is an American
Commuter Airline based in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin . The airline operates as
Midwest Connect for
Midwest Airlines , feeding Midwest's hubs at
General Mitchell International Airport with 12 32-seat aircraft.
Skyway Airlines, The Midwest Express Connection, began flight operations as
Midwest Express '
Commuter Airline division on
April 17 ,
1989 in Milwaukee. All flights were originally operated by the
Mesa Air Group . In
1994 , a new airline called Astral Aviation, operating as Skyway Airlines, was formed as a subsidiary of Midwest Express Airlines to operate commuter flights, replacing Mesa. Skyway's (operated by Astral Aviation) first flight was from Milwaukee to Flint, Michigan on
15 February 1994 . The original fleet were Beech 1900C airliners which were replaced by the roomier Beech 1900Ds. These aircraft and were used to connect Milwaukee with small communities in Wisconsin and the surrounding region. In
1999 , the airline acquired five Dornier 328JET aircraft to expand their operations. An additional five aircraft were added to the fleet in following years. Two more 328 Jets were added in the fall of 2006. Skyway has recently reduced its Beechcraft 1900 fleet by several aircraft.
The airline changed its name from Astral Aviation, Inc., d/b/a Skyway Airlines, the Midwest Express Connection to Skyway Airlines, Inc. d/b/a Midwest Connect in March
2003 , at the same time Midwest Express Airlines changed its name to
Midwest Airlines . Both Midwest Airlines and Skyway Airlines are wholly owned divisions of Midwest Air Group. Skyway Airlines has 637 employees (at March
2007 ).
1
See Also: Skyway Airlines destinations
currently flies to 25 destinations throughout
Canada and the
United States . However, the airline is ending service to/from
Marquette, Michigan on September 30, 2007, decreasing its destination count to 24.
As of September 2007, the Skyway Airlines fleet includes 19 aircraft:
- All Midwest Connect aircraft feature leather seating, and jet aircraft feature freshly baked cookies on select routes.
