Mitchell Airport Passengers Increase Nearly 10% in February

March 21, 2016
Fueled by a 12% increase in Southwest passengers and new routes flown by Frontier, 499,518 passengers used MKE in February, an increase of 9.8% from the 454,948 that chose MKE in February 2015.

MILWAUKEE (March 21, 2016) – Fueled by a 12% increase in Southwest passengers and new routes flown by Frontier, the number of passengers choosing Mitchell Airport soared nearly 10 percent in February, after recording a six percent increase in January.

“As more Milwaukee-based travelers choose their hometown airport, airlines will be more likely to add service here,” said County Executive Chris Abele. “MKE is already the only airport in Wisconsin or Illinois with all the major domestic airlines, and continued increases in passengers like this can help us recruit more airlines and nonstop flights at MKE in the future.”

According to statistics released by the Airport, 499,518 passengers used MKE in February, an increase of 9.8% from the 454,948 that chose MKE in February 2015. All of MKE’s regularly scheduled airlines – including Southwest, Delta, American, United, Frontier, Alaska, Air Canada, and OneJet – saw an increase in passengers in February.

“Northern Illinois travelers are also helping to fuel passenger growth at MKE,” Airport Director Izzy Bonilla said. “Our easy-to-navigate airport, inexpensive parking, and on-time departures and arrivals make it an easy decision to avoid the congested, costly and delay-prone Chicago airports.”

Mitchell Airport offers nonstop flights to 38 destinations coast-to-coast, and 160 international destinations are available from Milwaukee with just one connection. MKE is served by Southwest, Delta, American, United, Frontier, Alaska, Air Canada, and OneJet. The nonstop cities map can be found atwww.mitchellairport.com.

General Mitchell International Airport is owned by Milwaukee County and operated by the Department of Transportation, Airport Division, under the policy direction of the Milwaukee County Executive and the County Board of Supervisors. The airport is entirely funded by user fees; no property tax dollars are used for the airport’s capital improvements or for its day-to-day operation.