Midwest to ground all MD80's by the fall [MERGED]

[Inkmahm]

Midwest just announced it will cut 40% of it's flights AND staff....the rumor is they could be one of the first to go.

Huh? Who is "they?"

 

[AdamsPrincess]

Cannot find anything on the Midwest site, but Jet Blue, Frontier, and United (only three I've checked) all state on their websites that there can only be one lap child per row due to the oxygen masks.

Perhaps Midwest doesn't care if you have to chose one child to have no air to breathe.

That is the thing...how do you know that Midwest only has 1 extra air mask? just because one flight does doesn't mean they all do!

 

[bavaria]

Actually this is wrong...I just got off the phone with midwest and they have never heard of this One Lap Child per row...they said they actually try to keep families with small children together. So I don't know where you got your information from but you might want to stop giving advice especially since it is wrong!

ouch. I often wonder why those of us who fly more than 100,000 miles/year even bother here anymore.

Google 'one lap child per row' and look at the results.

And yes, goofy4tink was also correct.

 

[AdamsPrincess]

Due to oxygen mask placement in the cabin, infants in lap cannot sit in every seat. Please use the information below as a guideline for choosing your seats.

717 - Any seat except exit row
MD80 series - Any seat except exit row
32 Passenger Regional Jet - In an 'A' seat, most preferably rows 3, 5 & 7 (excludes exit row)
50 Passenger Regional Jet - Any seat on the C/D side except exit row
19 Passenger Beechcraft - Row 2, 8 or 9 (excludes exit row)

If necessary, a flight attendant will reassign seating based on customer and operational needs.

 

[AdamsPrincess]

ouch. I often wonder why those of us who fly more than 100,000 miles/year even bother here anymore.

Google 'one lap child per row' and look at the results.

And yes, goofy4tink was also correct.

and no you are incorrect...you can google all you want but airlines are all different, how do you know the rest of us don't travel that often? let me guess you are an expert in traveling with infants now too right?

once again...these are MIDWESTs rules...
Due to oxygen mask placement in the cabin, infants in lap cannot sit in every seat. Please use the information below as a guideline for choosing your seats.

717 - Any seat except exit row
MD80 series - Any seat except exit row
32 Passenger Regional Jet - In an 'A' seat, most preferably rows 3, 5 & 7 (excludes exit row)
50 Passenger Regional Jet - Any seat on the C/D side except exit row
19 Passenger Beechcraft - Row 2, 8 or 9 (excludes exit row)

If necessary, a flight attendant will reassign seating based on customer and operational needs.

 

[Inkmahm]

Those Midwest rules only talk about which seats kids can sit in, not at all about how many infants can be in a row.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

Well, I just called and got my refund. It took a while to get thru because of the busy signal but once I connected I was only on hold maybe 30 seconds. "Shirley" was super nice and I told her how much I appreciated her service and she seemed happy to hear a friendly voice.

Our flight on Apr 23 was OK as it was only about 1.5 hour difference BUT our return non-stop flight had been cancelled and rebooked w/NWA thru IND returning to MKE at 9:40pm. This was way too late for us as the kids have school the next day.

We are looking to book either United or Delta. Still weighing the pros and cons.

 

[OhMari]

Well, I just called and got my refund. It took a while to get thru because of the busy signal but once I connected I was only on hold maybe 30 seconds. "Shirley" was super nice and I told her how much I appreciated her service and she seemed happy to hear a friendly voice.

Our flight on Apr 23 was OK as it was only about 1.5 hour difference BUT our return non-stop flight had been cancelled and rebooked w/NWA thru IND returning to MKE at 9:40pm. This was way too late for us as the kids have school the next day.

We are looking to book either United or Delta. Still weighing the pros and cons.

I just found DELTA too. We can get a flight out at 3:20 and be in Orlando by 8:30 p.m. with one stop in Atlanta for $182 total price. I heard such pro and cons with DELTA I don't know what to think. United Prices are running really high today too.

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

Huh? Who is "they?"

USA Today - July 21

Midwest cuts are 'steepest in its 24-year history'
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Financially ailing Midwest Airlines announced this weekend that it would make drastic schedule cuts as it tries to cope with soaring fuel costs. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Midwest's schedule cuts are "the steepest in its 24-year history." The Associated Press notes "the changes roll back the Milwaukee-based service to levels that existed at the start of the decade — before a recession and the 2001 terrorist attacks."

Overall, Midwest and its Midwest Connect affiliates will end service altogether to 11 cities, pulling up stakes at the following airports: Baltimore/Washington; Fort Lauderdale; Fort Myers; Hartford; Louisville; Muskegon, Mich.; Raleigh/Durham; St. Louis; San Antonio; San Diego and Wausau/Stevens Point, Wis. Additionally, Midwest will downgrade its Orlando service to seasonal service, leaving Tampa as Midwest’s sole remaining year-round destination in Florida.

The airline has slated significant changes for the destinations it offers from Milwaukee, which is Midwest's hometown and biggest hub. Nonstop flights from Milwaukee to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle will be dropped. "Those flights will now stop in Kansas City," Midwest's secondary hub, "where the airline will pick up additional fuel and passengers," AP writes.

In Kansas City, Midwest's cuts are less severe, though the airport still is losing routes to cities such as San Diego and San Antonio. The carrier will keep flying from Kansas City to Boston, New York LaGuardia, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington National. "Our new schedule retains critical routes for business travelers out of Kansas City," Midwest spokesman Michael Brophy tells the Star. Across Midwest's system, Brophy notes that "it's the leisure markets that have been really affected. You'll see other airlines that are really more focused on leisure travel have to make these kinds of drastic reductions as well," he tells the Star.

Kansas City airport spokesman Joe McBride tried to put Midwest's cuts into perspective, telling the Star: "There are some communities losing air service altogether. While we're losing some service, and fares are not as cheap as they've been in the past, we still think we're in a good position." In Milwaukee, however, the Journal Sentinel writes Midwest's "loyal travelers who found that their favorite destinations have been cut or rerouted face tough decisions." Many told the paper that they'd stick with their hometown airline, even if it meant a connection or a less-convenient option.

But the Journal Sentinel got a different response from one flier -- Brian Richson, whom the paper describes as "a longtime Midwest customer." Richson says he thinks Midwest has fallen a bit since its "glory days." He adds to the Journal Sentinel: "Now they’re like everybody else." And, in addition to the service cuts, Midwest fares more hurdles. The carrier has already announced big job cuts, and the airline is pushing ahead with a call for "steep pay cuts from its union flight crews and new terms from the company's creditors. The company has said it's trying to avoid filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection," the Journal Sentinel writes.



ABC News - July 15


Midwest Airlines Cuts Work Force by 40 Percent
Midwest Airlines Cutting 1,200 People as it Takes MD-80s Out of Fleet
MILWAUKEE July 15, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press
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Midwest Airlines said on Monday it will reduce its work force by 1,200 people as it grounds its 12 MD-80s.

A Midwest Airlines Boeing 717-2BL jet is prepared at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee,...
A Midwest Airlines Boeing 717-2BL jet is prepared at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin January 11, 2007. AirTran Holdings Inc. raised its bid for Midwest Air Group Inc. by 19 percent to $345 million on Thursday, making the offer directly to shareholders and putting pressure on Midwest Air's management.
(/Allen Fredrickson/Reuters)The cuts represent about 40 percent of current staffing at Midwest and its Skyway subsidiary. Besides the MD-80s — which it is flying until this fall — Midwest also flies 25 Boeing 717s.

"In order to successfully restructure, there is no way to avoid deep and painful reductions to our current work force," said Timothy E. Hoeksema, chairman and chief executive, in a statement.

Related
How Much Does a Flight Really Cost?WATCH: United Airlines LayoffsMidwest Air to Cut Pay, CEO to Take 40 Percent CutThe company said it would begin notifying affected employees Monday, with most jobs ended by mid-September. The job cuts will include unionized pilots and flight attendants, said Michael Brophy, a spokesman for Oak Creek, Wis.-based Midwest Air Group Inc.

Brophy also said Midwest is continuing talks with unions for pilots and flight attendants to reach deals on concessions to reduce the airline's costs.


"We need some fairly meaningful and significant concessions from each group," he said. "We're making some progress but we need more progress."

Like other airlines, Midwest has been hurt by soaring fuel costs.

Private equity firm TPG Capital in January completed its roughly $450 million acquisition of Midwest Air Group Inc. and paid 53 percent of the purchase price. Northwest Airlines Corp. owns the rest.



Here are two articles of found pretty quickly. You can go to USA Today and search by Midwest Airlines and find plenty more reading on the subject.

 

[Ilovemylife]

I still haven't been able to get through on the phones.

Anyone have any luck with live chat?

 

[AdamsPrincess]

definitely try live chat, I have gotten through a couple times through them, the longest I waited was 22 people, and it was only like 10 minutes.

 

[Ilovemylife]

definitely try live chat, I have gotten through a couple times through them, the longest I waited was 22 people, and it was only like 10 minutes.

Live chat is turned off and will only be available today from 3-6pm.

That bites!

So no go there, either.

 

[DebbieB]

Due to oxygen mask placement in the cabin, infants in lap cannot sit in every seat. Please use the information below as a guideline for choosing your seats.

