Rain or shine, Midwest has a nonstop solution

Rain dwellers and sun seekers rejoice! Midwest Airlines’ new nonstop seasonal service between Milwaukee’s Mitchell Airport (MKE) and sun-drenched San Diego begins April 19, while service from MKE to Seattle/Tacoma, aka the “Emerald City,” starts May 14.

Introductory one-way pricing, beginning at $99, is now available on both routes. Book your getaway to either of these gems by visiting midwestairlines.com.

Hitch a ride to Dallas with AirTran

If you’re heading to the Big D, and we do mean Dallas, grab your partner and pony up to AirTran’s new twice-daily, nonstop flights from MKE to Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport (DFW), which started April 6. For fares worthy of a “yee haw,” check out airtran.com.

AirTran makes a home at MKE

AirTran Airways now has one more reason to call Milwaukee's Mitchell Airport home! Following the low-cost airline’s establishment of MKE as its second major hub earlier this year, it has now opened a new crew base at MKE that includes more than 50 Boeing 737 pilots and 50 flight attendants. The new base comes on the heels of major growth for AirTran, which expects to grow its daily flights from MKE to 56 by this summer. "With the right prices, we will attract customers from northern Illinois and keep Wisconsin residents from driving to Chicago for flights,” said AirTran CEO Bob Fornaro.

Delta launches mobile check-in system

Delta Air Lines is taking savvy travel to new heights, offering mobile check-in and new electronic boarding passes at MKE. Travelers can use their Web-enabled cell phones to access delta.com, follow a few easy steps, and receive a bar code allowing them to breeze through security without touching a kiosk or fumbling with a paper boarding pass. MKE is one of a growing number of airports at which airlines are offering this technology.

Win a "Hall of Fame Man-Cation!”

Men, are you faced with spending another weekend picking out new tile for the powder room or catching up on episodes of Dancing With The Stars? Well, grab your best bud because it’s time for some chest pounding and high-fiving!

Enter to win the HALL OF FAME MAN-CATION presented by Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport and Akron-Canton Airport.

Your Man-cation will take place from April 23-25 and includes:

• Roundtrip airfare for two on AirTran Airways/Skywest
• VIP Pro Football Hall of Fame Tour – Behind the scenes tour and lunch with Hall of Famer Tom Mack
• Rock & Roll Hall of Fame tour
• Indoor Rock Climbing at Kendall Cliffs
• Thirsty Dog Brewery tour
• Two night stay at the Bertram Inn at Glenmoor Country Club and meals for two
• Transportation provided by Hertz

The winner will be selected on April 18th and will be announced on www.mitchellairport.com and our Facebook page. So get your bags packed because if you win you are taking off on April 23!!!

MKE kicks off 2010 with largest ever first quarter

At MKE, our New Year’s resolution was to serve more travelers than ever. So far, so good. While nationwide passenger counts declined compared with 2009, MKE’s January passenger count soared with a 43.14 percent increase, and February and March also saw double-digit increases, making it the busiest first quarter on record.

The growth reflects the new service added over the past six months by Southwest, AirTran, Midwest, Frontier , American and Delta.

Passengers reaping rewards of airline competition

Travel writers and experts have been examining the impressive growth at Mitchell Airport, especially since the roster of low fare carriers grew after Southwest Airlines joined the party last November. The latest look came from Travel Weekly writer Michael Fabey who explained in a recent article how airlines and passengers are reaping the rewards of competitive airfares by using Milwaukee's Mitchell as an alternative airport to Chicago, calling Mitchell Airport “ripe for growth.” According to the U.S. Transportation Department, MKE’s annual passenger count grew by about 54 percent, to about 7.5 million, between 2002 and 2009, while total passenger traffic for the nation grew by only about 9 percent during those years.

MKE teams up with the Lake County Fielders

Mitchell Airport has stepped up to the plate as the Official Airport of the new Lake County Fielders baseball team for the 2010 season, which begins June 11.

As the Official Airport of the Lake County Fielders, Mitchell Airport will present:
 

• “Vegas Night,” on August 19, sending a pair of lucky fans from MKE to Las Vegas for a weekend getaway
• “How Far Did It Fly?” in-stadium promotion following every Fielders homerun
• MKE promotional night, on September 4, where the first 2,000 fans receive a special gift from MKE
• Participation in Fielders Fan Fest and other kick-off events throughout the community

“Having a presence in the heart of Lake County – home for many of our frequent business and leisure travelers – is one way we can show our allegiance to this market, and help keep Mitchell Airport top of mind as an smart alternative to other Chicago airports,” says airport spokesperson Patricia Rowe.

Food court mixes it up

When you’re traveling through MKE and you’ve got a serious case of the munchies, check out the newest additions in the main terminal food court. The newly renovated row of quick-serve restaurants now includes Quizno's, and will welcome Italian eatery Famous Famiglia later this spring.