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Midway Airlines was an airline in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
based in
Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. It was incorporated on October 13, 1976, by Kenneth T. Carlson, Irving T. Tague and William B. Owens, filing with the
Civil Aeronautics Board The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was an agency of the federal government of the United States, formed in 1940 from a split of the Civil Aeronautics Authority and abolished in 1985, that regulated aviation services (including scheduled passe ...
(CAB) for an airline operating certificate. Although it received its operating certificate from the CAB prior to the passage of the
Airline Deregulation Act The Airline Deregulation Act is a 1978 United States federal law that deregulated the airline industry in the United States, removing federal control over such areas as fares, routes, and market entry of new airlines. The act gradually phase ...
in 1978, it was viewed as the first post-deregulation start-up. The airline commenced operations on November 1, 1979. The airline was notable for breathing new life into
Midway International Airport Chicago Midway International Airport is a major commercial airport on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the city's Loop business district, and divided between the city's Clearing and ...
, then called Chicago Midway Airport, which was almost deserted when Midway started operations. The carrier was also notable for pursuing at least three distinct business models during its life, starting as a discount carrier, moving to an all business-class airline before ending its life as a more conventional hub carrier. Midway was never highly or consistently profitable, but unlike many bigger and/or more prominent airlines (e.g.
Braniff Braniff Airways, Inc., operated as Braniff International Airways from 1948 until 1965, and then Braniff International from 1965 until the cessation of air operations, was an American airline that operated from 1928 until 1982 and continues to ...
, People Express,
Western Airlines Western Airlines was a major airline in the United States based in California, operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii, and western Canada, as well as to New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami and to Mex ...
and
Piedmont Airlines Piedmont Airlines, Inc. ( ) is an American regional airline headquartered at the Salisbury Regional Airport in Wicomico County, Maryland, near the Salisbury, Maryland, city of Salisbury. The airline is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American ...
) which disappeared through bankruptcy or mergers, it survived the 1980s. Unfortunately, the carrier perished soon after attempting to grow substantially by purchasing the
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
hub of bankrupt
Eastern Air Lines Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...
. This led directly to Midway’s March 1991
Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...
filing. A deal was struck to sell the company, still operating in bankruptcy, to
Northwest Airlines Northwest Airlines (often abbreviated as NWA) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 until it Delta Air Lines–Northwest Airlines merger, merged with Delta Air Lines in 2010. The merger made Delta the largest airline ...
, which backed out at the last minute, leaving Midway dead in November 1991. A group of investors, including Carlson, bought the airline's name (for $20,000) and started another Midway Airlines, which flew from 1993 to 2003.


History


June 1976: Representative Fary and Lamar Muse

In June 1976, Lamar Muse, founding president of
Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines Co., or simply Southwest, is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States that formerly operated on a low-cost carrier model. It is headquartered in the Love Field, Dallas, Love Field neighborhood ...
, testified to Congress. Representative John G. Fary, whose district contained Midway Airport, asked if Muse had any ideas how to revive the airport, then “virtually a ghost town”. Muse said, in part, “…you could do exactly the same thing at Midway that Southwest has done at Love Field in Dallas…” Muse said he discussed this idea in the offices of airline consultants Simat, Helliesen & Eichner (SH&E), where partner John Eichner was a friend of Muse. Two other SH&E consultants took the idea to former Hughes Airwest executive Irving Tague and incorporated Midway Airlines (October 13, 1976) to be first in line with the CAB with this idea. Founder Kenneth Carlson was in fact an SH&E vice president immediately prior to starting Midway Airlines. In response, Muse created a subsidiary, Midway (Southwest) Airway Co., which also applied to the CAB. Muse wanted to connect Midway Airport to 15 cities about 200–500 miles from Chicago, while Midway Airlines took a smaller list of six cities to the CAB. Midway Airport was a flashpoint for critics of airline regulation because the CAB-regulated industry failed to resuscitate the airport, a priority for the City of Chicago and the Illinois congressional delegation. Muse said in July 1977 Congressional airline deregulation hearings (when total airline service at Midway was two
Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...
flights/day) that, based on its experience in Texas, Southwest would, within a year, carry five million passengers per year through Midway with 92 737 departures/weekday (79 per day on weekends). But Southwest’s board of directors was not supportive and Midway became a focus of Muse's feud with Southwest founder Rollin King, which led to Muse's resignation from Southwest in March 1978. This helped clear the way for Midway Airlines. Muse accurately predicted Midway's future importance to Southwest: as of March 5, 2024, Southwest scheduled up to 249 departures per day at Midway.Southwest Airlines City Facts for Chicago (Midway), accessed April 2, 2024
/ref> Midway Airport reached Muse's predicted five million annual passengers/year in 1987.


