Plans are currently in the works to bring back Milwaukee, Wisconsin's beloved Midwest Express Airlines.
"We weren't ready to make a public announcement of any kind yet, and we still are not. But, yes, we are trying to bring Midwest back to Milwaukee," Curt Drumm, an aviation consultant and one of two business partners behind the project, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
"We are in the process of fundraising and are trying to lock in our key investors."
Drumm's business partner is Greg Aretakis, a former Midwest Airlines and Frontier Airlines executive.
"We're working hard to bring back Midwest Express. With convenient destinations for business travelers, roomy seats, WiFi and friendly people who care about you, it's going to help you plan your travel more efficiently," states FlyMidwestExpress.com. "Flights to many of our destinations will allow you to travel out and back on the same day, getting you back home at night, instead of being away."
The website encourages interested parties to reach out via an online contact form.
"We are currently finalizing our plans. If you'd like to be part of it, either as an investor or a member of our team, let us know," it states.
As recently as 10 years ago, Midwest and its feeder airline Midwest Connect accounted for more than half of passenger traffic at Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport, statistics show.
However, soaring jet fuel prices and a downturn in business travel brought on by the recession at the end of the 2000s put clamps on the airline. It was eventually acquired by Republic Airways Holdings and merged with Frontier Airlines.
If the airline is to make a triumphant return, it could find space to operate once more at Mitchell Airport.
"We believe there is still plenty of opportunity at the airport and will always consider new partners and development, but aren't in any specific discussions with potential airlines," Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele said in a statement to the Journal Sentinel.
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Despite the interest and buzz surrounding the project-Drumm said "it's crazy" how fast the emails are coming in-it's clear Midwest Express faces an uphill battle in returning to the sky. Citing airline industry experts, the Journal Sentinel reports launching an airline requires a minimum of $100 million.
"You really either have to have a niche that nobody else is going near or you have to have a ton of money and be willing to lose quite a bit of it before you, if ever, latch onto a sustainable network," the president of airline industry consulting firm R.W. Mann & Co. Inc., Robert Mann, told the publication.
By putting unparalleled service, comfortable seating and convenience above low fares, the new Midwest Express perhaps has that potential to fill an untapped niche.
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