As Frontier and Midwest Airlines prepare to become subsidiaries of Republic Airways Holdings, the two carriers have announced plans to press forward with a formal codesharing pact.
The agreement is scheduled to start by late summer, and allows Frontier customers to connect on Midwest flights through the carrier's Milwaukee hub. In turn, Midwest customers can connect on flights offered by Frontier and its subsidiary Lynx Aviation from Denver.
Also included in the agreement is frequent flyer programme reciprocity for each airline's customers.
Frontier explains in a statement that more details regarding the new Midwest codeshare should emerge at a later date, including specific cities available for the codeshare.
Republic should finalize its purchase of Midwest in four-to-six weeks, while the purchase of Frontier is subject approval by the bankruptcy judge overseeing the carrier's Chapter 11 reorganization.
The effects of Republic's purchase of Frontier on the Denver-based carrier's relationship with AirTran remain unclear.
In November 2006 the two airlines forged a marketing alliance linking to each other's websites to establish a customer referral scheme. Late last year Frontier chief executive officer Sean Menke said the two carriers have held talks on and off for a number of years to explore more formal codesharing opportunities.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
