Mitchell International climbing airport ranks with improvements, nonstop and direct flights

MILWAUKEE’S window to the world is opening farther every day. One of the first airports in the country to return to pre-9/11 activity levels, General Mitchell International Airport continues to set passenger-boarding records almost monthly.

Overshadowed in the past by Chicago’s O’Hare, Mitchell today is benefiting from its manageable size, convenient location and significant number of non-stop flights and destinations, notes Patricia A. Rowe, marketing manager.

“We are 50th busiest airport in the U.S, but are 34th in terms of cities served by non-stop flights,” she points out. While comparable in size to airports in Columbus, Ohio, and Albuquerque, N.M., Mitchell’s status as a hub for Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines puts it in league with much larger airports.

National magazine’s readers rate Mitchell fifth best airport

A POLL of Conde’ Nast Traveler readers, published in the October, 2006, issue, rated General Mitchell International the fifth-best airport in the country for business travelers. Mitchell, which was was tied with the Pittsburgh airport, ranked behind only the airports in Portland, Oregon; Tampa and Orlando, Florida, and Reagan in Washington D.C. Mitchell was the only airport in the top 10 to score highest in three categories – ease of connections, customs and baggage and safety/security.

Mitchell’s 12 airlines offer more than 230 daily departures. Ninety cities are served by nonstop or direct flights, including regularly scheduled service to Toronto, Ontario. In addition to regularly scheduled service, the airport is a departure point for numerous charters, including Milwaukee-based Mark Travel Corp.’s Funjet excursions to Las Vegas, Caribbean and Mexican resorts.

Other developments that have spurred traffic include:

• Establishment of an Amtrak station on the grounds of the airport, giving it an added distinction among the nation’s airports and improving access for residents of Illinois.
  
  
• Renovation of the main public concourse that added nationally known amenities, while preserving many of the airport’s customer-friendly features.
  
  
• Expansion of security checkpoints to speed movement into the concourses, and  ongoing improvements on the three boarding concourses.

Since the completion of the Amtrak station, Mitchell has seen a steady increase in use of the airport by Illinois residents. Spurred for a time by an advertising campaign calling Mitchell “Chicago’s third airport,” traffic from Illinois is now about 500,000 of the more than 7 million passengers served annually.

Rowe sees the Illinois total rising as development continues along the I-94 corridor between Milwaukee and Chicago. She believes the ongoing efforts to make Mitchell more user friendly than the “intimidating” O’Hare will solidify its position as the primary departure point for residents of Wisconsin and the cities just across the border.

Unlike many large U.S. airports which place primary emphasis on concourses that serve only ticketed passengers, Mitchell’s public concourse now includes national vendors and Milwaukee-only vendors and services. A replica of a Curtiss Pusher aircraft built by a rival to the Wright Brothers “flies” above the Brooks Brothers outlet and digital screens showing arrivals and departures are just a few feet from the Information Center, where volunteers answer the questions of visitors.

After passing through expanded security checkpoints, travelers will soon find remodeled boarding areas with added food service and other amenities. By next summer, Concourse D will be devoted only to arrivals and departures of Midwest Airlines. Work on improvements in the airport’s two other concourses also is moving ahead rapidly, notes Rowe.

Mitchell’s emphasis on artistic enhancements also places it in the forefront of the nation’s airports. Milwaukee County, which operates Mitchell, mandates an artistic component of 1% of all improvement projects and Mitchell has used the funds for emphasized and informative projects.

Neon installations greet travelers through the parking structure, along with Dennis Oppenheim’s Submerged Vessels sculpturejust before they enter the terminal. Renovation of Concourse C includes floor mosaic tile medallions by acclaimed artist Carlos Alves. The colorful mosaics illustrate various Wisconsin economic and cultural themes.

Hanging and wall-mounted aluminum sculptures by Milwaukee artist Richard Taylor will be unveiled in November on Concourse D.

While the future of Mitchell International is at least partially tied to the success of its hub carrier, airport director Barry Bateman believes current and planned improvements will continue to attract new airlines and stimulate more business for the region.

Scott Walker, Milwaukee County Executive, is equally optimistic. “The impact of General Mitchell International Airport on Milwaukee County and our region cannot be overrated,” he said earlier this year. “Milwaukee County’s airport serves as the front door to this region. Recent improvements have made that door more welcoming to the world.”