Why is it appealing for Republic to invest in a struggling airline like Midwest?
“It’s an opportunity to leverage Midwest Airlines’ position in Milwaukee. It’s a great business community here. Hopefully, if Midwest can weather what is a very difficult economic climate for airlines, there will be something much better and much more opportunity on the other side. But there is risk. We now have our capital at risk.” Q: What are your thoughts on Midwest’s chances for survival over the long term? A: “It’s obviously been a very scrappy airline and that’s not going to change. Our hope is that like all airlines that are struggling, there will be a bottom. Hopefully, we’re getting close to where that bottom is. We’ve already seen a significant reduction in the amount of capacity and service. Milwaukee, for the size of a community that it is, actually has fairly robust nonstop flying opportunities. The airline is a huge economic engine for this community and I hope they will continue to support it.” Q: Is it helpful in your business plan that you aren’t paying for fuel direc
