More Choices at RDU International Airport

Midwest Express announced its new flights at a news conference this morning. Terminal C is the new home for Midwest Express, and it is the 20th airline to offer service out of RDU.

The carrier describes its service as "The Best Care in the Air." That is echoed by passengers and airline observers.

Today, one of its DC9s began non-stop service twice a day from Raleigh-Durham to the carrier's hub in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Next month two non-stop flights a day to Kansas City, Missouri, will be scheduled. The launch of new service makes Midwest Express the only airline offering nonstop service between each of these markets.

In a news release, Chairman and CEO Timothy Hoeksema said, "We're excited to add Raleigh/Durham to our route map. The Raleigh/Durham area is similar to Milwaukee --? the communities are about the same size, and both have thriving, growing economies. We think our business passengers, in particular, will be very pleased they can now fly their favorite airline to another city in the southeast."

Midwest Express, in business 13 years, offers business class only service to 46 cities in the US and Canada. The DC9 jets are outfitted with two seats on each side of the aisle and offer what passengers describe as excellent meal service.

The reason that Midwest Express comes to the Triangle is obvious.

"I can tell you that the Raleigh-Durham air travel market is one of the fastest growing air travel markets in the United States," said CEO Timothy Hoeksema when the airline first came to RDU. "Truly for us this day marks a real, real milestone."

Service actually began yesterday when a full flight arrived from Milwaukee.

There will be some introductory fares, priced lower than usual. This is a fairly routine circumstance for new routes but apparently fares are competitive at the coach level of other airlines, perhaps slightly higher than that. But Midwest Express does describe itself as one of the best, and that's lots of passengers say as well.

Two flights a day non-stop to Milwaukee, non-stop, one in the morning and one in the evening.

Flights arriving in Milwaukee from Raleigh/Durham are timed to provide passengers with convenient connecting service on Midwest Express and Skyway Airlines, The Midwest Express Connection, to destinations throughout the U.S.

The new and expanded service will be provided by DC-9 aircraft currently in the Midwest Express fleet, which will become available when a larger MD-80 aircraft is placed into service on an existing route.