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AEROTROPOLIS | Mitchell Airport / Port of Milwaukee

698K views 4K replies 147 participants last post by  mketraveler 
#1 ·
An article in this recent issue of USA Today highlights the growth of Mitchell International Airport-- bucking the trend of most other American airports which have been dropping in passenger numbers, Mitchell keeps setting new records. These numbers are bound only to go up even further as High Speed Rail brings the Chicago market even closer and will, for the first time, provide a rail link to those from the western suburbs of Brookfield and Oconomowoc as well as travelers from Madison who will want to take advantage of the far greater variety of destinations and less expensive ticket prices available at Mitchell, as opposed to Dane County regional.

New travelers coupled with new airlines and planned airport upgrades will surely make this growth considerable. The airport is already undertaking an extension of its runways... another runway is planned and expansions and additions to the passenger concourses is also part of the next stage of development. The current international terminal is also going to be moved so that it is connected to the domestic terminals. This development, along with the extended runways very well may bring regular trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific service to Mitchell.
 
#42 · (Edited)
^ A quick look at the individual websites shows that indeed Mitchell has been busier than Indy, St.L, Cincy, Cleveland, but not K.C. All stats are self reported.

Total Passengers for June 2010
  • O'Hare 5,794,650 (May)
  • Minny 3,023,881
  • Detroit 2,976,230
  • Chi Midway 1,564,088 (May)
  • Kansas City MCI 945,892
  • Milwaukee Mitchell 922,984
  • Cleveland 885,365 (May)
  • Cincy CVG 714,939
  • Indy 675,519
  • St.Louis 656,286
  • Omaha 415,914
  • Des Moines 171,036
  • Columbus 161,038
  • Dayton 121,514
 
#43 ·
okay, so it's a bit inaccurate perhaps (to compare different months of traffic with each other), but the numbers from the BTS website through April 2010 added to the additional month (May or June) as indicated by JPIllinois above, total passengers (with one month missing) for 2010 for these midwestern airports is as follows:

ORD 57.8 mil
MSP 31.6 mil
DET 30.4 mil
MDW 18.3 mil
STL 12.4 mil
MCI - 10.9 mil
CVG - 10 mil
MKE - 10 mil
CLE - 9.9 mil

IND 7.9 mil
CMH - 6.2 mil
OMA - 4.6 mil
DSM - 1.8 mil

So, it would appear that MKE has leapfrogged Cleveland, Indianapolis, Columbus, and (most likely by now) Cincy. Perhaps Kansas City by the end of the year too. Interesting to note that St. Louis' airport, while still in the 4-spot for total passengers, has been having a steady decline in traffic and is shrinking in size in terms of these numbers by about 6%. Cleveland has lost about 8%. Cincy has been losing passengers even more drastically and has shrunk by about 20%, while MKE has been growing by 25% or more in that time period.
 
#44 ·
Looks like quite a tussle for 5th place. The trends are good for KC and MKE but with such a huge population of Northern IL and a sizable outstate WI and MKE collar counties to draw on, MKE may get the nod at #5. Pretty big gap between #5 and #4 though.

Having 8 lanes of expressway between Chicago and Milwaukee, plus Amtrak, plus Metra Regional Rail makes the inter-connectivity between the two cities a plus for Mitchell. Air Tran and Southwest are in MKE to make big growth!
 
#45 ·
^chicagoland's 3 northenmost counties (lake, mchenry, & Kenosha) total over 1.2 million people, and if you add that figure to Milwaukee's CSA population of 1.7 million, then we're looking at a potential MKE market closing in on 3 million people. With destinations increasing and prices decreasing, I'd say MKE does have a real shot at number 5 in the Midwest. Midway will be a tougher hill to climb.
 
#46 ·
Not to mention that the collar counties of Walworth, Jefferson, Sheboygan, Fond du Lac, and Dodge add another 500,000. Realistically, the Census Bureau should add these counties to MKE's CSA.

I also see in the 2040 NE Illinois Transportation Plan, widening the 5 mile stretch of I-94 between IL173 and the WI-IL state line to 4 lanes is recommended.
 
#53 ·
According to my calculations on 2009 commuter data (Economic Exchange) supplied by the Census Bureau, Walworth and Jefferson and Dodge Counties have a good chance of being included in both the Milwaukee MSA and CSA. The statisticians at the Bureau will have to settle that one. I can't get anyone at the CB to provide the exact calculation to verify mine.