1976 - November, 1979: extended gestation

Midway Airlines' progress from concept to reality reflected the progress of US airline deregulation, for which the inflection point was the high-profile 1975
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
hearings on the CAB by Senator
Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts who served as a member of the United States Senate from 1962 to his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic Party and ...
. Prior to these, certification of significant new airline was unthinkable, it hadn’t happened in decades. After the hearings, there was a sense of possibility, which is why, in 1976, the idea of Midway Airlines was plausible. In 1977, President
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
appointed economist Alfred Kahn to run the CAB with a mandate for reform, changing the nature and tempo of CAB decisions. The Carter administration and Congress were in favor of opening up Midway Airport to low-cost air travel. The CAB announced in August 1977 that it would decide the Midway airport proceeding by August 1978, incredibly fast by prior CAB standards. The August 1978 CAB ruling (against a backdrop of the
Airline Deregulation Act The Airline Deregulation Act is a 1978 United States federal law that deregulated the airline industry in the United States, removing federal control over such areas as fares, routes, and market entry of new airlines. The act gradually phase ...
going through Congress) was good news/bad news for Midway Airlines; it got what it wanted but so did everyone. Midway argued to the CAB that it deserved (as the self-proclaimed innovator) Midway Airport to itself, at least for a time, to become established. But the CAB noted Southwest might be the innovator (see prior section) and projections showed Southwest to be the low-cost applicant. Nonetheless, Midway, Southwest and local service airline North Central each got all six routes and Northwest and Delta got the select Midway routes they asked for. In addition, Midway and the Southwest Midway subsidiary were both given economic certification as well. Further, the CAB opened another proceeding for another 24 Midway Airport routes. Given what looked like substantial future service at Midway Airport, there were serious doubt Midway Airlines would attract sufficient investment. However, only Midway Airlines made subsequent moves toward Midway Airport, because as of January 1979, deregulation opened up the entire United States to airline competition. While Southwest continued to participate in Midway CAB cases, it took no practical steps towards service: Southwest would not enter Midway until 1985. Even with the way relatively clear, Midway Airlines found it hard to raise money, Chicago investors were generally uninterested. On August 2, 1979, Midway announced it had raised $5.7mm from 16 private investors, allowing the airline to head towards a November 1, 1979 launch. In September 1979, the CAB gave 15 airlines the right to fly those other 24 routes from Midway. One was
Federal Express FedEx Corporation, originally known as Federal Express Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company specializing in transportation, e-commerce, and business services. The company is headquartered in Memphis, Tenness ...
, having obtained Boeing 737-200QC aircraft with which it wanted to fly packages at night and passengers during the day. This was Fedex’s “Project Torso”, in which Fedex founder Fred Smith briefly considered the idea of passenger service. At the time, Fedex had a highly profitable monopoly on overnight delivery growing at 40% per year. Ultimately, none of the 15, other than Midway, used this broad new authority.


November 1979 – July 1982: original no-frills business model

Midway started on November 1, 1979 on three routes: Detroit, Cleveland and Kansas City. Midway’s original business model remained inspired by Southwest, but instead of Southwest’s 118-seat 737s, Midway started with three 83-seat DC-9-10s. Midway’s fares were below those of conventional competitors at O’Hare and there was no food on board. In 1980, it expanded to 5 DC-9-10s. The airline ran unconventional offers like penny sales, offering the return trip at a penny with the outbound at the usual fare to fill up off-peak days. At times this caused chaos as customers rushed to the airport to buy such tickets. But the strategy worked. Midway was solidly profitable in 1981 (see nearby table), in only its second full year of operation. The 1981 operating margin was the highest full-year operating margin Midway would ever attain. Early Midway was marked by significant management turnover. Some founders (like Carlson) were gone by 1980 and in early 1982, Irving Tague took a leave of absence for “personal reasons,” with David Hinson becoming acting chair. Gordon Linkon, ex-
Frontier A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. Australia The term "frontier" was frequently used in colonial Australia in the meaning of country that borders the unknown or uncivilised, th ...
, was made President in 1980, embracing the low-cost ethic. Midway went public in December 1980, 850,000 shares at $13.50. But the board was dissatisfied by the airline’s discount image and some of those promotions. Chicago was particularly badly affected by the extended disruption caused by the August 1981 air traffic controllers strike.
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...
grounded 50 aircraft, and Midway found itself unable to fully employ eight DC-9-30s it acquired from
Ansett Australia Ansett Australia, originally Ansett Airways, was a major Australian airline group based in Melbourne, Victoria. The company operated domestically within Australia, and from the 1990s, to destinations in Asia. Following 65 years of operation, ...
. A new Boston route failed in the face of severe competition. Consequently, results for the first quarter of 1982 were poor, as with the rest of the industry. In a long-planned move, directors fired Linkon in July 1982,''Ex-Federal Express Boss to join Midway'', Chicago Tribune, July 30, 1982
/ref> shortly after Midway achieved a profitable second quarter, one in which most of the industry made a loss.''Midway Chairman Appointed After a Search of Three Months'', Omaha World-Herald, August 5, 1982
/ref>


