Interesting article in the Milwaukee Business News even though it is not necessarily passenger train related (well maybe somewhat). So this concept of a transportation medium specifically dedicated to only business class passengers does not seem to be completely dead. Interesting that one of the Executives attempting the restart is a former ME executive.
https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2019/02/03/midwest-expressairlines-still-actively-working-on.html
Since we have this market in Milwaukee it begs the question why Amtrak has not experimented with it more on the Chicago to Milwaukee corridor trains.
I once flew Midwest Express about 25 years ago. I liked the 2-2 seating on their DC-9 which was usually 3-2 seating. Maybe that's why they got merged out of business.
Midwest Express originally was started by Kimberly Clark. The airline essentially ferried KC employees from Appleton (Neenah was KC's headquarters) to Atlanta and other key KC business locations. A good friend of ours was the airline president's secretary for many years. It grew to carry more than KC people, and became very popular, a class operation. Later, KC spun it off. It became a full-fledged airline, moving its operations to Milwaukee. Like railroads, it became a fallen flag. As lowest common denominator as airlines and Amtrak are today, it would be neat to see someone zero in and truly serve business travelers. I maintain my hope for Texas Central as pioneer in new era of US rail travel.
If my memory serves me correctly, there was an all business class airline that operated from Love Field in Dallas for a period of time. I don't think they made a go of it. I believe they operated from a terminal on the east side of the airport, which was off of Lemmon Avenue.
GrampI maintain my hope for Texas Central as pioneer in new era of US rail travel.
One of the Democrats running for President is a former Texas Central Executive I read and is for High Speed Rail. I read that somewhere I think the guy is from a Northeastern state like CT or something. Though I wonder how he spins that as NOT a conflict of interest if he gets elected.
JPS1 If my memory serves me correctly, there was an all business class airline that operated from Love Field in Dallas for a period of time. I don't think they made a go of it. I believe they operated from a terminal on the east side of the airport, which was off of Lemmon Avenue.
Legend Airlines. They didn't last long.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_Airlines
An "expensive model collector"
Remember they had a all DC-9 fleet with all first class chairs. They also baked cookies during the flight ;)
The Wiki posting suggests that the airline was a victim of Wright Amendment restrictions plus its own higher than normal startup costs.
In the early days of dereg, there were any number of startup airlines that seemed to be based more on wishful thinking than any reasonable business plan.
KMCI has a empty terminal A (once the pride of TWA) that was home to ME as well as Vangaurd and the 2nd or 3rd run using the Braniff name.
Air Tran seem to make a good run at it coming from the ValueJet incident.
CMStPnP Gramp I maintain my hope for Texas Central as pioneer in new era of US rail travel. One of the Democrats running for President is a former Texas Central Executive I read and is for High Speed Rail. I read that somewhere I think the guy is from a Northeastern state like CT or something. Though I wonder how he spins that as NOT a conflict of interest if he gets elected.
Gramp I maintain my hope for Texas Central as pioneer in new era of US rail travel.
Perhaps if you read the list of ~20, you might recognize the name?
CSSHEGEWISCHthere were any number of startup airlines that seemed to be based more on wishful thinking than any reasonable business plan.
I remember flying on Midwest Express with its 2-2 leather seating, steak-plus meals, etc. That was between Washington DC (DCA) and Minneapolis (MSP) and it was pure pleasure; back then, I flew on company business so the air fare was not an issue as it would be today. Oh, those baked in-flight chocolate-chip cookies!!
“Things of quality have no fear of time.”
charlie hebdoPerhaps if you read the list of ~20, you might recognize the name?
Never mind; I misunderstood what was in the list. It's pretty obvious, though ... and he comes by the status legitimately.
I do think however CMStP&P was being sarcastic. Very heavy-handedly sarcastic. Isn't Joe's support of HSR and passenger rail that well known?
rdamon KMCI has a empty terminal A (once the pride of TWA) that was home to ME as well as Vangaurd and the 2nd or 3rd run using the Braniff name. Air Tran seem to make a good run at it coming from the ValueJet incident.
AirTran was around long enough for Southwest Airlines to purchase and merge them into their operations so they could break into the Caribbean and Mexican market
Overmod charlie hebdo Perhaps if you read the list of ~20, you might recognize the name? Never mind; I misunderstood what was in the list. It's pretty obvious, though ... and he comes by the status legitimately. I do think however CMStP&P was being sarcastic. Very heavy-handedly sarcastic. Isn't Joe's support of HSR and passenger rail that well known?
charlie hebdo Perhaps if you read the list of ~20, you might recognize the name?
Joe Biden's support of the NEC is real. Heck, the Wilmington, Delaware station is named after him. What made me think CMStPnP was not being weirdly sarcastic was the reference to the Texas Central scheme.
OvermodI do think however CMStP&P was being sarcastic. Very heavy-handedly sarcastic. Isn't Joe's support of HSR and passenger rail that well known?
I discounted Biden because he is a career politician. In any case would not be a conflict of interest for Biden as he hadn't helped run a HSR firm before. No I was serious I think someone in the field was a former TC executive maybe I misread something though we'll see if it pops up again.
GERALD L MCFARLANE JR rdamon KMCI has a empty terminal A (once the pride of TWA) that was home to ME as well as Vangaurd and the 2nd or 3rd run using the Braniff name. Air Tran seem to make a good run at it coming from the ValueJet incident. AirTran was around long enough for Southwest Airlines to purchase and merge them into their operations so they could break into the Caribbean and Mexican market
And the ATL market saving people driving to Birmingham to catch a SWA flight
charlie hebdoJoe Biden's support of the NEC is real.
Biden's Son Hunter was appointed as Vice Chairman to Amtrak via President Bush but left in 2009.....the guy is a total loser though and he doesn't count either.
Someone got him into the Naval Reserve at the age of 43 via waiver with no prior service with an Officers Commission (Daddy maybe?) in 2013. A few months later he tested positive for Cocaine and was booted out by the Navy. Then all the "lets get Hunter another job with a Ukrainian Firm" started.
MidlandMike I once flew Midwest Express about 25 years ago. I liked the 2-2 seating on their DC-9 which was usually 3-2 seating. Maybe that's why they got merged out of business.
Midwest Express Airline,IIRC, started flying in the late 1970's, Home Base then, was either Neenah,Wisc, or the Appleton, Wi. airports. Originally, their aircraft were smaller to mid-sized planes; they flew out of the Wisconsin area, later out of Milwaukee's airport(?) to Chicago [Ohare(?), Memphis and Atlanta. They flew as other here have posted, aircraft with 2x2 across seating, the accomodations were pretty up-scale for an airline; They were,in fact, Kimberly-Clark Paper Corps executive aircraft fleet. About the time they were formed, and put into being as a scheduled airline there was a Federal Deregulation Act [1978] that allowed them into that role. One thing, I remember about them was for a while, the Cabin Staff baked cookies on-board, for the passengers. I flew from MEM to CHI to get back to work a couple of times via Midwest Express..
Kimberly Clark started flying its employees with its own planes (that became Midwest Express) in 1948.
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