Midwest Airlines

There is no Midwest airlines. It’s run by a Micky mouse undercutting regional called repubic

Unfortunately… Midwest Airlines no longer exists. They were bought out by Frontier.

One of the best airline, customer service is extremely top notch. Their economy seats are larger compared to any other airline.
They bake free cookies + staff extremely helpful and nice. they allow you to switch seats after takeoff if airplane is not full. The staff works with you. It is just different from all other airplane service. highly recommended. I always pick Midwest even if this will cost a little more. totally worth it

We booked our tickets through Orbitz but when we got to the gate we found that our seats were on hold (along with many other people on the plane). Although the staff tried to help fix this problem, after seeing how many other people they screwed over we were scared to get on the plane! And as it turns out, my partner and I ended up being separated on the flight and had to play musical chairs with 5 other passengers… how many people did they think they could squeeze in 10D?

First and last time I fly with this shoddy airline:
1) Flight late b/​c loading food
2) Was told connection was being held
3) Connection not held, flight left, delaying me 5.5 hours
4) Lost items from my check-​in baggage
I reported all this to them by email. Over a week later (too long imho) they replied with the usual empathetic bromides (mostly from a form apology email they use). Basically told me «tough luck» and «contact TSA» for your lost item.
AVOID THIS MOM & POP AIRLINE AT ALL COSTS.
2÷14÷09 Update: Same flight: DEN — MKE — FNT. My DEN — MKE flight was on time. I had 10 minutes (!) to make my connection to FNT. I ran. I made it. I asked the baggage guy in the breezeway if he thought my bag would make it, given that I personally had to run to make it – he said «Oh yeah it should.» I land in FNT and go to baggage claim — surprise, surprise — my bag didn’t make it. How could it? 10 minutes for a regularly scheduled connection??? Is it reasonable for Midwest Operations to expect both the passenger and the big to make it on the connection within 10 minutes??? So here I sit in my room, luggage-​less. The only minimally positive thing that came out of this was the Midwest check-​in desk staff at FNT — I explained how important it was that I got my bag delivered tonight, no matter how late — they agreed to have it done. (Now whether it will or not remains to be seen.)
I thought Delta was bad, but Midwest takes the cake — worst airline in America no doubt about it.

My job sent me down to Dallas/​Fort Worth for an advanced training seminar last week. So since the training was at the American Airlines Training Center, naturally the lowest fare was on Midwest Airlines – with a connection via Milwaukee!
This was the first time I’d ever flown on Midwest Airlines and Midwest Connect. If what Tom D below says about the the leather seats, free bubbly, free food, and wine is true, well then I guess I missed out on that era. But in this era of diminshed (very diminished) expectations, my experience on MIdwest stands out. And these days, the very fact that Midwest still has food, albeit for purchase, is really something.
Midwest’s food isn’t too bad. It’s catered by Mader’s Restaurant which I understand is a Milwaukee landmark (although my sandwich wasn’t bad, I’m willing to wager that the food at Mader’s Restaurant is way better)
Midwest also has a Customer Committment
which is a good thing because these days, flying feels like a committment (a committment to the looney bin, that is)! And yes, they had the fresh cookies on my flight.
I’d give Midwest 3 to 3 ½ stars because the service was good and both flight segments were on-​time.

This used to be a 5 star experience — the leather seats, free bubbly and wine (yes, at one point — wine was free), the food (again, at one point it was free), the cookies, the big leather seats, check 2 bags for free…
All of that is pretty much a thing of the past — though you can still get a cookie every now and again — sure, the whole industry has been downgraded — but most of the industry wasn’t anything special — Midwest was very special — it was an experience — that has been reduced to just another airline.

charming little airline from my experience.
i traveled from my beloved nashville, tn to milwaukee, wi then cleveland, oh. when i boarded the plane, my immediate thought was «fuck, this jet is MINUSCULE». it had twelve rows of seats, four seats each. not too long after take off, the stewardess got on the intercom and started to regail us with promises of great service just like eeeevery other airline out there. but then she proved it. this woman made her way down the aisle and offered me a drink. i accepted (water with no ice, if you must). she then offered me «baked fresh on-​board cookie». my response:
what did you say?
a cookie. i dunno why shocked me in the manner that it did, but i declined her offer. during the second leg of the trip, she offered a cookie again, and this time i took the bait. it was pretty damn good! still warm and all that. i contemplated asking for another, but the curmudgeon to my left was fucking up the good cookie vibe, with his fantasy football picking ass.
this airline turned out to be a pleasant surprise, don’t frown if you end up on this airline, it’s a decent experience.
eric b