July 1982 – Spring 1985: Metrolink and Midway Express

New Midway Chair/CEO Arthur Bass was part of the founding management, and a former president, of Federal Express. Bass hired Neal Meehan, founding CEO of
New York Air New York Air was a low-cost airline in the United States owned by Texas Air Corporation and based at Hangar 5 at LaGuardia Airport in Flushing, Queens, New York. It ceased operations on February 1, 1987, in a merger with Continental Airlines. ...
, as president. They aimed to make Midway Airport the favored airport of the Chicago business traveler, similar to New York LaGuardia or
Dallas Love Field Dallas Love Field is a city-owned public airport in the neighborhood of Love Field, Dallas, Love Field, northwest of downtown Dallas, Texas., effective April 17, 2025. It was Dallas' main airport until 1974 when Dallas Fort Worth Internation ...
. Midway Airport, at the time, had no jetways, and suffered from a lack of maintenance on the part of the city. Bass and Meehan instituted “Metrolink” branded all-business class service, with four-abreast seating, a “business center” at Midway airport, jetways and other amenities. Florida service, which Linkon started, was dropped. Metrolink failed. 1983 and 1984 financial results were poor, with losses greatly exceeding the cumulative profits of 1981 and 1982. Meanwhile, in 1984, reacting to a proposal from Air Florida executives, Midway acquired, in stages, the remains of that bankrupt carrier. There were two attractions (1) winter demand to offset the seasonality of the Metrolink system and (2) Air Florida’s slots at airports like LaGuardia and Washington National. The deal nominally cost Midway $53mm, most of that ($35mm) for three Air Florida 737-200 aircraft. In fact, Midway never paid for the airplanes, passing them to a lessor to purchase and leasing them back.''Air Florida name and logo now just a thing of the past'', Miami News, August 15, 1985
/ref> Midway provided working capital to get the remains of Air Florida back in the air in October 1984, which flew under contract to Midway (with Midway marketing and selling tickets) as “Midway Express” until August 1985, when the Air Florida purchase closed and Midway Express shifted to full Midway Airlines branding. Florida service worked. In Midway’s 1985 annual report, the airline said Midway Express made a profit of $1.4mm for Midway pre-merger. Money-losing Metrolink service made even less sense alongside profitable all-economy class Florida service. 1984 results also included a $1.5mm writeoff for an expensive abortive attempt to establish a helicopter service between Midway, O’Hare and
Meigs Field Merrill C. Meigs Field Airport (pronounced , formerly ) was a single-runway airport in Chicago, named for newspaper publisher and aviation enthusiast Merrill C. Meigs. It was located on Northerly Island, an artificial peninsula in Lake Michigan, ...
, to be called Chicago Airlink. In January 1985, Bass resigned, followed by Meehan in February, with David Hinson, a Midway founder and founding board member, taking over. The airline announced cutbacks and layoffs (Midway Express was unaffected) and ended Metrolink. In May, Hinson warded off an attempted
proxy fight A proxy fight, proxy contest or proxy battle is an unfriendly contest for control over an organization. The event usually occurs when a corporation's stockholders develop opposition to some aspect of the corporate governance, often focusing on dir ...
by other (departed) founders, including Carlson, wanting to return the airline to its original business model.''Shareholders launch Midway fight'', Chicago Tribune, May 22, 1985
/ref> At the time of Bass’s departure, Hinson defended Metrolink, but one of Midway’s responses against dissident shareholders was to note that the Bass team was gone.


