As More Planes Take to the Skies, a New Air Traffic Control System Is Needed
A MESSAGE FROM TIMOTHY E. HOEKSEMA, CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF MIDWEST AIRLINES
Hello, and welcome aboard. If you’re flying one of our MD-80 routes today, you may have noticed a difference in our cabin. We now offer both Signature and Saver seating on these aircraft. This dual-seating option provides travelers the opportunity to choose seating based on preference and cost, while enjoying the same award-winning service you have come to expect from us.
Speaking of awards, Midwest Airlines recently earned its 49th “best” airline award. Readers of Travel+Leisure magazine—highly sophisticated and seasoned travelers—named our airline “Best Domestic Airline” in the 2007 World’s Best Awards survey. Midwest Airlines has won the title eight of the 12 years it has been awarded. Additionally, this past May Travel+Leisure recognized Midwest as “Top Domestic Airline for Service”—an honor Midwest has won three of the four years that award has been given.
Making sure our passengers’ travel experience is as enjoyable as possible is very important to Midwest Airlines, which is why I raise a subject that directly affects the comfort of all airline travelers. While the U.S. air transportation system is the safest in the world, the system is reaching the outer limits of what it can handle in terms of air traffic control. The system was built in the 1950s—before the jet age and the advent of advanced avionics—and it has not been significantly updated since then. The fact is, the system was never intended to handle so many aircraft, both commercial and corporate. The result is unprecedented congestion in our skies and delays at our airports. Without system modernization, delays will worsen.
Just as outdated is the funding system that charges airline customers for the vast majority of system expenses while requiring corporate aircraft—which outnumber commercial aircraft more than two to one—to pay only a fraction of the costs of the services they use.
To fully utilize current technology and accommodate demand for travel in the future, a modern system must allow increased capacity and enable growth. Congress now has the opportunity to address these goals, as well as the need for more equitable funding. You can do something to make sure that you, as a commercial jet passenger, no longer pay more than your fair share. Please visit smartskies.org to learn more about this important issue.
Thank you for flying with us today. We hope you will have the chance to fly our award-winning airline again in the very near future.