Since my girlfriend moved to Milwaukee earlier this year, I’ve become something of a regular on Midwest’s Boston/​Milwaukee flights and it’s always a relatively pleasant experience.
Rates are usually pretty low if you watch for deals and book a couple weeks in advance, seats are comfortable on both the Boeing 717s and Embraer jets (book early so you can get on the 2 side on the 2 by 3 seating on 717s if you can), and you get free cookies on the plane which are pretty good.
The one time Midwest has royally messed up they went out of their way to make amends for it – a flight out of Logan was delayed 5 ½ hours due to a combination of weather and mechanical failures. Waiting in the terminal until 1am sucked, but they gave vouchers for a free flight AND gave everyone on board the plane unlimited free beer, wine, and cocktails — a sure way to earn my allegiance.

I have been flying Midwest for over 10 years. It used to be the «Best Care in the Air.» It used to be the only airline I would fly.
They used to serve meals on china with silverware. All seats used to be first class. Then the meals went away. Then the first class seats were replaced for more seats (with a few «Signature Seats» that cost $ 50 extra). Then many direct flights became in-​direct with a stop in Kansas City. Then they charged you for your second bags. And now they charge you for your FIRST bags.
It used to be you paid a little more for all of the extras. Now you still pay more, and get jack shit for it.
Midwest’s new motto should «Just like every other shitty airline, but we cost more.»

I first encountered Midwest Express (as they were known in those days) some fifteen years ago. I needed to get to Washington, DC and I was booking my flight late. The fare quotes I was getting out of Des Moines were astronomical so I asked my agent to see what I could get out of Omaha. The agent told me not only I could get a great fare out of Omaha, but that the flight would be non-​stop. Well, that was a no-​brainer. Off to Omaha I went. The real surprise, however, came when I boarded the plane and saw first class seating throughout the aircraft. Just when I was already as happy as I thought I could be, I was served dinner and complimentary wine. (A fabulous dinner, I might add, by airline standards!) Dinner on a real plate with real silverware, crystal, and a linen napkin no less. Then came the famous chocolate chip cookies. I didn’t know who these people were, but they definitely knew how to fly right.
From that day forward, I’ve flown Midwest every chance I got. Given the cities they service and the places I routinely need to go, that hasn’t been nearly enough from my point of view. But I guess that makes the times I can fly Midwest all the more special. For those of you road executives who spend countless hours standing in lines at airports, and subsequently find yourselves crammed into middle seats in coach class trying to save your company a buck, Midwest is a welcome treat.
On a trip to Boston we flew from Des Moines to Midwest’s hub in Milwaukee. There we boarded one of their new Boeing 717s. A couple of things struck me right away: The seating was first class throughout the aircraft as usual but the new two-​by-​two leather seats with adjustable headrests and footrests were really cool. Unless I miss my guess, the overhead storage was more spacious as well. Perhaps these things appear to minimal to some of my readers, but to those of you who are weary veterans of air travel these are improvements of a nearly indescribable value.
The meals and the wine are no longer complimentary, both casualties to the tough economic factors facing the airline industry at present. Midwest was paying $ 10.00 per passenger for food, some three times the average industry cost. When Midwest started losing money after the Sept. 11 attacks, the complimentary deluxe food and drinks became an obvious cost cutting target. Subsequently they were made available as an option to passengers willing to pay for them. Breakfast is $ 7.00, lunch and dinner are $ 10.00. Midwest partners with LSG Sky Chefs to provide this service. Some of the passengers on my flight grumbled a bit at the prospect of having to pay for these amenities after all those years of getting them for free, but I noticed that a lot of them still ordered lunch. I did too. While perhaps not quite as upscale as before, it was still remarkably good food to be served by an airline and the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, still complimentary, were as good as ever.
Perhaps Midwest isn’t happy about this, but another thing I’ve always liked about flying with them is I don’t ever remember standing in line. In Boston we arrived at the airport two hours early, anticipating the inevitable lines in both ticketing and security. I looked over in the main ticketing area where all the major airlines had their counters and it was precisely as I had envisioned it: The place was a zoo. I couldn’t tell where one carrier’s line started and the next one began. We saw a small sign directing Midwest passengers to another corridor and there we found the Midwest ticket counter. We were the only ones there. They had us checked in within a minute or two. So, I’m thinking, that was the easy part. We still have to endure a line to the security checkpoint, right? Wrong! We went to a separate area from the major carriers and there were only about three people ahead of us. It turned out to be easier flying out of Boston than our departure from Des Moines had been. Incredible…
Midwest Airlines gives a little of the luxury back into flying at a time when the luster of air travel has long since worn off.
Note: This review is a few years old!!!