Mid-1985 – June 1989: profitability as a conventional airline

Hinson wanted Midway to be “more like other airlines,” and Midway became a conventional hub airline, the differentiator being Midway Airport. The DC-9s were converted to two-class seating and Midway built out its network to both business and leisure destinations (cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix) from coast to coast, acquiring McDonnell Douglas MD-87s, the short, high-performance version of the
MD-80 The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast narrow-body aircraft, single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 ...
, to allow the airline to reach to the west coast, at the time a non-trivial feat from Midway Airport’s short runways. Midway acquired its own regional airline subsidiary, Midway Commuter, to fly from Midway to smaller cities around Chicago. 75% of Midway Commuter passengers connected to mainline flights at Midway airport. Midway had its own maintenance facility in Miami (an Air Florida legacy) and built a simulator facility. The strategy produced profits, but margins that never challenged that achieved in 1981. However, during this period much larger airlines like Eastern,
Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and more commonly known as Pan Am, was an airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States for ...
,
America West Airlines America West Airlines was an airline in the United States that operated from 1981 until it merged with US Airways in 2007. It was headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. Its main hub was at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, with secondary hubs ...
,
Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...
, People Express, etc, all made (at least at times) heavy losses, and other high profile names like Pacific Southwest Airlines and
Western Airlines Western Airlines was a major airline in the United States based in California, operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii, and western Canada, as well as to New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami and to Mex ...
merged out of existence. Midway stood out just by surviving.''Midway prospers by remaining small'', Chicago Tribune, November 27, 1987
/ref> On a June 1988 weekday, Midway scheduled 116 nonstop flights into Midway Airport from 25 airports, along with 75 Midway Connection nonstops from 17 other airports. They flew Chicago Midway (MDW) - Miami (MIA) - Saint Croix (STX) - St. Thomas (STT) round trip as well as Chicago Midway (MDW) - Fort Lauderdale (FLL) - Nassau (NAS) round trip; aside from those, all Chicago flights were nonstop to and from Midway Airport. Midway Airlines′ peak year was 1989, when it flew 10.1 billion revenue passenger-kilometers, compared to 0.6 billion in 1981.


June 1989 - November 1991: untimely overextension leads to demise

In March 1989
Eastern Air Lines Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...
faced a debilitating strike, tipping it into Chapter 11. As part of Eastern's attempts to raise cash, in June, Midway bought the Philadelphia gates (and other assets, such as routes to Toronto and Montreal from Philly) as well as 16 DC-9 aircraft for $210mm from the bankrupt carrier.''Midway to buy Eastern property in Philadelphia'', Chicago Tribune, June 17, 1989
/ref> Further investment included hiring, refurbishing the aircraft and the former Eastern space in Philly, and heavy marketing to introduce east coast residents to Midway. Hinson’s rationale was that Midway was reaching the limits of growth in Chicago, it needed a second hub and this was its best opportunity. The Philly hub was supposed to help drive Midway annual revenue to $2bn within two years. Philly was one of several major commitments in 1989. Midway ordered 29 McDonnell Douglas MD-82s for a nominal $900mm as well as a nominal $244mm for 33 Dornier 328 turboprops for Midway Connection. It also reintroduced first class on all routes. Philadelphia had dominant incumbent hub operator, the much larger
USAir US Airways was a major airline in the United States. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon became a commercial passenger airline. In 1953, it was renamed Allegheny Airlines an ...
. At the end of 1989, Midway had 61 jets vs 441 for USAir. Midway's Philly hub launched November 15, 1989. Fuel prices were up significantly in early 1990 over 1989, while Florida fares dropped significantly.''Losses and all, Midway would still rather be in Philadelphia'', Chicago Tribune, May 18, 1990
/ref> The US entered a recession in July 1990.
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
invaded
Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
on August 2, pitching the US into the
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
, inducing an oil price shock and an immediate decline in air travel. On October 19, 1990 less than a year after starting the hub, Midway announced it was leaving Philadelphia. A silver lining was that USAir paid Midway $68mm for the former Eastern Philly gates (and Canadian routes).''Midway Air’s 2nd hub casualty of fuel costs'', Chicago Tribune, October 20, 1990
/ref> USAir's payment was small next to Midway’s total Philly stranded investment but it was something. Midway’s 1990 losses vastly exceeded the sum total of every profitable year Midway ever had, but in fact the previous record loss in 1989 was also due to Philly: Midway had made a small profit in the first three quarters of 1989 and the 1989 substantial fourth quarter loss was Philly-driven. Midway filed for Chapter 11 in March 1991, Hinson describing it as a “minor setback”. In October the bankruptcy court approved a $175mm takeover offer by
Northwest Airlines Northwest Airlines (often abbreviated as NWA) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 until it Delta Air Lines–Northwest Airlines merger, merged with Delta Air Lines in 2010. The merger made Delta the largest airline ...
, including assuming remaining aircraft and employees. The court rejected a smaller, $110mm bid by Southwest, which did not offer to take aircraft or employees. Midway lost $36mm since filing Chapter 11, against projected income of $6.5mm, and was down to $4mm in cash. Northwest ran newspaper ads saying customers could book Midway with confidence but a month after agreeing to the deal, it pulled out, accusing Midway of showing inaccurate revenue figures for 1990 and ostensibly worried about environmental liability at Midway Airport. Northwest had huge debts of its own, having been taken private in a
leveraged buyout A leveraged buyout (LBO) is the acquisition of a company using a significant proportion of borrowed money (Leverage (finance), leverage) to fund the acquisition with the remainder of the purchase price funded with private equity. The assets of t ...
in 1989. Some believed Northwest saw the Midway deal as risking a simultaneous deal to get funding from the state of Minnesota. Whatever the reason, Midway ceased flying November 13, 1991.


