What some companies will do in an attempt to stave off a merger.

This afternoon Midwest Airlines announced that it has entered into a codeshare agreement with….(drum roll please) Northwest Airlines.

According to the airline’s press release:

“The new partnership will greatly expand the networks of both carriers by adding 250 city pairs and more than 1,000 new flight options for customers. Passengers can book their entire flight on a single ticket, with all segments earning mileage credit in either the Midwest Miles or Northwest WorldPerks frequent flyer programs.

Northwest routes that will include the Midwest Airlines “YX” code are destinations beyond Northwest’s hubs at Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Memphis throughout the United States and Canada. Midwest will also place its code on Northwest flights from Indianapolis, a Northwest focus city. Additionally, Midwest’s code will appear on a number of Northwest-operated flights to Hawaii and Alaska.

Routes operated by Midwest Airlines that will carry the “NW” Northwest code are flights that connect at Midwest’s Milwaukee and Kansas City hubs, as well as Omaha — a Midwest focus city. Northwest will also codeshare on Midwest Airlines-operated flights between Milwaukee and Kansas City to Atlanta, Boston, Hartford, Los Angeles and San Francisco that connect to the Northwest/KLM trans-Atlantic network and trans-Pacific network.”

Ticker: (AMEX:MEH)