As it struggles with the high cost of fuel, Milwaukee's hometown airline is planning to furlough 109 workers, which represents 3.5% of the airline's workforce.

The layoffs are part of a larger plan by the airline to deal with the high cost of gas, which Midwest has recently said has eclipsed labor costs as the largest single cost for the airline.

Midwest also plans to reduce its flight schedule, cutting back about 2.5 percent of the seats available over last year.  The airline also says it will work to enhance revenue by introducing new offerings including something called the Midwest Class seating choice program and the phase in of the Northwest codeshare program.

In a statement, Midwest Airlines CEO Tim Hoeksema said, "We have witnessed a number of airline bankruptcies, as well as route and staffing reductions by other airlines, in the past several months. The actions we're taking today will enable us to maximize revenues, reduce our cost structure, provide for sufficient cash and help us weather this storm, moving forward. These decisions, while difficult, are necessary to keep us strong in this turbulent time for the airline industry."