Midway Airlines (1993-2003)

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This article is about the Midway Airlines that operated from 1993 to 2003. For the Midway Airlines that operated from 1976 to 1991, see Midway Airlines (1976-1991).
Midway Airlines
IATA
JI		 ICAO
MDW		 Callsign
Midway
Founded 1993-11-15[1]
Ceased operations October 30, 2003
Hubs Raleigh-Durham International Airport
Frequent flyer program AAdvantage (through American Airlines)
Fleet size 33
Destinations 33
Headquarters Morrisville, North Carolina
Key people Robert R. Fergeson (CEO)

Midway Airlines was an airline based out of Morrisville, North Carolina, between 1993 and 2003.

Contents

[edit] History

Midway Airlines was formed by Jet Express, a carrier that fed Trans World Airlines and USAir during the late 1980s and early 1990s. After an abortive attempt at New York-Chicago service, Midway moved to Morrisville, North Carolina and set up a hub at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Midway's arrival at RDU coincided with the closure of an American Airlines hub there.

At the height of its operations, Midway offered almost 200 flights daily from RDU to 25 destinations on the East Coast, and was used by many passengers travelling between the Northeast and Southeast.

Midway used a variety of aircraft while hubbed at RDU. Initially the fleet consisted only of the Fokker F100. Midway added Airbus 320s to fly longer routes, but these routes were unprofitable and the 320s were soon disposed of. Midway then obtained a large number of CRJ-200s for expansion. As time passed the F100s became expensive to operate, so Midway replaced them with Boeing 737-700s . Two regional carriers, first Great Lakes Aviation and later Corporate Airlines, also flew Beechcraft 1900 and Jetstream 31 aircraft respectively, providing service between smaller markets and RDU.

The high-tech slump of 2000-01 hurt Midway, and the carrier abruptly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on the evening of August 13, 2001. Thousands of employees were laid off immediately with no warning, and their access cards to the airport ramp were deactivated overnight. [1] Increasingly relying on the higher seating capacity of the 737-700s, Midway continued to fly during reorganization; but after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Midway never restarted operations after airspace was shut down, and ceased operations on September 12 (the last flights were on the morning of 9/11). Following $12.5M in financial infusion from the US federal government, Midway resumed limited service to six destinations from RDU under its own livery on December 19, 2001. [2] [3]

After Midway's bankruptcy filing, almost all of its aircraft were sold except for six small regional jets. On July 17, 2002, Midway ceased operations under its own livery and reconfigured as a US Airways Express carrier, focusing on regional flights within North and South Carolina. It finally ceased operations on October 30, 2003 through a Chapter 7 bankruptcy when it was unable to acquire enough capital to stay afloat.

[edit] Midway destinations

[edit] Fleet

[edit] Midways Airlines Mainline Fleet

[edit] Midway Airlines Outsourced Fleet

[edit] References

  1. ^ Norwood, Tom; Wegg, John (2002). North American Airlines Handbook, 3rd, Sandpoint, ID: Airways International, p. 70. ISBN 0-9653993-8-9. 

[edit] External links

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US Airways Express Carriers

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Former carriers: CCAir · CommutAir · Crown Airways · FloridaGulf Airlines · Jet Express · Liberty Express Airlines · Midway Airlines · Paradise Island Airlines · Potomac Air · Ransome Airlines · Shuttle America · Southern Jersey Airways · States West Airlines