MILWAUKEE — "Midwest Express Flight 415 to Omaha, Nebraska, is now boarding zones one and two at Gate D35" is something you might hear in the coming months at Milwaukee Mitchell International.
The regional airline is back in business and took its ceremonial first flight (en route to another news conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan) Wednesday morning.
Along with the ceremonial flight, attendants new and old were handing out the iconic cookies that became a trademark of the company. With the aroma of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies in the terminal, memories of Nancy Nuss' longtime employer rushed back to her.
"I’m just glad. I loved it. The flights. The planes. The leather seats. The food. The cookies. They’re back," said Nuss, who worked for the airline for 15 years.
She held a few different titles from flight attendant secretary, to marketing, to public relations. Each one she loved for its own unique quality.
"It was a dream job. It was marvelous. Meeting the people. Went out and did the footwork with all the agencies, nonprofits, Make-A-Wish," she said.
The memories flooded back to passengers who remember the freshly baked cookies the company used to serve.
"These are the best cookies ever, but Midwest coming back is even better," one longtime passenger said.
"I loved it. The flights. The planes. The leather seats. The food. The cookies. They’re back." — Nancy Nuss, who worked for Midwest Express for 15 years
Midwest Express' final flight was in 2009. It stopped service because of financial issues.
Greg Aretakis, the president of Midwest Express, said there will be three cities passengers can fly to by the end of the year: Cincinnati, Omaha and Grand Rapids. More destinations are being considered, but Aretakis did not say where.
