Charter business for Midwest growing MILWAUKEE (AP) =97 As Midwest Airlines struggles to stay aloft financially,= a=20 bright spot for the company has been its charter business. In 2002,=20 Midwest's charter revenue rose 65 percent to $11.8 million, up from $7.2=20 million the year before. And although charter business represents only=20 about 5 percent of Midwest's total revenue, the Oak Creek-based airline=20 expects more growth since adding seats to five MD-80 airplanes. The=20 146-seat planes are meant for the airline's low-fare service scheduled to=20 start in August, but they can also be used for charter flights to carry a=20 large number of passengers. "When our biggest plane had 116 seats, the math= =20 didn't work very well" for some charter flights, said Randall Smith,=20 Midwest's vice president of sales and distribution. The additional seats=20 will also allow the airline to bid for government work, such as=20 transporting firefighters to forest fires in the Western United States. The= =20 entire Midwest and Midwest Connect fleet is available for charter flights,= =20 which can cost thousands of dollars an hour. Competition for charter business has increased since 2001 as struggling=20 airlines seek additional sources of revenue, said Lynda Kohler, Midwest's=20 director of special markets. Chartering makes sense for airlines, because=20 most now have airplanes not being used for scheduled service, said Josh=20 Marks, associate director at George Washington University Aviation=20 Institute in Washington. Midwest has flown charter flights since 1985,=20 about a year after the airline launched public service. About two-thirds of= =20 the airline's charter business is tied to transporting professional and=20 college sports teams, including the Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks,=20 University of Wisconsin Badgers and Marquette University Golden Eagles.=20 "Sports teams are terrific because, once you know the team schedules, you=20 can plan months in advance," Smith said. Sports fans are also known to use= =20 Midwest charters. The airline had five charter flights to New Orleans for=20 Marquette's bid in the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament earlier this= year. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ Site of the Week: http://www.carib-link.net/naparima/naps.html TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************