Interesting to note that Kenosha technically meets the criteria for inclusion into the Milwaukee CSA but it has even a higher exchange with the Chicago CSA, so Chicago takes it.

Separate topic, but possible for Milwaukee and Chicago could be combined into one mega CSA like Baltimore and Wash DC.
 
#62 ·
are you ignorant? this isn't about bragging rights-- the size of a metro area as designated by the US Census makes a big difference, politically. Larger metros get a bigger piece of the pie when it comes to federal funding. To say that this is purely statistical data just for governmental knowledge shows a dizzying level of ignorance. Political maps are drawn based on population. Federal representation in the House is based on population. Federal grants for transportation and other infrastructure go first to areas that have been defined as having higher populations. Businesses look at these numbers when they are considering where to locate their offices. Conventions and other events factor in the numbers when they are looking for host cities. This isn't a "my metro is bigger than your metro" argument. This is about money and power and people's lives. To think that Chicago doesn't try to boost its size and population numbers just like every other city is nonsense. Chicago area gains when it is perceived to be larger. My point is that they may have successfully painted themselves to be bigger than they actually are-- it's not impossible to influence the US Census Bureau-- after all, they're only human too.
 
#69 · (Edited)
that's quite a lovely tin foil hat you got there. i'm sure it'll protect you from the chicago menace.






Mitchell has about the same number of people within 100 miles or so, probably more, as the total population of IA, SD, and ND combined.
within a 100 mile radius of mitchell airport lies not only all of milwaukee's metro, but also the bulk of chicagoland as well, thus putting the population of that area far ahead of IA, SD, and ND combined.
 
#63 ·
congrats to mitchell

but i dont think itll pass the top ones in the midwest..

chicago ohare- dont even have to explain

minneapolis-st.paul- its in the middle of an area of over 3 million people, plus your going to get those from wisconsin who are right across the border and want to go to the closest one, and i know alot of people from iowa, north/south dakota fly through msp because the flights there are better then the ones there... it probably helps to that the Mall of America is right next door and thats a MASSIVE tourist spot

Detroit- dont have to explain again
 
#72 ·
Monday, October 4, 2010, 11:27am CDT
Mitchell again reports record passenger count
THE BUSINESS JOURNAL OF MILWAUKEE


Read more: Mitchell again reports record passenger count - The Business Journal of Milwaukee

A record number of passengers traveled out of Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport in August, according the latest figures released by the airport.
The airport served 943,323 passengers, an increase of nearly 20 percent compared with August 2009 levels.
The August total marks 12 straight months of record passenger growth and surpasses the previous single-month highs of 922,984 passengers in June and 928,497 passengers in July.
In the first eight months of 2010, the airport has served about 6.6 million passengers, an increase of about 30 percent over the same period in 2009.
“Students and families were able to travel on super-low fares in August before heading back to school,” Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker said. “Visit Milwaukee also had a good summer convention season and more and more business travelers are choosing a low-fare ticket to help with their company’s bottom line.”
About 43,000 more passengers made connecting flights in Milwaukee this August compared with August 2009, reflecting the growth in AirTran’s and Frontier’s hubs, airport director Barry Bateman said.


Read more: Mitchell again reports record passenger count - The Business Journal of Milwaukee
 
#75 ·
partially. it also has to do with the fact that Mitchell is more attractive to air travelers from metropolitan Milwaukee than O'hare. I used to come down to O'hare to get flights (mostly international) because they tended to be cheaper but now even my flight I priced to Tokyo was cheaper from Milwaukee than it was from Chicago. And not just a couple of bucks cheaper but more like $100 or more discounted. That and Milwaukee is regaining its hub status with Airtran (now merging with Southwest) and Frontier passengers making a lot of connections through Mitchell.
 
#74 ·
^Yep. Michell's own estimates are that 30% of their passenger count is from Northern Illinois. It is a 30 min. drive from Waukegan and 45 min from Lake Forest. As the discount airlines have discovered this niche market their offerings have grown exponentially. While the destination options are nowhere near Midway options, it has grown substantially with Air Train, Midwest Express, Southwest, United+ Continental Express, American Air and a good dose of Frontier Air that serves the West and Northwest US. Also Air Canada, Delta and US Airways.

