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What’s in a name? Republic could drop Midwest Airlines brand to reduce confusion
The Business Journal of Milwaukee- by Rich Rovito
The Midwest Airlines brand name eventually could disappear as the Oak Creek airline’s parent company continues to study ways to reduce confusion among travelers. Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings Inc. purchased Midwest Airlines and Frontier Airlines of Denver in separate deals last year.
Since that time, Midwest entered into and has repeatedly expanded a booking pact with Frontier. “We are looking at what makes the most sense,” Republic spokesman Carlo Bertolini said.“One possibility would be to get down to one name.”
Moving to a unified identity could be a logical next step after Republic's announcement Jan. 14 that it’s consolidating all executive management functions for Midwest and Frontier in Indianapolis. Republic also announced that the integration will also include a single reservation system and fully integrated frequent flier programs.
The expanded booking pact between Midwest and Frontier has left some travelers wondering whether they will be traveling on a Frontier plane that features satellite television service at each seat, or a Midwest flight where baked-on-board chocolate chip cookies are served, Bertolini said.
Midwest spokesman Jim Reichart said ongoing discussions have focused on various ways to deliver a consistent product to passengers of the sister airlines. Although he didn’t rule out the possibility of the Midwest Airlines brand name disappearing from the air travel landscape, Reichart said the name will remain for the foreseeable future.
“A lot of talking is being done about that, but we’re nowhere near a decision,” he said.“We’re not going to rush it. We’ve been doing a lot of things behind the scenes with the customer experience to make sure it is seamless regardless of which airplane you get on.”
Reichart insisted that a decision on whether to drop the Midwest name isn’t likely to be made anytime soon. “The idea that we are going to suddenly scrap the Midwest name in the short term wouldn’t be true at this point,” he said. “It’s ultimately a business decision and there are no easy answers. We’re going to do a lot of work with our customers to understand the equity of both brands.Suggesting the demise of the Midwest name is premature.”
Dwindling brand
The potential loss of the Midwest Airlines brand name isn’t likely to have as much of an impact on travelers as it would have a few years ago, when the airline offered a wide range of amenities designed to lure business travelers, said Dave Fantle, spokesman for Visit Milwaukee, the area’s visitors and convention bureau.
“The Midwest brand differentiation has dwindled over the last few years,” Fantle said.
With Orlando, Fla.-based AirTran Airways aggressively expanding its operations at Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport and the recent entry of Southwest Airlines, the nation’s largest discount airline, into the market, Milwaukee has become one of the most competitive cities in the United States for air travel.
“We’ve got a positive competitive environment here in Milwaukee,”Fantle said. In the past,a certain segment of fliers, mainly business travelers, had been willing to pay a premium for a Midwest flight because of the high-end amenities, he said.
Now, price and schedule tend to be the primary concerns among travelers, although some level of loyalty to a given airline is certain to remain for travelers enrolled in frequent flier programs, Fantle said.
Frontier has offered air service in the Milwaukee market and “isn’t an unknown brand” among area travelers, should Republic decide to keep the brand name at the expense of Midwest Airlines, he said.
Creating anew name for the combined operations of the sister airlines would present more of an issue, Fantle said. “Starting anew brand from the ground up would be a challenge,” he said.
The dropping of the Midwest name would be a blow to the city’s image as it is one of the best-known Milwaukee brands nationally, community leaders said.
The potential elimination of the Midwest Airlines brand name also would affect the naming rights of the Midwest Airlines Center.Midwest’s naming rights deal for the city’s downtown Milwaukee convention facility expires in2013.
A name change would be just the latest in a series of changes implemented by Republic since it acquired Midwest and Frontier. The most recent move, which became effective Jan. 1, involved shifting all Midwest employees to Frontier’s payroll system.
The move was made to streamline benefits administration, Reichart said. “Republic was saddled with three human resources systems,” he said. “It will eventually move down to one.”
