Midway Airlines I Founding

• The first incarnation of Midway airlines was founded in 1976. It is recognized to be the first airline to organize after U.S. airlines were deregulated. The airline focused its operations on the smaller Chicago Midway airport, which had been mostly left vacant after the opening of the larger Chicago O'Hare International airport.
  
  

Midway Airlines I Demise

• Midway Airlines flourished during the 1980s by offering low fares and convenient service from the less-congested Midway airport. The airline began to expand by purchasing Air Florida in 1984. Midway purchased Eastern Airlines' Philadelphia hub operations in 1990, which put the airline in direct competition with the larger US Airways. The fierce and unprofitable competition at Philadelphia coupled with the rise in fuel prices stemming from the Persian Gulf War led Midway Airlines to go bankrupt in 1991. The airline began liquidating by the end of the year.
  
  

Midway Airlines I Fleet and Hubs

• The airline, at its peak, operated a fleet of Douglas DC-9s, Boeing 737-200s and MD-80 series aircraft. The airline operated hubs at Chicago's Midway Airport, Miami International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport.
  
  

Midway Airlines II History

• The second incarnation of Midway Airlines was started in 1983 as Jet Express. The airline changed its name to Midway in 1993. The airline began to establish a hub in 1995 at Raleigh-Durham International Airport as American Airlines pulled out of the market. The airline grew quickly as it attempted to position itself as the link between American cities on the East coast. The airline went public in 1997.
  
  

Midway Airlines II Demise

• The airline did not fare well during the dot-com bust of 2000-2001 and unexpectedly filed for bankruptcy in August, 2001. The airline stopped operations on Sept. 12, 2001, after the terrorist attacks the previous day. It did resume limited operations after a government cash infusion in December, but the airline ceased operations under its own name in July 2002.
  
  

Midway Airlines II Fleet and Hubs

• Midway Airlines operated out of Raleigh-Durham International Airport to 33 destinations in the United States. The airline operated a fleet of Boeing 737s, Airbus A320s, Fokker F100s and the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet.