Embraer ERJ-190-100LR (19000275) N164HQ arrives at LAX.
(Photo by Michael Carter)
The Midwest Airlines name and logo may finally be set to ride into the sunset. That's according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which writes that "one year after marking its silver anniversary, the Midwest Airlines brand appears headed for retirement, a move that could cut costs and create a more focused marketing approach for Midwest's new owner."
Midwest's new owner is parent company Republic, which bought both Midwest and Frontier airlines last year. It has since been flying the two carriers as stand-alone brands. However, Republic has since mixed some of the two airlines' fleets, meaning that some Midwest-branded flights are actually operated on Frontier-branded aircraft and vice versa. That has led to confusion to among at least some of the customers flying on the airlines. A Frontier flight flown on Midwest jet, for example, would not have the DirecTV service that is a signature feature of Frontier.
Now, Republic officials say they're getting closer to tackling that issue. "We will get to a unified brand," Republic Chairman Bryan Bedford is quoted as saying by the Journal Sentinel during the company's earnings call last week. He did not specify a timeline, but added "we need to work in a path of fusing these brands that retains as much customer loyalty as we can."
How long will that take? The Journal Sentinel writes Republic officials plan to announce a plan this spring for a "unified brand plan." At the same time, Republic says it will wrap up a survey of customers on the subject by mid-March, and the airlines will roll out a single reservation system for both airlines "sometime after Labor Day," the Journal Sentinel reports.
As for the new single name for the carrier, the Journal Sentinel says other Republic officials suggest that "unified" brand name may not be either Frontier or Midwest. Stay tuned......
(USA Today - Today in the Sky)
Midwest's new owner is parent company Republic, which bought both Midwest and Frontier airlines last year. It has since been flying the two carriers as stand-alone brands. However, Republic has since mixed some of the two airlines' fleets, meaning that some Midwest-branded flights are actually operated on Frontier-branded aircraft and vice versa. That has led to confusion to among at least some of the customers flying on the airlines. A Frontier flight flown on Midwest jet, for example, would not have the DirecTV service that is a signature feature of Frontier.
Now, Republic officials say they're getting closer to tackling that issue. "We will get to a unified brand," Republic Chairman Bryan Bedford is quoted as saying by the Journal Sentinel during the company's earnings call last week. He did not specify a timeline, but added "we need to work in a path of fusing these brands that retains as much customer loyalty as we can."
How long will that take? The Journal Sentinel writes Republic officials plan to announce a plan this spring for a "unified brand plan." At the same time, Republic says it will wrap up a survey of customers on the subject by mid-March, and the airlines will roll out a single reservation system for both airlines "sometime after Labor Day," the Journal Sentinel reports.
As for the new single name for the carrier, the Journal Sentinel says other Republic officials suggest that "unified" brand name may not be either Frontier or Midwest. Stay tuned......
(USA Today - Today in the Sky)
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