Midwest Connect upgrades aircraft and adds frequencies to routes

Midwest Airlines said it is upgrading aircraft and increasing frequencies on a number of its Midwest Connect routes.

Larger aircraft will soon handle all flights between Milwaukee's Gen. Mitchell International Airport and Flint, Mich., and Hartford, Conn., as well as most flights between Milwaukee and Green Bay and Wausau-Stevens Point, Midwest said Thursday. Flights also will be added for the Milwaukee-to-Hartford route.

Effective June 1, two of three round trips between Milwaukee and Wausau-Stevens Point will be upgraded from 19-seat turboprop aircraft to 32-seat regional jets.

Effective July 1, all flights between Milwaukee and Flint will be on 32-seat regional jets. Two of the four weekday round trips already have been upgraded to the larger aircraft.

In addition, four of five round trips between Milwaukee and Green Bay will change to 32-seat regional jets. Two of the round trips already have been upgraded to the larger aircraft.

Also, all flights between Milwaukee and Hartford will be upgraded from 32-seat regional jets to 50-seat regional jets. In addition, a third daily round trip will be added, also on a 50-seat regional jet.

The upgrades are the next step in Midwest's roll-out of a 2007 strategic plan, which includes new destinations, route additions, frequency increases and aircraft upgrades, according to Midwest management.

"For our customers, these aircraft mean they can take advantage of quicker, nonstop jet service," said Scott Dickson, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Midwest Airlines, which is operated by Oak Creek-based Midwest Air Group Inc.

The jets are integral to the airline's ability to better meet customer demand by aligning capacity to specific routes, Dickson said.

Source: The Business Journal of Milwaukee