A few notes on today's new 4/1 new service
 

(a) I like that they on the ball about a new service press release, but has anybody ever had buy-onboard food in an RJ market like this? Careful with those press releases!

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Midwes....html?x=0&.v=1

(b) Undoubtedly the spring break/easter peak is largely responsible, but both MKE-STL and MKE-RDU have 6 of their first 10 flights sold out between now and Tuesday morning. Doesn't necessarily indicate these routes will be barn burners over the long haul, but it's a better start than the alternative.

(c) Midwest is running a second morning MKE-RSW flight several days between now, and when RSW is closed for the season later this month. Looks like they're using an operational spare for the flying. Hopefully they don't need that spare because these are the sorts of days when everything is full and it's hard to find protection if a flight has to cancel.

Knope - where did you see the second flight? I don't see it on either YX or Travelocity site. I do see a second FL flight on the route this month. Maybe I am looking at the wrong dates.

It looks like there is strong demand for Spring Break.

You can see them in flight information. They are also printed in the OAG schedule.

YX 972
Leave MKE 7:00am
Arrive RSW 10:50pm

YX 1511
Leave MKE 8:45am
Arrive RSW 12:40pm

Checking the YX site I don't find any YX flights available to Fort Myers for days...only connections with Delta. That could mean the YX flights are sold out, or it could be that the remaining seats are expensive enough that they don't appear on the YX site. That's a problem which will go away when Delta does...only so many options appears, and so the real YX flights get buried or even excluded when there are bountiful cheaper connections on Delta.

Raleigh should do fine load wise through fall. I believe the last time Midwest flew MKE-RDU, loads from spring through fall ranged from the low 80s to mid 90s. The real test will come this winter when we find out if the E170 is too much capacity.

I would like to see Midwest add a third MKE-RDU flight which would be dedicated thru service (one-stop same plane service) to/from DEN. Alternatively, they could add MCI-RDU and capture some of the DEN traffic that way as well.