It has in fact become the No. Suburbs discount airfare counter part to Midway. From the No. Burbs the trip to Midway is dreadful. Google lists it at 1.5 hours, but any kind of traffic will skew that to 2 hours. Meanwhile long term parking at Mitchell is $5.00/day and the terminal is a breeze. And success is breeding success; as more city destinations are offered, more travelers opt for MKE and the passenger counts rise and the airlines rush to serve the market.
 
#83 ·
Don't forget that a large percentage of Wisconsin residents have historically used O'Hare, to the point that Milwaukee's airport and flight options have suffered. Look at most metro areas with 2M residents and you will find that MKE has not kept pace, until now.

Mitchell is a convenient draw from Lake, McHenry, Kenosha, Walworth, Racine, Rock, Jefferson, Waukesha, Washington, Ozaukee, Milwaukee, Dodge, Fond du lac and Sheboygan counties. That's a draw of at least 3.5M residents.
 
#77 · (Edited)
just wait until they officially rename it "Chicagoland's General Mitchell International Airport" and then we can all watch the steam shoot out of MilwaukeeMax's ears. :lol:

i find his anti-chicago resentment strange and hilarious. it takes a very special person to get personally offended by census bureau metropolitan area divisions.
 
#78 ·
yeah I mean it's the same with BWI complimenting DC (on a smaller scale in our case). embrace the fact that people from a larger nearby city are using it, don't scoff at it. it's a win-win for the out-of-towners/staters that use it as a convenienent alternative and for the state and city in which the airport resides. those people from Illinios are what's really giving this airport so much potential to become so busy and become larger. more routes for everyone!
 
#79 ·
Great news, no matter where the increase in passengers is coming from.

I remember in June or so hearing the director expressing interest in adding a non-stop flight to Europe, does anyone know if that has any chance of happening? Besides my own vested interest in not having to drive to Chicago, it seems like that would eliminate one of the last barriers preventing even more Chicagoans from using Mitchell.
 
#80 ·
ugh... i am certainly not at all bothered by northern illinoisans (shall we call them NOILans?) using Mitchell or being part of the growth there, but i just wanted to point out that they don't make or break Mitchell and aren't entirely responsible for its growth, either.. my point was that a number of wisconsinites used to use O'hare because it was cheaper and now can use their hometown airport because it has better prices. Midwest Airlines was largely responsible for keeping prices inflated at Mitchell during their tenure there.
 
#81 ·
Max, the simple fact is that if Chicagoland weren't there, Milwaukee does not itself have the O&D traffic to drive this growth. True, MKE was probably a bit underserved in the past to a small extent, but the massive driver of the growth is the LCCs adding cheap flights and N. IL suburbanites taking advantage. It isn't just a minor factor, it's the main one.
 
#82 ·
LOL...

if Chicago wasn't there, Mitchell would be MUCH bigger as it geographically would be suited to replace O'Hare, a hub largely due to its central location along flight paths in the U.S.
Also, if Chicago wasn't there, Milwaukee, as a city, would probably be much larger as well-- but that's another discussion...
 
#87 ·
I dont' know Crank, one could hypothesize that the FIB's, due to their great exposure to public transportation options, are more inclined to take public transportation or some other means of mass transportation vs the WI traveler who leans more on the car. Thus you'd see a greater ratio of WI cars to WI passengers then you would see FIB cars to FIB passengers.
 
#88 · (Edited)
the whole debate about whether wisconsinites or northern illinoisians are driving growth more at mitchell is silly because there's obviously a domino effect feed-back loop going on here. the increasingly competitive airline market at mitchell has allowed more northern illinoisians to discover mitchell as an airport option, and they drive more flight options at mitchell, and the more flight options that become available, the more milwaukeeans who will be inclined to use mitchell instead of going down to ohare, and that in turn drives even more flight options, which then allows even more northern illinoisians to discover mitchell as an airport option, which means even yet more flight options, which again causes even more milwaukeeans to forgo ohare and choose mitchell, and so on and so forth.

the important thing is that the milwaukee market is finally beginning to see airport service levels appropriate for a city of its size instead of wallowing under the ohare shadow. the fact that some of that growth in service has been driven by northern illinoisians shouldn't really bother milwaukeeans unless they are hardcore, inferiority-complex-ridden, FIB-haters.
 
#91 ·
I just booked a rountrip direct flight from MKE to California, during this year's holiday season, for around $200 on Airtran. You just can't beat the prices at MKE and it's no wonder that it is growing in popularity. Madison and Chicago's lowest fares for the same itenarary started around $350 and would have both included layovers at that price.
 
#93 ·
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