Since it acquired Midwest Airlines last year, Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings Inc. has replaced nearly everything (including the aircraft and flight crews) at Milwaukee’s hometown airline except the name and the signature chocolate chip cookies.
Change is nothing new for Midwest customers. The company previously known as Midwest Express has had to cut back numerous amenities over the years to trim costs and remain competitive.
Now it appears that the Midwest name may be the next thing to go.
At an event on Tuesday, April 13, Republic will announce its integration plans for the Midwest and Frontier brands, said Republic spokesman Carlo Bertolini. He declined to disclose any other details about the announcement.
Republic has surveyed its customers to get their thoughts about the brand integration, Bertolini said.
The company could combine Midwest and Frontier by adopting the name of one of the airlines and dropping the other. Or the company could select a new name, which seems like a more likely option. By selecting a new name, the company could avoid alienating the fans and employees of one of the brands.
The April 13 announcement will be made at the same time in Milwaukee and Denver.
“Making the announcement in both places at the same time, it’s probably a new name,” said Michael Boyd, president of Evergreen, Colo.-based Boyd Group International Inc. “And it will probably be something like, ‘Republic.'”
Republic Airways is an airline holding company that owns Chautauqua Airlines, Lynx Aviation, Republic Airlines and Shuttle America, in addition to Frontier Airlines and Midwest Airlines.
A new name will have little impact in Milwaukee because the Midwest Airlines brand has lost all significance to customers because of all of the changes that have been made to the airline, Boyd said.
“There’s not much left of Midwest,” he said. “It’s a virtual airline. The name Midwest is probably out.”
Frontier Airlines still has strong customer loyalty in Colorado, and a name change could hurt business there, Boyd said.
However, neither the Frontier nor Midwest names have much of a national brand, he said.
“Both names are very regional in scope,” Boyd said. “That would be a problem, some people would say.”
Midwest Airlines has lost significant market share in Milwaukee to AirTran Airways and is a second-tier airline in Kansas City, Boyd said.
Frontier, on the other hand, remained profitable until last year and held its own for three years against stiff competition from Southwest Airlines, he said.
Therefore, if one of the brands remains, it most likely will be Frontier, Boyd said.
Republic Airways is increasing employment in Milwaukee. The company is adding 800 jobs in Milwaukee by the end of this year. Some of Frontier’s maintenance and call center operations in Las Cruces, N.M., and Denver are being moved to the Milwaukee area. However, most of the Midwest corporate positions in Oak Creek have been eliminated.
Andrew Weiland is the managing editor of BizTimes Milwaukee.