I had my doubts when I booked a Midwest flight. I had never heard of them but then I’ve never flown to/​from Milwaukee before. The fare was decent, the ride was non-​stop to LGA, and the service was excellent. Can I also tell you how happy warm chocolate chip cookies make me? The seats pretty wide (I sat at the front section which had 2 seats per side versus the 3 on the back half of the plane).

With airlines «50 cent (ing) yo ass to death,» Midwest was a pleasant surprise. I don’t know why I expected it to be a budget cattle-​herding airline like Southwest or a complete crap-​service airline like US Airways, but it totally wasn’t.
Pleasant surprise #1: the somewhat reasonable rate I was able to book barely 14 days in advance. Note to self: it appears that booking a flight into Columbus or Dayton and renting a car will always be significantly cheaper than actually flying into Cincinnati. What’s the deal? Oh, and no extra charge for your first piece of luggage. Score? Oops, fail – just checked the website and they started charging $ 15 for the first piece just after I purchased my ticket.
Pleasant surprise #2: the pretty comfy leather seats. And the readily available blankets and pillows. Not wider than your standard coach seats, but still a little more comfy.
Pleasant surprise #3: warm, soft, chocolate chip cookies. Nice change from the micro-​bag of salted peanuts you get now, if you get anything. Remember when Southwest used to have those honey roasted nuts? Memories… 2 cookies per passenger, which is good, unless you have connecting flights where you get 2 more, then another 2, then ugh, cookie overload and now you just feel sick. On a plane. Don’t do it man! Limit your self to 2 and you’ll be good. Haha.
Pleasant surprise #4: non-​bitchy flight attendants. Woo hoo! So many crappy ones nowadays that surlily ask what you want to drink, then throw your peanuts at you…
Oh. Wait. This doesn’t happen to anyone else?

I love when companies develop brand mantras that they actually use as guiding principles on how to run their business. Midwest Airlines is one of those companies. They truly provide the «best care in the air.»
I’m not going to say that I fly a lot, but I will fly somewhere for either work or play at least once every 3 – 4 weeks and I always use Milwaukee’s Mitchell Airport. Normally, based on where I travel, the best fare is on Northwest or United, but a majority of the time, I will pay the extra $ 20ish to get the service and experience on Midwest.
I’ve always encountered very accommodating gate agents… willing to move me to earlier flights or better seats.
More importantly, I’ve always had the most pleasant flight attendants! They are polite when they ask me to put away my phone (I’m one of those people that wait until the last possible minute) and always have a smile when they serve me a warm chocolate chip cookie! There is one flight attendant that I’ve actually had three times now, her name is Joy, and if she happens to read this at any point… mad props to you!
For many of my more «long haul» flights, I still wind up using Northwest, but don’t fret! Your Midwest miles can be directly applied to Northwest’s WorldPerks! A win-​win situation!

The staff at Midwest Airlines far exceeded my expectations!
They have to be one of the best airlines in the world and certainly the best domestic carrier in the United States. It was surprising to see this quality of service on a post ⁹⁄₁₁ flight on a domestic carrier. I can tell these good people are Midwest is committed to being the best domestic airline and providing excellent customer service.
Me and hundreds if not thousands of others in Milwaukee are so happy that they didn’t get gobbled up by that trashy low brow carrier down south in Atlanta (air tran). They would have just turned Midwest in to another low cost carrier.
I hope they can weather the current storm. I read that their employees have been asked to take up to a 65% pay cut. I hope this airline survives.
Granted, Midwest was better 10 years ago back when they offered real silverware, Chinaware, table cloths and all the other good stuff you get in first class. Glad I was able to get the last of their 2+2 seating on their aircraft and fresh baked on-​board cookies. The seats reminded me of a 1978 Chrysler Cordoba.
Those brown leather seats reminded me of the rich Corinthian leather that Chrysler offered in their cars throughout the 1970s, 80s & early 90s. Remember those Ricardo Montalbán ads? :)
I had to buy a beverage that was distinctly Wisconsin that I can’t get on any other airline. Of course that would be Leinenkugels beer. Ok it’s not the best beer but it’s tied to Wisconsin just as Midwest Airlines.
This was my first time on a 717 and I think it’s a shame that this aircraft is out of production. What a magnificent aircraft! Very comfortable too. Of course Midwest 2+2 seating configuration helps. My seat was 3D, way up front. The flight was virtually silent.

I’m a big fan of Midwest Airlines (although I often still refer to it as Midwest Express, it’s old name). When my family still lived in Milwaukee, I was so glad to be able to get on a plane at DCA, and a short two hours later — no layover, no plane change, no nothing — get off in MKE. Of course, the chocolate chip cookies, the service (which ranges from above-​average to outstanding), and those comfy leather seats always helped.

