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Several airlines launching new service at Mitchell By Andrew Weiland, staff writer The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the travel sector of the economy, including the airline industry. Passenger traffic at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport fell 61.9% in 2020 to 2.6 million passengers, down from nearly 6.9 million passengers in 2019. Many avoided traveling in 2020, opting to not take vacations or visit family and friends. Anticipating a huge pent-up
demand for leisure travel, airlines are now planning to add numerous flights, including more service at Mitchell International. Since the start of this year, three airlines have announced that they will enter the Milwaukee market. Meanwhile, other airlines already operating at Mitchell have announced plans for new routes or additional flights. The three new airlines coming to Milwaukee are New York-based
BY THE NUMBERS
Wisconsin’s population in 2020 was
5,893,718 up 3.6% from 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
4 / BizTimes Milwaukee MAY 10, 2021
JetBlue Airways, Florida-based Spirit Airlines, Inc. and Minneapolis-based Sun Country Airlines. The addition of those three airlines will increase the number of carriers serving Mitchell to 10. JetBlue will begin Milwaukee service in 2022, offering nonstop flights to Boston and New York (JFK). “JetBlue is the largest domestic airline not already serving MKE, and this will be a fantastic option for passengers traveling to and from Milwaukee in 2022,” airport director Brian Dranzik said. Spirit will launch its Milwaukee service on June 24, with daily flights to Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Orlando. Spirit will be the only airline offering direct flights from Milwaukee to L.A. “We’ve had our eye on Milwaukee for a long time, and we’re excited to bring our unique value proposition to the Brew City,” said John Kirby, vice president of network planning for Spirit Airlines. Sun Country will begin its Milwaukee service on Aug. 26 with flights to Minneapolis and Las Vegas, but only on Thursdays and Sundays. It will launch service on Saturdays from Milwaukee to Cancun on Dec. 18. Service to Fort Myers, Florida on Wednesdays and Saturdays will launch on Dec. 15. Service to Phoenix on Mondays and Fridays will launch on Dec. 17. “We know folks are excited to resume traveling,” Sun Country
chief revenue officer Grant Whitney said. Southwest Airlines already has a major presence at Mitchell International and added flights to Destin and Sarasota, Florida. The Sarasota flights began April 17 and will be offered through Aug. 14. The Destin flights will be offered on Saturdays from June 12 to Aug. 14. Also, in April Southwest increased its Milwaukee service to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, Tampa and Phoenix. “Florida continues to be the number one destination state for Milwaukee-based travelers and Southwest is responding to this demand,” Dranzik said. This summer, United Airlines is also adding more destinations from Milwaukee, including Charleston, South Carolina; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.; Pensacola, Florida; Portland, Maine; and Savannah, Georgia. The flights will generally be offered twice a week, from May 28 through Labor Day weekend. In addition, American Airlines said it will resume the Milwaukee to Miami service it offered this winter, starting on June 5, with flights offered on Saturdays through Aug. 14 and between Nov. 13 and March 22, 2022. “Thanks to more Wisconsin travelers choosing MKE and booking the flight over the winter, American is responding to demand from Milwaukee by bringing this service back to MKE,” Dranzik said. n