717 - Any seat except exit row
MD80 series - Any seat except exit row
32 Passenger Regional Jet - In an 'A' seat, most preferably rows 3, 5 & 7 (excludes exit row)
50 Passenger Regional Jet - Any seat on the C/D side except exit row
19 Passenger Beechcraft - Row 2, 8 or 9 (excludes exit row)

If necessary, a flight attendant will reassign seating based on customer and operational needs.

But this doesn't say if there are enough oxygen masks for 2 infants in lap in the same row. These rows may only have 1 extra mask. I doubt the compartment is big enough for an extra mask for every seat. I've always heard 1 lap child per row too. I know a friend who had a lap child was traveling in the same row as another friend who also had a lap child. One of them had to move.

 

[AdamsPrincess]

I would try anyway, as I was on there about 20 minutes ago, and someone still came one. you never know. unless it won't even give you the option when you are logged on.

 

[AdamsPrincess]

But this doesn't say if there are enough oxygen masks for 2 infants in lap in the same row. These rows may only have 1 extra mask. I've always heard 1 lap child per row too. I know a friend who had a lap child was traveling in the same row as another friend who also had a lap child. One of them had to move.

yeah, my bad, as my "row" that I was talking about is not the same "row" as what I think this conversation is talking about...like I am in row 4, but row 4 a&b are different that row 4 b&c, which has an aisle between us.

 

[CarolA]

But this doesn't say if there are enough oxygen masks for 2 infants in lap in the same row. These rows may only have 1 extra mask. I've always heard 1 lap child per row too. I know a friend who had a lap child was traveling in the same row as another friend who also had a lap child. One of them had to move.

And I think this is the reality!

Friday night I got to watch while the airline had to rearrange a plane to deal with the two lap children in one row... and that's not the first time I have seen it. (Of course my PERSONAL favorite was the woman with infant twins who wanted to put both of them ON HER lap and when the airline told her NO started trying to get strangers to take one of them on the plane for her! The agent stopped that too! LOL!)

Now feel free to disregard my advice, but considering that I fly almost every week and get to WATCH the video with the FOUR 02 masks falling from the celing... don't be surprsised if (A) you are told one of you has to move if you have two lap children in a row or (B) you get to pick who gets 02! LOL!


Maybe MidWest spent LOTS more then any other airline to provide that extra 02 mask, but I somehow doubt it! (And to be honest asking an agent anything today is probably going to get you "the response that gets you off the phone NOW" those agents have "monitors" that tell them how many THOUSANDS of calls are waiting in the que and they have had a LONG couple of days while they worry about if they will still have a job... or in some cases KNOW they are losing thier jobs!)

Also, remember that these planes are going to be FULL to overflowing as a result of this mess. I bet there are no extra seats for kids and I would arrive EARLY. Don't be the ones I saw this morning in BOS RACING to the plane as the door is closing!

 

[OhMari]

I still haven't been able to get through on the phones.

Anyone have any luck with live chat?

If your flight is cancelled, they want you to call the 800 #. If you happen to get Juanita with chat-tell her hi!.

Call at 8:00 a.m. in the morning. I got connected right away.

 

[Inkmahm]

USA Today - July 21

Midwest cuts are 'steepest in its 24-year history'
Comment | Recommend
Buzz up!Like this story? Share it with Yahoo! Buzz
Financially ailing Midwest Airlines announced this weekend that it would make drastic schedule cuts as it tries to cope with soaring fuel costs. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says Midwest's schedule cuts are "the steepest in its 24-year history." The Associated Press notes "the changes roll back the Milwaukee-based service to levels that existed at the start of the decade — before a recession and the 2001 terrorist attacks."

Overall, Midwest and its Midwest Connect affiliates will end service altogether to 11 cities, pulling up stakes at the following airports: Baltimore/Washington; Fort Lauderdale; Fort Myers; Hartford; Louisville; Muskegon, Mich.; Raleigh/Durham; St. Louis; San Antonio; San Diego and Wausau/Stevens Point, Wis. Additionally, Midwest will downgrade its Orlando service to seasonal service, leaving Tampa as Midwest’s sole remaining year-round destination in Florida.

The airline has slated significant changes for the destinations it offers from Milwaukee, which is Midwest's hometown and biggest hub. Nonstop flights from Milwaukee to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle will be dropped. "Those flights will now stop in Kansas City," Midwest's secondary hub, "where the airline will pick up additional fuel and passengers," AP writes.

In Kansas City, Midwest's cuts are less severe, though the airport still is losing routes to cities such as San Diego and San Antonio. The carrier will keep flying from Kansas City to Boston, New York LaGuardia, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington National. "Our new schedule retains critical routes for business travelers out of Kansas City," Midwest spokesman Michael Brophy tells the Star. Across Midwest's system, Brophy notes that "it's the leisure markets that have been really affected. You'll see other airlines that are really more focused on leisure travel have to make these kinds of drastic reductions as well," he tells the Star.

