Midwest to Layoff Workers

In response to rising fuel costs which are now half of its operating expenses, Midwest Air Group is cutting 108 jobs including 35 pilots. The layoffs are about 3.5 percent of its workforce. Chair Timothy Hoeksema said the company has no choice if it wants to survive. The move compounds the 380 employees laid off when subsidiary Skyways was restructured from a regional feeder to a ground handling organization in favor of contracting with SkyWest to provide the feed as Midwest Connect out of Midwest’s two hubs. Related Story It is also dropping long-haul flights at both Milwaukee and Kansas City. While fuel has risen by a third since this time last year, Midwest is now able to save millions now that is able to buy fuel through Northwest, which became a minority investor earlier this year. Related Story