Legacy

Having let Midway collapse, Northwest faced significant political anger in Chicago while Southwest, just by adding some service and hiring what Midway employees it could, looked good by contrast. Midway Airlines had long proved there was a market at Midway Airport, Southwest wanted to add more Midway service but was constrained by a need to address other opportunities. In early 1991, USAir and American Airlines exited most of their California networks, inherited from Pacific Southwest Airlines and AirCal respectively, and Southwest grew its planned 1991 fleet expansion plan from 11 to 18 aircraft in response (to a total of 124). 1991 also marked the bankruptcy of
America West Airlines America West Airlines was an airline in the United States that operated from 1981 until it merged with US Airways in 2007. It was headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. Its main hub was at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, with secondary hubs ...
and its subsequent reduction in capacity in Phoenix, where Southwest and America West were fierce rivals, opening up yet more opportunity. Nonetheless, that moment was the start of Southwest’s dominance at Midway Airport. As of March 2024, Southwest's Midway market share was over 85%. A group of investors bought the Midway Airlines name and started a new airline using the name in 1993. That later Midway Airlines went bankrupt in 2003. in 1987, David Hinson said that the key to Midway's survival was staying small and keeping out of the way of the big carriers. About the airline business he said, “if you are careful and prudent, you can survive and do relatively well.” As the Philadelphia strategy turned sour, David Hinson repeatedly defended Midway as being the victim of circumstance. The circumstances facing the US airline business in the early 1990s were indeed poor, as reflected in deep industry losses during this period.Airlines for America U.S. Passenger Airline Select Financial Results, accessed April 15, 2024
/ref> But the 1989 decision to bulk up Midway and attack the much larger USAir was the exact opposite of what Hinson advocated only two years earlier and the carrier's end was a direct result of that. After Midway Airlines, David Hinson went on to work for
McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas Corporation was a major American Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own ...
and served as the head of the
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...
under President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
. Gordon Linkon, the president who achieved Midway's highest annual operating margin in 1981, went on to found Florida Express.


