Executive Travel : Almost First-Class Service at Coach Prices

An airline with no middle seats and four-star meals on china plates might seem like a dream to business travelers fighting today’s crowded skies.

But it is reality on Midwest Express, which has been making money offering what most other airlines have taken away.

The Milwaukee-based carrier has popped up for years on “best” and “favorite” lists in a number of publications.

Consumer Reports Travel Letter recently named it (again) the country’s No. 1 airline “for its unique formula of near-first-class seating and cabin service at competitive coach prices,” adding that “unfortunately, Midwest Express is the only line that has managed to make that attractive formula work.”

The airline does so through a combination of in-flight amenities--its single-cabin jets, for instance, have only two first-class leather seats on each side of the aisle--and a carefully tailored route that draws a high percentage of revenue-heavy corporate travelers.

“We have very loyal business travelers who come back time after time, and we’ve had that since day one,” said Brenda Skelton, vice president for marketing.

The airline began about 10 years ago when Kimberly-Clark Corp., then based in Neenah, Wis., was looking for a way to get its employees in and out of smaller markets that larger airlines had abandoned after deregulation.

Midwest, which is still owned by Kimberly-Clark, now has 260 flights daily and last year counted 1.16 million passengers, up 23% from the year before. The figures include its Skyway Airlines feeder service.

Most of its flights operate via its Milwaukee and Omaha hubs. Among the cities served are Los Angeles; San Francisco; San Diego; Denver; Phoenix; Kansas City, Mo.; Dallas-Ft. Worth; Atlanta; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Boston; New York; Newark, N.J.; Philadelphia, and Washington, with winter service to Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale and Ft. Myers, Fla.

The airline’s signature may be the chocolate chip cookies baked in-flight on many runs and served warm in baskets. Salmon, lobster salad, chilled beef Wellington and other notable dishes make the menu, along with complimentary wines.

“We spend several times the industry average per passenger meal,” Skelton said. “Our costs are about $11 a meal, and other airlines average $3 to $4. We also serve meals on china with crystal and real silverware--not a lot of plastics or disposables.”

Skelton said Midwest offers “the full range of coach fares, down to super-saver.”

The airline has a simple frequent-flier program and plans to expand in 1996.

“We want steady, conservative growth, remaining profitable and providing a superior product. Most of the airlines that started after deregulation grew very quickly, and many have lost their focus and not survived,” Skelton said.

The airline said it has been profitable since its second year of operation.