USA TODAY: MKE could become “Chicago’s third area airport”

If you’re still at the coffee shop, be sure to pick up a copy of today’s USA TODAY and turn to the front page of the Money section, or read it online. In Ben Mutzabaugh's thorough report of Mitchell Airport, in which he calls MKE “a flashpoint for discount competition,” you’ll hear from the discount airline executives themselves on what they say is behind all the buzz at Milwaukee. And it’s not the beer.

• Discover why even competing carriers look to Southwest Airline’s expansion at MKE as an opportunity to help “raise the profile of Milwaukee as an alternative airport for greater Chicago.”
• Learn why AirTran’s strategy is to “reach down into that northern Illinois area” and why the CEO thinks “there’s a lot of potential from north Chicago.”
• Read how Midwest Airlines is planning to reinvent itself to hang on to its current “No. 1 carrier” position at MKE

“In our market, we certainly believe a rising tide lift all ships,” says Airport Director Barry Bateman. “The competition in this market has been good for the airlines, but especially beneficial for travelers in the greater Milwaukee and northern Chicago regions seeking more destinations at lower prices.”

AirTran is “Home Sweet Home” at MKE

AirTran and Akron Canton Airport (CAK) recently celebrated new service to Mitchell Airport with Harley-themed festivities. Passengers can now fly from CAK, an alternative airport for the Cleveland, Ohio region, to MKE, on AirTran’s new thrice-daily nonstop flights.

The new service, flown on Skywest Airlines, allows passengers to connect in AirTran's Milwaukee hub to many West Coast cities. In addition, "The new flights provide important new options, low fares and excellent access to the northern Chicago region," said Rick McQueen, president and CEO of Akron Canton Airport. AirTran's creation of a Milwaukee hub will create more than 300 jobs locally for crew members, customer service agents and other personnel. Plan now for spring break travel at www.AirTran.com!

Midwest connects travelers from coast to coast

From Cali to Carolina, the “Best Care in the Air” will get you there! Beginning April 1, Midwest Airlines will offer twice-daily nonstop service from Milwaukee to Raleigh/Durham, N.C., and thrice-daily nonstop service from Milwaukee to St. Louis. If the West Coast is more your style, Midwest will offer once-daily nonstop service from Milwaukee to San Francisco, beginning April 19.

Visit www.MidwestAirlines.com to get your trip started!

MKE parking rates a perk, not a pain

At MKE, parking rates remain cheap, not steep, and passengers can arrive at their destination with more money to spend on souvenirs. While covered daily parking at MKE remains at $12 a day maximum, rates at O'Hare recently rose to $31 a day maximum. If your trip lasts three days, you could save $57 on parking rates by flying out of Mitchell Airport!

Travelers who park in MKE’s SuperSaver lot pay just $5 a day. The math: three days = $15. At O'Hare, the Lot E parking max is $17 a day. The math: three days = $51. Total savings = $36! Check out how much you can save by flying, and parking, at Mitchell Airport.

MKE enjoys a strong finish to 2009

While the rest of the country was counting down to the New Year, MKE was tallying passenger numbers for yet another record December, finishing 2009 with four consecutive months of record passenger numbers.

Each of the last four months of 2009 was a record for that month with enough passengers to bring the 2009 passenger count, at 7,946,562, to just a fraction off the 2008 total of 7,956,968. With travel down 6 percent nationwide from 2008 to 2009, according to the Air Transport Association, MKE’s passenger numbers continue to grow due in part to more flights from AirTran, Midwest and Delta, and the November addition of Southwest Airlines. Average fares out of MKE remain lower than the average at 90 other U.S. airports, according to the latest U.S. Department of Transportation statistics (3rd Quarter 2009).

Illinois travelers drive MKE success

For Illinois travelers, MKE is a low-cost and stress-free alternative to other Chicago airports. But by looking at the license plates in our parking lots, you already know that! In 2009, the number of Illinois license plates at MKE grew more than 23 percent compared to 2008, with significant increases for 11 consecutive months. For the last six months of 2009, the Illinois vehicles parked at MKE accounted for 10 percent of the total.

Airport Director Barry Bateman said, “The number of passengers from northern Illinois and the northern Chicago suburbs taking advantage of Mitchell’s low-fare service continues to grow. Milwaukee/Chicago is a busy region for air travel, and Mitchell International has become one of the most price-competitive airports in the nation.”

Let’s be friends! Check out MKE on Facebook and Twitter

Our passengers are more than just travelers, they are our friends! If you’re a member of Facebook or Twitter, why not flitter over to MKE to see what’s going on. Join our Facebook fan page, and follow us on Twitter @MitchellAirport for news, updates and special offers.

And, just to sweeten the deal, friend: Become our 500th follower on Twitter and you’ll win a goody bag filled with sweet Mitchell Airport swag!

Manager of MKE’s news and gift shops earns national recognition

MKE travelers aren’t our only shining stars! Randy Larson, manager of the news and gift shops at Mitchell Airport, was recently honored as Top Manager by the Paradies Shops. Larson was considered for the award among managers from 80 of the top performing The Paradies Shops around the country.

Year in Review: MKE Earns Positive Remarks from Travel Critics

Read what major media outlets said about MKE in 2009:

CrankyFlier.com / December 2009
Travel writer Brett Snyder, better known as the Cranky Flier, spent part of the holidays flying, and blogging, his way across the country during the busiest travel times of the year. Lucky for us, a red-eye flight landed him in MKE where he had time to explore and give MKE rave reviews!

USATODAY.com / Today In the Sky / September 2009
Travel columnist Ben Mutzabaugh discusses falling fares from MKE. On the heels of MKE’s introduction of low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines, Mutzabaugh also credits other leading low-cost carriers, AirTran and Midwest, for driving down fares.

Elliott.org / September 2009
Nationally recognized travel writer Chris Elliott, who also writes a regular travel column for MSNBC.com and serves as reader advocate for National Geographic Traveler, ranked MKE as the least expensive travel destination for fall 2009 travel in a September 10 posting on his blog.

Airport Business / May 2009
Following AirTran Airways’ announcement of a 50 percent expansion in service from MKE, Airport Business assistant editor Brad McAllister wrote, "While most airports across the U.S. struggle to maintain air service, Milwaukee has turned vibrant."