Mitchell International one of America's fastest growing airports

[MilwaukeeMax]

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.

[skylinedude]

One thing that needs to be done at Mitchell is to have a tram or some kind of underground walkway to connect the concourses for connecting flights so that you don't have to leave a concourse and go through security lines to get to another concourse. That really needs to be done first before any consideration of trans-atlantic and pacific flights are based at Mitchell.

[MilwaukeeMax]

Originally Posted by skylinedude

One thing that needs to be done at Mitchell is to have a tram or some kind of underground walkway to connect the concourses for connecting flights so that you don't have to leave a concourse and go through security lines to get to another concourse. That really needs to be done first before any consideration of trans-atlantic and pacific flights are based at Mitchell.

I would imagine that is part of their plans for the concourse reconstruction but I'll see if I can dig up some details.

[MilwaukeeMax]

Originally Posted by skylinedude

One thing that needs to be done at Mitchell is to have a tram or some kind of underground walkway to connect the concourses for connecting flights so that you don't have to leave a concourse and go through security lines to get to another concourse. That really needs to be done first before any consideration of trans-atlantic and pacific flights are based at Mitchell.

here's one of the ideas they are considering for connecting all the concourses (as you can see them linked in green)

[bayviews]

Originally Posted by MilwaukeeMax

After so many decades in relative obscurity, its really GREAT to see that Milwaukee's Mitchell Field is finally taking off as a major airport.

For so many decades it was overlooked & under utilized.

Clearly though, Mitchell's becoming a VERY attractive alternative to satured O'Hare!

[massp88]

Originally Posted by MilwaukeeMax

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.

MKE will not see non-stop service to Asia any time soon. There are several other US cities with much larger markets, such as Boston, Philadelphia and Miami, that will see service before Milwaukee does.

[Coldwake]

Looking through the master plan, I do not see any sort of tram included unfortunately.

http://www.mitchellairport.com/masterplan.html

[MilwaukeeMax]

Originally Posted by Coldwake

Looking through the master plan, I do not see any sort of tram included unfortunately.

http://www.mitchellairport.com/masterplan.html

there is mention of a tram in the Master Plan under Alternative D:

"Alternative D1. This alternative is based on the concept of serving all existing and future concourses from a new multi-level Central Terminal that would completely replace all ticketing, baggage claim and dropoff/pickup curbside roadways in the existing passenger terminal. Existing Concourses C and D would be modified to be accessible from the new Central Terminal by an Automated People Mover (APM)."

[Jschmuck]

A good idea would be a tram or people mover from the nearby Amtrak station to the airport terminal.

[MilwaukeeMax]

Originally Posted by Jschmuck

A good idea would be a tram or people mover from the nearby Amtrak station to the airport terminal.

I agree. Actually, when they were proposing the Amtrak stop, I advocated at public meetings to pay the extra money to move the tracks over so they actually cross into the airport and the station would be within the passenger terminal to create a seamless transportation connection. I also advocated this for the KRM airport station, although I don't think anyone really listened. A tram to/from the rail stops is the next best thing, though.

[embora]

Originally Posted by Jschmuck

A good idea would be a tram or people mover from the nearby Amtrak station to the airport terminal.

Exhibit 6.1-10 shows a terminal area ground transportation center. It helps to read the text on the previous page to understand its location.

I imagine the design could be as elaborate as you wanted, such having multiple levels, whereby city buses, and shuttle buses (or tram) from Amtrak and KRM could be on one level (Ground level?); and a rapid transit station on another level (2nd floor?). The plan doesn't mention any of what I wrote in the previous sentence. I'm just imagining what this would look like based on what I've observed in airports like BWI and DCA, and how their terminal and corresponding transit facilities interact. Such an expansion would be a great opportunity to incorporate an easy to use interface with public transportation.

[Coldwake]

Not that this would actually happen, but wishful thinking says that if they went with the option to build two new concourses west of howell (alaternative E, which I think they already eliminated...) they could easily include a tram going to each concourse and to the amtrak station. That would be outside the security area though...

[MilwaukeeMax]

so, does concourse E serve the largest aircraft coming in/out of Mitchell or is that just incidental to how the drawings look on the Master Plan?

[Coldwake]

I was scanning for the word tram or things smiliar. Didn't think of APM's :-)

[MilwaukeeD]

Scott Walker will never let that tram be built, he has explicitly stated that he is against "cho cho's" and all forms of fixed-transit. Sorry airport, you'll have to live with the bus shuttle!

[MilwaukeeMax]

Originally Posted by MilwaukeeD

Scott Walker will never let that tram be built, he has explicitly stated that he is against "cho cho's" and all forms of fixed-transit. Sorry airport, you'll have to live with the bus shuttle!

hah... yeah, well, oddly enough, this is one of those cases that i don't you could possibly accomplish with a bus even if you tried. these APM trams are like horizontal elevators that move people in airports from terminal to terminal while keeping them within the boundaries of security. if you tried this with a bus, it would have to be a bus on an elevated single lane and a giant loop at either end so the bus could turn around and change directions each way. it would be the most ridiculous thing probably ever conceived.

[NeuBrew]

Originally Posted by MilwaukeeD

Scott Walker will never let that tram be built, he has explicitly stated that he is against "cho cho's" and all forms of fixed-transit. Sorry airport, you'll have to live with the bus shuttle!

Scott Walker is opposed to almost everything outside of evangelizing the automobile and adding waterslides to the zoo. With any hope, we'll have someone with vision replace him.

I agree that the Amtrak connector to the Airport would be very useful. There's a van, but I think you have to call for it. It feels isolated out there.

[MilwaukeeMax]

Originally Posted by NeuBrew

Scott Walker is opposed to almost everything outside of evangelizing the automobile and adding waterslides to the zoo. With any hope, we'll have someone with vision replace him.

I agree that the Amtrak connector to the Airport would be very useful. There's a van, but I think you have to call for it. It feels isolated out there.

the shuttles that run to/from the Milwaukee Airport Amtrak station correspond with the incoming/outgoing trains, although I suppose if your flight arrives at Mitchell at a time not very near to when the shuttle leaves, you'd either have to wait it out at the terminal or else find some other way to get to the Amtrak station. Still, with the increase in daily trains between Milwaukee and Chicago (eventually up to 17 trains a day), I would think that a tram would be a far more efficient way to move passengers back and forth between the terminal and the Amtrak station. Once the KRM is up and running, that line's airport stop could be linked together with the Amtrak station via the same tram.. it would only make sense to do it that way.

[El Mariachi]

Originally Posted by MilwaukeeMax

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.

hopefully that rumor you were talking about is true and they offer flights from Milwaukee to Amsterdam.

[Twoaday]

I don't know Baltimore's (I think this is the city) numbers but after Southwest's arrival their traffic grew to the point where true international flights came to Baltimore. How about Spain?