers (at high high $$) and position the airplane to carry boxes at night?

Who needs a subsidy if you're providing a needed service? The subsidy just brings the price (to the traveler) down because you're getting the taxpayer to pay part of your ticket. Could you imagine if the businessman actually had to go around and beg for money to help pay for his ticket to St. Louis?

I can think of a much better aircraft for that, which isn't a bad idea, but then you have to steal the freight contract away from the people who have it as well (FedEx, UPS, USPS, and check contractors who are out at those small fields every night).

 

[airline#5]

Don't fool yourselves guys, those overpaid fat cat airline pilots are what shut down Air Midwest. McCain said so...

 

[Motorradfahrer]

I wonder what will become of Trixie and Yo-Shawnda in ICT, or "Dirty Dottie" in MCI (any ex-ZV people know who I am talking about)

 

[wscrj]

Trixie is STILL around?

Whoa....

 

[maxpayrollcruz]

I wonder what will become of Trixie and Yo-Shawnda in ICT, or "Dirty Dottie" in MCI (any ex-ZV people know who I am talking about)

Hahaha

 

[cale42]

Trixie was gone last year.. Dottie married an AMW mechanic.. go figure and YoShawnda.. well if those are transferrable job skills what are...

the question is how will the Diet Coke queen get her fix..

 

[Motorradfahrer]

I am guessing Hank M will have to go back into his past life in the KC Mafia (I am convinced that guy was a "Goodfella" at some point in his life) I am also trying to remember the name of the "man-eater" station manager out in Hayes or Topeka. She was a big girl, could drink any of us under the table, and made a man out of many a unsuspecting newhire ZV pilot back in the day. Anyone here care to admit to going down that rough road?:0

 

[Cardinal]

I am also trying to remember the name of the "man-eater" station manager out in Hayes or Topeka. She was a big girl, could drink any of us under the table, and made a man out of many a unsuspecting newhire ZV pilot back in the day. Anyone here care to admit to going down that rough road?:0

Gawd, I know who you're talking about. HYS. She'd fish from the offline pier too, I narrowly escaped. Wracking my brain trying to remember her name....

 

[CitationLover]

Whats the over/under on the # of annual showers "Dirty Dottie" has? (and dottie was in ICT in the training department not MCI)

note: Golden showers do NOT count.

ps "You be modified"

 

[Motorradfahrer]

ps "You be modified"

I just spit beer all over my keyboard:laugh:

 

[Propsync]

Looks like the days of EAS are numbered. While good for employing pilots, it sucked for taxpayers. I really don't see how it will continue. Great Lakes can't do it all. Heck ,they've been understaffed from day one. The trick for avoiding the fine from suspension of contract service is to surrender the certificate. The year is still young, good luck to all. You faring OK CL?

 

[CitationLover]

Looks like the days of EAS are numbered. While good for employing pilots, it sucked for taxpayers. I really don't see how it will continue. Great Lakes can't do it all. Heck ,they've been understaffed from day one. The trick for avoiding the fine from suspension of contract service is to surrender the certificate. The year is still young, good luck to all. You faring OK CL?

day 2 of unemployment....still waiting for a few calls. CoD4 passes the time. I wish I could log that time.

 

[ProPilot5]

Wow! Wonder what HM will be doing now that his airline is retired.

Miss the plane, Dotty, not Trixie. Most remembered whether good or bad!

Best of luck...I assume those guys will feed directly into MESA or was there something in the contract that if the whole operation shut down or was sold, Mesa didn't have to take the pilot group?

 

[FlyWolf]

CL, any other news from the union? did they establish the funds yet? I understand MP is working on it.

They have been ja'ing captains the last 2 days, the chaos in screw scheduling already started. We are losing one more guy in the flt ops office, and closing the uniform shop.

I personally think the furlough number will be greater than 35 comes the fall.

All the best.

 

[Motorradfahrer]

Gawd, I know who you're talking about. HYS. She'd fish from the offline pier too, I narrowly escaped. Wracking my brain trying to remember her name....

It just came to me...Jo-Lynn. You and I are lucky to have escaped her web, I know guys still in therapy trying to erase that memory. uke:

 

[cale42]

Best of luck...I assume those guys will feed directly into MESA or was there something in the contract that if the whole operation shut down or was sold, Mesa didn't have to take the pilot group?

AMW guys are on the Mesa seniority list, they can displace to whatever their seniority can hold, and Mesa will love to get 90 qualified pilots. If there is any good out of this, most if not all AMW captains will easily be lineholding CRJ captains.

 

[CitationLover]

CL, any other news from the union? did they establish the funds yet? I understand MP is working on it.

They have been ja'ing captains the last 2 days, the chaos in screw scheduling already started. We are losing one more guy in the flt ops office, and closing the uniform shop.

I personally think the furlough number will be greater than 35 comes the fall.

All the best.

No news. I hope you are wrong, but if oil continues going up anything is possible. I will donate $25 to the fund once it is set up as some will need it more than I do (COBRA sucks).

With a 20yr lease the 717's are pretty expensive to keep grounded, but the Howell Ave. geniuses must know something I do not know. Basically the union said they wanted 35 pilots heads and 20 downgrades and they got it. They took the easy way out. They're also moving all of MCI ramp ops to Skyway and eliminating some RJ routes (thank god).

We will eliminate two routes. The last day of service on these routes will be July 19.

• Kansas City to Austin
• Kansas City to Pittsburgh

We will reduce frequency on the following routes beginning July 20:

• Milwaukee to Cleveland, from four flights daily to three
• Milwaukee to Indianapolis, from four flights daily to three
• Milwaukee to Newark, from five flights daily to four

 

[Cardinal]

It just came to me...Jo-Lynn. You and I are lucky to have escaped her web, I know guys still in therapy trying to erase that memory. uke:

That's it! And that haunting, bellowing laugh....

 

[FL510in10min]

Can the pilots displace anywhere?