From snowdrifts to sunshine

USA3000 Airlines has begun service from Milwaukee Airport to Ft. Myers’ Southwest Florida International Airport. Nonstop flights operate six days a week. To celebrate its new service, the air carrier is offering low introductory fares to Ft. Myers. Customers can book reservations today at www.usa3000.com, or by calling toll free at (877) 872-3000.

Condé Nast Traveler readers rank Mitchell 4th Best Airport in the nation

For the third year in a row, Milwaukee’s Mitchell Airport has topped the charts in the Conde Nast Traveler Business Travel Awards. This year, the airport ranked fourth in overall business travel satisfaction. The annual survey, in its eleventh year, tracks reader satisfaction in six categories: Location/Access, Ease of Connections, Customs and Baggage, Food/Shops/Amenities, Comfort/Design and Perceived Safety/Security.

“We are proud that Mitchell has ranked in the top five best for business travel for three years. The concourse, terminal and parking renovations we’ve completed are providing passengers with the efficiency and amenities they need as they travel throughout the nation and the world,” said Airport Director Barry Bateman.

Mitchell Airport has recently undergone more than $50 million in expansion and renovation of all three airport concourses, adding lanes and widening security checkpoints, adding boarding gates and enlarging corridors and seating areas. With these improvements, and renovations planned for food and beverage concessions over the coming year, Mitchell continues to cater to the needs of both the business and leisure traveler.
 

2008 TSA partnership award goes to Mitchell Airport

Mitchell Airport was recently awarded the 2008 TSA Partnership Award as part of the federal Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) 2008 Honorary Award Recipient program. The two agencies have worked together on several security-related improvements including:
• Implementing the Black Diamond Self Select Lane Program,
• installing 40" flat screen monitors at each checkpoint to better inform passengers with TSA passenger travel videos; and
• participating in the Mail-Safe program, a large mail drop service that allows passengers to retain possession of checkpoint-prohibited items by mailing them home.

“This is a good example of two agencies working together toward the common goal of enhancing the safety and security of the nearly eight million passengers using our airport each year,” said Airport Director Barry Bateman. “We are pleased to support TSA in its efforts to keep our skies safe.”
 

The buzz around recombobulation

If you’ve been inside Mitchell Airport lately you may have noticed the little sign that’s been getting a lot of attention. Concourses C and D are home to newly created “Recombobulation Areas,” a place where passengers can collect their belongings and catch their breath following their security screening.

Pictures and mentions of the sign have appeared in many posts on the Web. “The sign has been a hit,” said airport spokeswoman Pat Rowe. "I get an occasional e-mail from someone either saying 'huh?' or saying 'thanks for the laugh.’”
 

Redbox hits the skies

Milwaukee Airport has added a Redbox DVD rental machine. Travelers can rent recent movie releases for a dollar a night, watch them in the airport or on a flight, and then return them at any of the 12,000 Redbox locations across the country.

Military Working Dog Returns Home with Honor

Military Working Dog (MWD) Dexter C067 returned to the USA on December 30, 2008 to a hero’s welcome after his military service in Iraq. MWD Dexter, a 68-pound German Shepard, was accompanied by his former handler MA1 Kathleen Ellison when they flew in to MKE from their base in Naples, Italy. The Patriot Guard Riders staged a flag line at the airport upon MWD Dexter’s arrival to honor. MWD Dexter’s heroic exploits included bomb detection that potentially saved more than 1,000 US troops’ lives in 2004 at Abu Ghraib Prision, Iraq. On December 31st MWD Dexter became the first K-9 accepted as a card holding member of the Local American Legion Post 703 Fox Lake, IL.