Destinations

Canada *
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
( Montréal-Dorval International Airport) *
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
(
Toronto Pearson International Airport Toronto Pearson International Airport is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surrounding region known as the Golden Horseshoe. Pearson is the ...
)
Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
* Nassau (
Lynden Pindling International Airport Lynden Pindling International Airport , formerly known as Nassau International Airport, is the largest airport in the Bahamas and the largest international gateway into the country. It is a hub for Bahamasair, Western Air, and Pineapple Air. ...
) * St. Croix ( Henry E. Rohlsen Airport) * St. Thomas ( Cyril E. King Airport) United States * Albany ( Albany International Airport) *
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
(
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the primary international airport serving Atlanta and its Metro Atlanta, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is located south of the Down ...
) *
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
(
Logan International Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport — also known as Boston Logan International Airport — is an international airport located mostly in East Boston and partially in Winthrop, Massachusetts, United States. Covering , it has ...
) * Chicago (
Chicago Midway International Airport Chicago Midway International Airport is a major commercial airport on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the city's Loop business district, and divided between the city's Clearing and ...
) - Hub *
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
/
Northern Kentucky Northern Kentucky is an urban area in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky consisting of the southern part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. The three main counties of the area are Boone County, Kentucky, Boone, Kent ...
( Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport) *
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
( Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport) *
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
( Cleveland Hopkins International Airport) * Columbus ( Port Columbus International Airport) *
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
/
Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
(
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is the primary international airport serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and the North Texas region, in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the largest hub for American Airlines, which is headquartere ...
) *
Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
(
Stapleton International Airport Stapleton International Airport was a major airport in the western United States, and the primary airport of Denver, Colorado. It opened on October 17, 1929, and was replaced by the current Denver International Airport in 1995. It was a hub f ...
) *
Des Moines Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...
( Des Moines International Airport) * Detroit ( Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport) *
Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...
/
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
( Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport) *
Fort Myers A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...
(
Southwest Florida International Airport Southwest Florida International Airport is a major county-owned airport in the South Fort Myers area of unincorporated Lee County, Florida, United States. The airport serves the Southwest Florida region, including the Cape Coral-Fort Myers ...
) *
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Bradley International Airport Bradley International Airport – historically known as Bradley Field – is a public international airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, Windsor Locks, Connecticut, United States. Owned and operated by the Connecticut Airport Authority, Con ...
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Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
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Indianapolis International Airport Indianapolis International Airport is an international airport located southwest of Downtown Indianapolis in Marion County, Indiana, United States. It is owned and operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority, and the airport serves over 5 ...
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Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
( Jacksonville International Airport) *
Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...
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Kansas City International Airport Kansas City International Airport (originally Mid-Continent International Airport) is a public airport in Kansas City, Missouri, located northwest of Downtown Kansas City in Platte County, Missouri., effective May 15, 2025. The airport was ...
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Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
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McCarran International Airport Harry Reid International Airport , formerly known as McCarran International Airport, is the primary international airport serving the Las Vegas Valley, a metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Nevada. It is located south of downtown Las Vega ...
) * Lincoln ( Lincoln Airport (Nebraska) *
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Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its Greater Los Angeles, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of California. LAX is located in the Westchester, Los Angeles, Westcheste ...
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Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...
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Louisville International Airport Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport — also known by its former official names as Standiford Field and Louisville International Airport — is a civil-military airport in Louisville in Jefferson County, Kentucky. The airport was ...
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Memphis International Airport Memphis International Airport is a civil-military airport located southeast of downtown Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. It is the primary international airport serving Memphis. It covers and has four runways., effective A ...
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Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
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Miami International Airport Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically as Wilcox Field, is the primary international airport serving Miami and its Miami metropolitan area, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Florida. It hosts over 1, ...
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/ St. Paul ( Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport) *
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Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is an international airport under Class B airspace in the City of Kenner, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is owned by the City of New Orleans and is west of downtown New ...
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LaGuardia Airport LaGuardia Airport ( ) – colloquially known as LaGuardia or simply LGA – is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, situated on the North Shore (Long Island), northwestern shore of Long Island, bord ...
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( Eppley Airfield) * Orange County (
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Orlando International Airport Orlando International Airport is the primary international airport located southeast of downtown Orlando, Florida. In 2024, it had 57,211,628 passengers, making it the busiest airport in the state and ninth busiest airport in the United St ...
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Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a civil-military public international airport east of downtown Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is Arizona's largest and busiest airport; among the largest commercial airports ...
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Pittsburgh International Airport Pittsburgh International Airport —originally Greater Pittsburgh Airport and later Greater Pittsburgh International Airport—is a civil-military international airport in Findlay Township and Moon Township, Pennsylvania, United States. Abou ...
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( Lambert-St. Louis International Airport) * St. Petersburg/ Clearwater ( St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport) *
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Fleet


