Midwest Airlines Boeing 717-2BL (N914ME) on short final for LaGuardia’s Runway 31. (Photo by Phil Derner)
The name and colors will survive, but Monday will mark the end of service by the entity formally known as Midwest Airlines. Aside from the Midwest brand itself, Republic Airways Holdings, which bought out the struggling Milwaukee-based carrier this past July, has chosen to dissolve the few remaining shreds of Midwest. The operating certificate will be allowed to lapse as of tonight, and all remaining Midwest-owned aircraft will be returned to the lessor, Boeing, on Tuesday. Hundreds will be left unemployed, their jobs made redundant by Republic employees.
Midwest Airlines 717-2BL (N922ME) floats over Planeview Park on short final to LGA’s Runway 4. (Photo by Melanie Rose)
Midwest flights currently operated by the five remaining 717s will be operated by Republic-owned Frontier Airlines Airbus A319s as of Tuesday. Other routes have already been running on Midwest Connect-branded/Republic-operated Embraer E-170s for quite some time, and more recently E190s as well.
Midwest once operated a total of 25 Boeing 717s, including one of the last two off the assembly line before it closed. So far twenty have already been returned to Boeing, which in turn has leased to them to Mexican discount carrier MexicanaClick. The remaining five are expected to be put into service south of the border, as well.
Final day of LaGuardia Midwest 717 ops:
YX1: MKE-LGA – Arrives 10:45am
YX4: LGA-MKE – Departs 11:30am
Midwest 717-2BL (N902ME) heads east on taxiway Alpha while sister ship N904ME heads westbound on taxiway Bravo at LGA, as both are await their gates and ramp area to open. (Photo by Ron Peel)
