Kohl pushes anti-trust issue

After Sen. Herb Kohl criticized the proposed hostile takeover of Midwest Airlines at a hearing Wednesday, he won a pledge from a top Justice Department official that any information sparking anti-trust concerns would be reviewed.

Kohl lauded Midwest Airlines, which he uses when flying to and from the nation's capital, as a "true success story." He said Midwest was unique as an airliner since it offered the highest quality of service and is "beloved by its customers."

Already the department has completed an initial review of the proposed takeover.
Barnett said while the department had closed its initial review, it was "not precluded from looking at it further based on additional information." He said he would take information from Kohl, his staff and constituents and consider whether anti-trust concerns arose. He noted that when the department examines competition, it considers competition both in price and quality.
Kohl said no one doubts Midwest's service would suffer if AirTran bought the airliner. More worrisome, he said, was AirTran's history of promising high levels of service when it enters new markets, then abruptly breaking those pledges. Since 2004, AirTran has left 29 markets it said it would serve; sometimes it returned with scaled-down offerings and other times, not at all, he said.


I think this is a good example of a Senator doing something for his constituents. Politicians on both side of the aisle have expressed that they do NOT want to see Midwest airlines be sold and the people of the state feel the same way. Midwest is held close to many of our hearts because of their great service, affordable prices, and personal care.