OK, I'm not going to join those splitting hairs on blue vs brown vs grey (or light brown vs dark brown ) seats. I will, however, weigh in on the issue of product uniformity.

The Midwest brand and product are going through tremendous change right now, as everyone knows. This has specific meanings to Midwest Airlines (proper) employees, Republic and Frontier employees, and to Midwest's customer base.

I say my piece as a fan of Midwest thus far, and with an open mind about the future Republic- and Frontier-flown Midwest-branded flights.

Both newsmanhoss and RSVP both touch on an important point: for the time being, we Midwest passengers don't know what we're getting until we show up for the flight. 170 vs 190 vs 319? 1x2? 2x2 with or without extra legroom? 3x3? Best care cuisine that could mean a nice BOB meal or could mean nothing but garlic cheese curds for breakfast (my personal experience ). There are plenty of people who booked a month ago for a November trip in Signature on a 717 who are now on something far different. This will undoubtedly continue for the next several months, while the whole Republic/Midwest/Frontier dance gets choreographed, while the fleet gets sorted out, and hopefully while integration issues with former Midwest Airlines (proper) crews get sorted out. It doesn't mean Republic is bad; it's the nature of a major corporate change, particularly when the brand and the corporation get split apart.

It does not, however, mean that passengers have to subject themselves to unpredictability. While keeping an open mind, I, for one, am holding back on Midwest bookings until things become clearer and more predictable, even though I plan to ultimately use the Midwest brand as an option for nonstop flights that qualify for Delta Medallion Qualifying Miles. For now, however, I have to agree with RSVP that passengers have a much clearer understanding of what they're getting from Southwest or Airtran. Heck, even Delta's scheduling capriciousness looks comparitively stable.

While this period of change and unpredictability is unavoidable, it will certainly be in Republic's interest to make it as short-lived as possible. Another market reality is that passengers may indeed find themselves at home with another airline they "temporarily" use while waiting out Midwest's transition period.