Kansas City airport spokesman Joe McBride tried to put Midwest's cuts into perspective, telling the Star: "There are some communities losing air service altogether. While we're losing some service, and fares are not as cheap as they've been in the past, we still think we're in a good position." In Milwaukee, however, the Journal Sentinel writes Midwest's "loyal travelers who found that their favorite destinations have been cut or rerouted face tough decisions." Many told the paper that they'd stick with their hometown airline, even if it meant a connection or a less-convenient option.

But the Journal Sentinel got a different response from one flier -- Brian Richson, whom the paper describes as "a longtime Midwest customer." Richson says he thinks Midwest has fallen a bit since its "glory days." He adds to the Journal Sentinel: "Now they’re like everybody else." And, in addition to the service cuts, Midwest fares more hurdles. The carrier has already announced big job cuts, and the airline is pushing ahead with a call for "steep pay cuts from its union flight crews and new terms from the company's creditors. The company has said it's trying to avoid filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection," the Journal Sentinel writes.



ABC News - July 15


Midwest Airlines Cuts Work Force by 40 Percent
Midwest Airlines Cutting 1,200 People as it Takes MD-80s Out of Fleet
MILWAUKEE July 15, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press
4 comments FONT SIZE
EMAIL
PRINT
SHARE
RSS
Midwest Airlines said on Monday it will reduce its work force by 1,200 people as it grounds its 12 MD-80s.

A Midwest Airlines Boeing 717-2BL jet is prepared at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee,...
A Midwest Airlines Boeing 717-2BL jet is prepared at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin January 11, 2007. AirTran Holdings Inc. raised its bid for Midwest Air Group Inc. by 19 percent to $345 million on Thursday, making the offer directly to shareholders and putting pressure on Midwest Air's management.
(/Allen Fredrickson/Reuters)The cuts represent about 40 percent of current staffing at Midwest and its Skyway subsidiary. Besides the MD-80s — which it is flying until this fall — Midwest also flies 25 Boeing 717s.

"In order to successfully restructure, there is no way to avoid deep and painful reductions to our current work force," said Timothy E. Hoeksema, chairman and chief executive, in a statement.

Related
How Much Does a Flight Really Cost?WATCH: United Airlines LayoffsMidwest Air to Cut Pay, CEO to Take 40 Percent CutThe company said it would begin notifying affected employees Monday, with most jobs ended by mid-September. The job cuts will include unionized pilots and flight attendants, said Michael Brophy, a spokesman for Oak Creek, Wis.-based Midwest Air Group Inc.

Brophy also said Midwest is continuing talks with unions for pilots and flight attendants to reach deals on concessions to reduce the airline's costs.


"We need some fairly meaningful and significant concessions from each group," he said. "We're making some progress but we need more progress."

Like other airlines, Midwest has been hurt by soaring fuel costs.

Private equity firm TPG Capital in January completed its roughly $450 million acquisition of Midwest Air Group Inc. and paid 53 percent of the purchase price. Northwest Airlines Corp. owns the rest.



Here are two articles of found pretty quickly. You can go to USA Today and search by Midwest Airlines and find plenty more reading on the subject.

My point is that none of that is news. We've been talking about it for weeks in this thread and many of us spent yesterday redoing our flights that were canceled by Midwest.

You commented:

Midwest just announced it will cut 40% of it's flights AND staff....the rumor is they could be one of the first to go.

My question was, and still is, who is "they"? Or maybe the real question is what are you talking about, the "first to go?"

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

For those of you who fly alot--we are considering a few airline options for rebooking to MCO in April/May. Is 45 minutes enough time to change planes(on the same airline), take a potty break, and grab a snack without missing your flight in Atlanta or O'Hare? I have never flown anything but non-stop so I am stupid as to the process of changing planes. Do you have to go check in at the ticket counter again or just at the gate? Sorry for the questions but I don't want to assume anything. TIA

 

[Inkmahm]

Dear Midwest Airlines Traveler,

As you've likely heard or read, Midwest Airlines is in the process of restructuring to adapt to extraordinarily high fuel prices. One key part of these efforts is making difficult but necessary changes to our flight schedule.

We're sorry to inform you that Midwest is discontinuing service to some of our markets and reducing frequency in others as of September 8, 2008. Our records show that you currently hold a reservation on a flight to one of these cities on or after the discontinuation date. Please click here and use confirmation code xxxxxx to request a refund for your reservation. For more information on this schedule change, click here. If you would like Midwest to attempt to reaccommodate you, contact us at 866-613-1390 and reference the same confirmation code. We thank you in advance for your patience when calling, as we're helping a significant number of customers with similar requests.

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused by this change.

I already called and handled this as soon as I heard the news early yesterday morning. I wonder if the link to request a refund actually works for anyone who hasn't already talked to Midwest?