Airline Review: Air Midwest

Air Midwest is an airline which operates many regional flights throughout the United States. Air Midwest operates flights their own flights, as well as flights for US Airways Express and Midwest Airlines. Passengers can book flights either through Air Midwest or through airlines which have a code sharing agreement. Many cities which Air Midwest operates to are fairly small, and may have a single scheduled airline flight per day or less (with three a week, for instance.)

Air Midwest is not a particularly new airline, having been around since the mid-1960's. The airline started flying for mortuaries out of Kansas City, Missouri, and in 1968, the airline entered the scheduled airline business. Shortly after Frontier ceased flying routes in Western Kansas, the airline moved in, to continue service to rural communities in the state. Throughout the 1970's and 1980's Air Midwest offered large airlines an opportunity to have small regional service through contracting. Air Midwest operated for Ozark Airlines as Ozark Midwest, until Ozark was purchased by TWA. They also operated for Eastern Airlines as Air Midwest Express, until they went bankrupt, and for American Airlines as American Eagle.

Today, the airline is owned and operated by the Mesa Air Group. Mesa Air operates three main airlines, and offers regional operations for some of the United States largest airlines, including Delta, US Airways and Northwest. The airline operates many flights known as "Essential Air Service". These flights are subsidized by the federal government, in order to ensure that small communities have air service to larger airports. This means that flights are essentially paid for by the government, and the airlines may make money without having any passengers onboard.

Air Midwest operates a single type of aircraft, the Beechcraft 1900D. This small, two engine propeller driven, aircraft seats a maximum of 19 passengers. The seating is one on each side of a small aisle, with three across at the rear of the aircraft. The aircraft is small enough that no flight attendant is required, and thus there is none. This means that no service is offered, and there is no onboard restroom facility.

Air Midwest operates many flights out of its sole hub, Kansas City, Missouri. These flights are operated on behalf of US Airways Express as well as Midwest Airlines. Many cities are served throughout Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Nebraska. Other focus cities include Phoenix, Charlotte, Chicago-Midway and Dallas-Ft. Worth. Today, Air Midwest operates to a total of 42 cities in 15 states with a total 20 aircraft. In general, Air Midwest is a very nice airline to get to smaller destinations around the United States.