Midwest Airlines is like the Southwest of the Midwest. Thank goodness for shuttle flights because if Midwest did not fly out of LGA or EWR, you would probably have a 6 hr flight with connections and that is a sucky way to travel. A typical flight to MKE from EWR/​LGA will take about 2 hours. And we all know, everyone is in a rush to get to Wisconsin.
I flew out of EWR to MKE because it’s closer to home but there also seems to be an advantage of flying from EWR because the planes that fly out of EWR are smaller and can fly under the thick fog that often plagues Milwaukee. On that particular night, all flights out of LGA were cancelled while flights from EWR were on time and on schedule.
Small planes are an understatement. When I hopped on the CRJ200, I got really nervous. I have never been on an airplane that small. The capacity was 50, the overhead compartment looked like ½ the regular size, the seats were small, and when i walked down the aisle, I swear the ceiling of the plane was only a foot away (and I’m 5’2″).
The flight attendant talked so fast I could not understand a word she said but overall the flight was comfortable and the service was pretty good even though I wandered on to the plane without anyone ripping my boarding pass. Plus they handed out fresh, hot baked chocolate chip cookies, big bags of Snyder’s Pretzels, and drinks. They also offer meals for $ 5 (A chef’s specialty they say. The choices were fancy meals like beef rollups.). Who said food was abolished on airlines?
The cookies. Oh the cookies. I’ll sacrifice the ghettoness of the plane for the cookies. They’re rich, thin, crispy, buttery and the chocolate quality is good. It’s like Mrs. Fields reborn and Pillsbury fresh. Flying Midwest is like staying at the Doubletree Hotel. You’ll want to go home with a tin of their cookies. They’re that good.

Who reviews airlines?! They’re all so craptacular these days!
Well, fresh-​baked chocolate chip cookies from Midwest Airlines is a great selling point, as are business-​class sized seats.
I really like flying Midwest. For those who live in DC, it’s nice because they actually have flights out of DCA, which is much closer if you’re going from in the city to the airport, than either IAD or BWI. In addition, their Signature Service (note not all flights are designated so) offers all business class sized seats in the entire cabin, and hot baked chocolate chip cookies (after 10 AM or something). Given the comparative comfort and luxury I was subjected to on my flight out to Seattle, I didn’t care at all that I had a layover. On the way back, I discovered one leg was not ‘signature service’, which meant your regular plane with pursuant cramping seats, but still cookies. That was not as fun, but the second leg was nearly empty, with plenty of seat space, and more cookies. I think I ate 4 too many cookies.
Last Spring I found tickets with Midwest for $ 344 from Reagan National Airport to Seattle for the summer, comparable to a flight with other airlines out of IAD. Now similar tickets for Thanksgiving look to be $ 800-​$ 1000+
WTF? Well, I suspect part of it was that they’d just opened up service to Seattle the May I bought the outbound tickets for, plus I just happened to get it at a great time. At any rate, I can’t afford $ 1000, as much as I enjoy a comfortable 5+ hour flight, but if you can afford it, you should fly Midwest. They were also never anything less than polite in service, and institute that request to let people who have connecting flights off early, so as to catch their next (almost taking off) flight. The whole late flights thing is just endemic to airlines and I never expect better, oh well. One less star for the price hike.
.but you may want to lay off the cookies after the 3^rd one.
October 2009 update: well, I haven’t bought a ticket with them in a couple years, they hiked their ticket prices to Seattle after I wrote the original review, so it was more of a luxury to fly with them, rather than simply a well-​priced pleasure, and an excuse to tell people about why the Midwest is awesome. Sigh.

For the incredibly reasonable price of $ 479.18 my favorite Washingtonian and I were able to acquire two round trip tickets from DCA to SFO over Labor Day Weekend. The plane change at KCI was a serious annoyance but the comfy seats and the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies made it all right.
Now if only we could get a non-​stop flight from DCA to SFO.. .

Welcome aboard Midwest Airlines. Your piping hot cookies will be served after take-​off. (Currently they are in the on-​board oven). Morning flight? Then allow one of the stewardesses to serve you a danish. If you ask nicely, then she might give you two. Unlike some airlines, here you will get the full can of Soda, Ginger Ale, or Spicy Tomato juice. Just don’t get out of your seat during the safety lecture… these stewardesses take their jobs seriously, and are liable to command you to listen (this happened on my last flight).
With daily flights from DC to Omaha, Milwaukee, and other such metro areas of Mid-​America, these guys will make your dreams of a Great Plains vacation come true.