If Only They Were All Like This...
Written: Jul 24 '00 (Updated Jul 24 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The way all airlines should be run, all the time
Cons: It doesn't go everywhere!
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| ginadc's Full Review: Midwest Express |
Lately, you can't swing a dead American Airlines Bistro Meal Bag without hitting a newspaper headline about how awful U.S. airlines' customer service is. They've promised to get better, and instead they've gotten worse. You might almost believe that it isn't possible to deliver good airline customer service (on-time arrivals, decent food, seats that don't bend your spine into positions that would send Plastic Man to the chiropractor) at affordable fares in today's market.
Except for one glorious, shining example of what's possible when you actually care about your customers: Midwest Express.
Since I live in Washington, DC, and my family is near Omaha, I fly ME at least three times a year, and in probably 15 round-trips with this airline, I've yet to have a negative experience. Their slogan "The best care in the air," while it constantly reminds me of the old M*A*S*H* sign, isn't just a marketing gimmick--it's for real.
Let's start with the seats. On a Midwest Express flight, there's nothing but first-class seating: two by two, nice wide leather seats with decent pitch and a large, comfortable central armrest. I've seen first-class sections on other airlines that had smaller seats. Oh, the comfort. I get off a Midwest Express flight with knee joints that still work and without feeling like I've just become closer to my seatmate than I ever expect to be to a spouse.
Then, consider the meals they offer. Breakfast on a Midwest Express flight means freshly-made omelets, fruit that actually looks like it came from a tree or bush in the recent past, and mimosas. (Of course, you don't *have* to include the champagne.) Dinner is usually multiple "courses"--I've had some fairly divine chicken or pasta dishes, and on ME I'm even confident enough to eat their beef dishes. They're always accompanied by a truly decadent chocolate concoction, and free white and red wine. (Not the sommelier's choice, but quite drinkable.) And all your meals are served on real china, with real silverware, and an actual cloth napkin. You even get mini salt and pepper shakers. When I'm unwrapping my plastic-shrouded "sandwich" and trying to tear open the mayonnaise packet with my teeth on other airlines, I think of Midwest Express and whimper.
But it's the "lunch" flights that are really special foodwise, because they serve a cold plate of pasta, grilled chicken salad, or the like. This means that the ovens are free for--oh yes--fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies! (I've checked with ME, and this is indeed why you only get the cookies on midday flights; if they need the ovens for the omelets or dinner, they don't have time to bake the cookies.) There's nothing quite like sitting back in a comfortable (!) airline seat, flipping through your magazine, and suddenly feeling your nose twitch in anticipation as that unmistakable chocolate-chip-cookie aroma wafts through the cabin. I'll bet if they did a study, they'd find that particular scent helps to quell air rage.
ME's flights virtually always leave and arrive on time; in more than a dozen trips with them I've only ever experienced one major delay, and they handled it remarkably well. Their flight attendants are impeccably professional. And for all this service, every time I've priced a Midwest Express round-trip fare, it's been comparable to the lowest prices the other airlines are offering (except in the event of some massive fare sale).
Frankly, the only negative about Midwest Express is that it doesn't fly everywhere (Milwaukee is its hub, and Omaha a secondary hub), but that may have something to do with its success. It's added destinations to its roster slowly (the latest is Grand Rapids, Michigan), and hasn't let its reach exceed its grasp. Even if you don't have business in a Midwest Express destination city, fly them anyway, to see how a good airline is run--and to give a company that deserves it your travel dollars!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ginadc
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Member: Gina Shaw
Location: Washington, DC
Reviews written: 26
Trusted by: 84 members
About Me:
Gina is a full-time freelance writer who specializes in travel and health writing.
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