By JIM SCHUH
of The Gazette
The recent announcement from Skyway Airlines that it will begin jet service between the Central Wisconsin Airport (CWA) and Milwaukee in mid-November marks the return of jet air service to the area after almost a decade.
Central Wisconsin Airport Manager Jim Hansford says it was in the early 1990s that United Express stopped using Bae-146 four-engine jet planes between CWA and Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Since that time, all the airlines serving the airport at Mosinee have used turboprop planes.
Skyway, a Midwest Express subsidiary, calls itself the "Midwest Express Connection." It said early last week it would become the only airline offering jet service to and from CWA.
The carrier will be the first airline to use new Fairchild Aerospace 328JET planes, which it will place on selected flights between CWA and Milwaukee. It will continue using smaller turboprop planes on its remaining flights. The 328s are 32-passenger planes, and Skyway says they have reclining leather seats with a 31-inch pitch - the distance between one seat back and the next.
The old North Central Airlines first offered jet service to Stevens Point in the late 1960s, with DC-9 planes. That service continued until the airport at Mosinee opened, when North Central shifted both its Stevens Point and Wausau operations to CWA.
North Central became Republic Airlines, and later was acquired by Northwest Airlines.
As changes came to the airline industry, with its hub and spoke systems, the larger carriers concentrated on big markets, turning over smaller cities to commuter airlines. Northwest halted jet service to CWA in the 1980s.
That's when a feeder carrier, Mesaba Airlines, took over and began service to the Twin Cities and Detroit as Northwest Airlink. Mesaba uses turboprop planes.
Meanwhile, both United Express, operated by Air Wisconsin of Appleton, and American Eagle used some jets on their routes between CWA and Chicago. American Eagle pulled out of Central Wisconsin earlier this year, leaving Mesaba, United Express and Skyway to serve CWA.
As for the new jet service coming to Mosinee in November, Hansford said he hadn't received any additional information from Skyway on a starting date.
Skyway also plans four new weekday jet flights from Milwaukee to Pittsburgh starting Nov. 1. Its other plans for the new jets include service between Milwaukee and Indianapolis, starting in late October; service between Milwaukee and Green Bay, beginning in mid-November; and Milwaukee-Nashville, Tenn., service starting in late November.
In December, Skyway will expand by offering six nonstop flights each weekday between Milwaukee and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, using turboprop planes.
Skyway times its flights between CWA and Milwaukee to connect with Midwest Express flights to the larger cities it serves around the country.
The airline says flights lasting longer than a half-hour will offer onboard fare ranging from snacks to light meals, full beverage service and complimentary champagne. Among the items it plans to serve are products from Wisconsin, including Danish kringles from Racine and beer from both the Miller and Capital breweries.
Skyway adds it will provide baked-onboard chocolate chip cookies and hot towel service on select flights. Its parent, Midwest Express, has become known among a loyal cadre of fans as the airline with the fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.