Recent widespread changes in the economic landscape of the aeronautical travel industry have caused many companies to go under, many companies to merge with one another, and many other companies to buy out competitors. One such large scale operation that recently took place was the acquisition of Midwest Airlines by Republic Airways on the 23rd of June in 2009.

The airline was formerly known by the trade name Midwest Express, and operated as a brand of Republic Airways Holdings, a business that was based in the city of Oak Creek in the state of Wisconsin. Midwest itself was in fact operated from the General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee.
Republic Airways Holdings announced in the first half of 2010 that it would be implementing a merger period to combine Midwest Airlines with Frontier Airlines. The Midwest brand has largely disappeared from operations, but despite this, there are many aspects of the company that have been retained due to the general appreciation of passengers prior to the merge.

The company gained widespread praise and recognition for its ‘Signature Service’ which was a seating arrangement for exclusively business class travellers. This service included many features that have still been retained for customer satisfaction, for example the leather seats that were arranged two by two, and the now iconic inclusion of chocolate chip cookies that were freshly baked prior to each flight.

Whilst still operating under its original trade name, the airline launched its final flight on the 2nd of November in 2009. The flight was an inbound journey to Milwaukee that was serviced by a Boeing 717 jet plane. Despite Midwest ceasing to operate as its own separate airline, its parent company continues to operate using the same livery and branding. Furthermore, the flight routes and overall flight path structure still bears striking resemblance to the one which was originally in place. All the flights are now operated by Republic Airlines flight-crews with the assistance of flight-crews from Frontier Airlines. In addition, the hub and headquarters at Milwaukee are still maintained by the parent company, along with the airline’s other hub in Kansas City. A new focus city was recently started in Omaha.

Because of the extensive use of iconographic branding, Midwest Airlines continues to be popularly known to the public. For this reason, the parent company still pushes the Midwest image and deals in much the same way as it was previously packaged, ensuring that customers can still find the services that have secured their loyalty to the brand.