Midwest Airlines to eliminate service at RDU

Raleigh, N.C. — The economic turmoil sweeping through America’s airline industry will soon lead to further cutbacks in service at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

Midwest Airlines said Monday that it would end Midwest Connect regional jet service at RDU and seven other airports as of Sept. 8.

RDU officials were told late Friday about the decision, according to spokesperson Mindy Hamlin.

“We were told the flights were doing very well,” she said, “but airlines are looking to maximize revenue.”

Airlines have announced plans to cut some 10 percent of daily flight service at RDU as they struggle to cope with rising fuel costs.

Midwest Connect is also dropping service at Baltimore, Hartford, Conn., Louisville, Muskegon, Mich., St. Louis, San Antonio and Wausau/Stevens Point, Wis.

Midwest said the cuts were part of the airline’s “overall restructuring plan, necessitated by record fuel prices and the company’s previously announced decision to ground its MD-80 fleet.”

The parent Midwest Airlines is also cutting service to several cities from its hub in Milwaukee but is expanding a partnering agreement with Northwest Airlines.

In July, ExpressJet announced it was shutting down. At that time the ExpressJet decision mean that as of this fall 29 flights were being cut from a daily total of 219.

Midwest Connect offered two daily connections between RDU and Milwaukee.

Hamlin noted that Midwest ended service at RDU following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 but returned in 2007.