MILWAUKEE — Most of us just assume flying out of Chicago is cheaper, even though Milwaukee's airport is closer.
But what if it was actually cheaper to fly out of MKE?
That's an idea being promoted by Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport officials, according to our news partners at the Milwaukee Business Journal.
According to their reporting, Milwaukee's airport is making the case that flying local is not only cheaper and more convenient - but if more of us fly local, that will lead to more direct flights in the future.
Mitchell airport director Brian Dranzik tells the BizJournal, "We’ve done some analytics ourselves on cost and actually the all-in costs many times if not every time is cheaper."
The cost comparison includes aspects like parking, travel time, fuel prices and overall convenience.
Other airports are in the same boat as Milwaukee: being overshadowed by a nearby larger city's airport; or in other words, a region being serviced by a variety of airports.
For example, San Jose Airport is close to both the Oakland and San Francisco airports; Rhode Island T.F. Green Airport is close to Boston Logan Airport, airport officials point out.
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Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce president Tim Sheehy described it to the BizJournal as "short-term pain, long-term gain." The short-term pain is that currently out of Milwaukee, a traveler might not get a direct flight. But if more people choose to fly out of Milwaukee, that demand would be an incentive for the airlines to offer more non-stop flights out of MKE.
An example of that is Alaska Airlines. The Seattle-based airline reported Milwaukee as one of their "fullest" markets in 2022, meaning they could fill the most seats in their flights out of Milwaukee. Due to that demand, Alaska Airlines expanded flights out of Milwaukee that summer.
The moral of the story, at least for now, is don't assume your flight will be cheaper out of O'Hare. Check Milwaukee's options as well and come up with a plan that works for you. Also, stay abreast with flight announcements out of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.
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