Midway Commuter

In 1987 Midway Airlines purchased commuter air carrier Fischer Brothers Aviation based in Galion, Ohio, and moved the entire operation to Springfield, Illinois. Fischer Brothers Aviation had previously operated Allegheny Commuter service for Allegheny Airlines and successor
USAir US Airways was a major airline in the United States. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon became a commercial passenger airline. In 1953, it was renamed Allegheny Airlines an ...
and then began operating
Northwest Airlink Northwest Airlink was the brand name of Northwest Airlines' regional airline service, which flew turboprop and regional jet aircraft from Northwest's domestic hubs in Minneapolis, Detroit, and Memphis. Service was primarily to small-to-medium- ...
service on behalf of
Northwest Airlines Northwest Airlines (often abbreviated as NWA) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 until it Delta Air Lines–Northwest Airlines merger, merged with Delta Air Lines in 2010. The merger made Delta the largest airline ...
. The initial move consisted of the Fischer Brothers management team (including Vice President of Operations Armando Cardenas, Chief Pilot Mark Zweidinger, Vice President of Customer Service Mark Fisher, Director of Maintenance Craig Anderson and Personnel Manager Cynthia Baldwin) and was led by Midway Airlines executive Richard Pfennig. Offers of employment were extended to the pilots and maintenance team that wanted to relocate. Gordon Jones, Vice President of Maintenance and Jerry Turpstra, Chief Inspector joined the management group in June 1987. Mr. Pfennig took control of the operation and was able to quickly get the company through certification flights. In May 1987 the commuter started scheduled passenger flights. The initial operation consisted of 21 employees, the original seven
Dornier 228 The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, designed and first manufactured by Dornier GmbH (later DASA Dornier, Fairchild-Dornier) from 1981 until 1998. 245 were built in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics ...
turboprop aircraft and eventually ended with 125 employees, 28 Dornier aircraft and 13 Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia turboprop aircraft. Midway Connection operated to cities in the Midwest states, including Wisconsin (Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Oshkosh), Michigan (Traverse City, Grand Rapids, Muskegeon, Lansing, Kalamazoo), Indiana (South Bend, Ft. Wayne, Indianapolis, West Lafayette), Illinois (Bloomington, Champaign, Moline-Quad Cities, Peoria and their home base Springfield, Illinois), and Ohio (Toledo). This Midway Connection service was a wholly owned subsidiary of Midway Airlines, and although it was an independent operation, it was completely operated as a "feeder" for the "mainline" operation via a
code sharing A codeshare agreement, also known simply as codeshare, is a business arrangement, common in the aviation industry, in which two or more airlines publish and market the same flight under their own airline designator and flight number (the "airli ...
agreement. Dispatch and Maintenance for the airline was conducted in Springfield, Illinois, while reservations were supported through Midway Airlines in Chicago utilizing the SABRE reservations system.


Iowa Airways

Iowa Airways also operated Midway Connection code share service and in 1989 was flying nonstop between Midway Airport and Benton Harbor, Flint, and Kalamazoo in Michigan, Dubuque in Iowa and Elkhart in Indiana with Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante turboprops.


Accidents and incidents

Midway Airlines had no aircraft accidents. Midway Connection had only 3 minor incidents and 2 large bird strike incidents. During initial FAA flight proving runs, a cabin door on the Dornier 228 aircraft opened in flight and struck the tail of the aircraft. The aircraft sustained minor damage and returned to Springfield, Illinois. The door was found in a field later that month. During a passenger flight, a repair of the previous tail damage came loose inflight and departed the aircraft. The damage was found during inspection by the first officer for the next flight. During engine start up procedures, a parking brake was left engaged on a Dornier 228 aircraft. The FAA determined that braking pressure had bled out from one of the main landing gear brakes. The over-riding parking brake valve prohibited the pilot from being able to actuate the pilot brakes causing the aircraft to yaw and strike one of the other nearby parked aircraft. Midway Connection had two bird strike incidents involving geese. The first incident involved a goose striking the inner wing between the engine and the fuselage. During the incident the bird was also struck by the propeller and a portion of the carcass was thrown through the passenger window striking a passenger. The second involved a goose striking one of the landing gear sponsons causing substantial damage to the fairing and structure.


Frequent flyer program

Midway operated a frequent flyer program called FlyersFirst. Upon cessation of service, the program ended and mileage credits were not transferred to any other program.


See also

*
List of defunct airlines of the United States The following is a list of defunct airlines of the United States. However, some of these airlines have ceased operations completely, changed identities and/or FAA certificates and are still operating under a different name (e.g. America West Ai ...


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Midway Airlines (1976-1991) Airlines established in 1976 Airlines disestablished in 1991 Companies that filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1991 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1991 Defunct airlines of the United States Defunct companies based in Chicago 1976 establishments in Illinois Airlines based in Illinois