May/June 2004

Mitchell's April Passenger Total Second Highest in Airport History
Low airfares and added service make "MKE" airport of choice

Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport handled 618,009 passengers in April, a record for the month, and the second time ever a monthly total has exceeded 600,000. The number of April passengers was up 23.72 percent over the April 2003 total of 499,515. An all-time record 644,603 passengers used the airport in March. The year-to-date total shows an 18.39 percent increase over the same period in 2003.

One factor influencing the growth in passenger numbers is lower airfares, which attracts passengers from a wider area and attracts those who might otherwise have chosen to drive to their destination. In addition, the number of airline seats available out of Mitchell in April increased 15.32 percent over April 2003. This is the result of air service additions over the past 10 months by Northwest Airlines; Midwest Airlines; AirTran Airways and Delta Connection. Also during this period, Frontier Airlines and USA 3000 Airlines inaugurated service from Mitchell International. Seasonal charter flights to popular vacation destinations also boosted passenger numbers this quarter.

Recent changes to scheduled air service include:

  • Midwest Airlines added seasonal nonstop service between Milwaukee and San Francisco May 9, with one daily flight, except on Saturdays. On June 1, Midwest Airlines will add nonstop flights between Milwaukee and Los Angeles Thursdays and Fridays throughout the summer.
  • Northwest Airlines will add seven daily nonstop flights on regional jets from Milwaukee, including service to three new destinations. Beginning July 1, Northwest will add one flight each to New York (LaGuardia) and Minneapolis/St. Paul. On July 12, the airline will add a flight to Washington D.C. (Reagan), and it will launch nonstop service to a new destination, Kansas City. Starting September 1, Northwest will introduce nonstop flights to two new destinations: Baltimore and St. Louis.
  • Midwest Airlines will increase its nonstop service to Boston and Philadelphia on June 17, and Dallas/Ft. Worth and Kansas City on July 1, adding one daily flight to each city. 
  • Midwest Connect will increase its nonstop service to Appleton; Green Bay; Indianapolis; Madison; Minneapolis/St. Paul and Newark on July 1, adding one daily flight to each city.

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