The original airfield was established in 1920 as Hamilton Airport by business owner Thomas Hamilton. Milwaukee County purchased the land on October 19, 1926, for the Milwaukee County Airport. Kohler Aviation Corporation began providing passenger service across Lake Michigan on August 31, 1929. A passenger terminal was later constructed in 1940, and on March 17, 1941, the airport was renamed General Mitchell Field after Milwaukee's military airpower advocate, Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell.

On January 4, 1945, Mitchell Field was leased to the War Department for use as a World War II prisoner-of-war camp. Over 3,000 prisoners and 250 enlisted men stayed at the work camp. Escaped German prisoners were often surprised to find a large German and Polish population just beyond the fence. The present terminal opened in 1955 and was expanded significantly between 1984 and 1990. On June 19, 1986, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors officially renamed Mitchell Field to General Mitchell International Airport.

General Mitchell International Airport covers an area of 2,180 acres (882 ha) which contains five asphalt and concrete paved runways ranging in length from 4,183 to 9,690 ft (1,463 to 2,954 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2005, the airport had 219,114 aircraft operations, an average of 600 per day: 56% air taxi, 32% scheduled commercial, 10% general aviation and 1% military.

The main building houses the Mitchell Gallery of Flight, a non-profit museum on the concession level; the usual retail outlets, including a small food court; and a branch of Renaissance Books which is believed to be the world's first used book store in an airport. An observation lot along the northern edge of the airport is open to the public, and tower communications are rebroadcast using a low-power FM transmitter for visitors to tune in on their car radios. A Wisconsin historical marker documenting the airport's history is also located there.

General Mitchell International Airport has completed a 10 gate addition to Concourse C in mid July 2007, and new rampside boarding gates for Midwest Connect in Concourse D. US Airways was moved to Concourse C, leaving all of Concourse D for Midwest Airlines and Midwest Connect). Concourse E has also been renovated due to the larger passenger volume.

General Mitchell International Airport

General Mitchell International Airport (IATA: MKE, ICAO: KMKE, FAA LID: MKE) is a county-owned public airport located five miles (8 km) south of the central business district of Milwaukee, a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States.[4]

It is named after United States Army Air Service General Billy Mitchell, who was raised in Milwaukee and is often regarded as the father of the United States Air Force. The airport is the main hub of Midwest Airlines, and a focus city for AirTran Airways. In 2007 a record 7,713,144 passengers used the airport, a 5.67 increase over 2006 with 7,299,294[5] The airport is owned and operated by Milwaukee County. Mitchell's 13 airlines offer roughly 235 daily departures (plus 240 daily arrivals). Approximately 90 cities are served nonstop or direct from Mitchell International. It is the largest airport in Wisconsin. The airport terminal is open 24 hours a day. Along with being the primary airport for Milwaukee, Mitchell International has sometimes been described as Chicago's third airport, as many Chicago travelers use it as an alternative to Chicago O'Hare and Chicago Midway.[6] It is also used by travellers throughout Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. An Amtrak railway station opened at the airport in 2005. The station is used by the Hiawatha Service line running between Chicago and Milwaukee several times daily.

In October 2007, a Condé Nast Traveler poll ranked Milwaukee County’s General Mitchell International Airport fourth in the nation using categories of Location and Access, Design, Customs and Baggage, Perceived Safety and Security, as well as Food, Shops and Amenities. Mitchell International Airport was voted the best in the nation for Ease Of Connections.[7]General Mitchell International Airport has been the focus of AirTran Airways' recently as they try to open a focus city at the airport. Since they lost out on their bid for Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines, the airline has decided to expand at the airport, added new routes in direct competition with Midwest Airlines.

The original airfield was established in 1920 as Hamilton Airport by business owner Thomas Hamilton. Milwaukee County purchased the land on October 19, 1926, for the Milwaukee County Airport. Kohler Aviation Corporation began providing passenger service across Lake Michigan on August 31, 1929. A passenger terminal was later constructed in 1940, and on March 17, 1941, the airport was renamed General Mitchell Field after Milwaukee's military airpower advocate, Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell.[8] On January 4, 1945, Mitchell Field was leased to the War Department for use as a World War II prisoner-of-war camp. Over 3,000 prisoners and 250 enlisted men stayed at the work camp. Escaped German prisoners were often surprised to find a large German and Polish population just beyond the fence.[9] The present terminal opened in 1955 and was expanded significantly between 1984 and 1990. On June 19, 1986, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors officially renamed Mitchell Field to General Mitchell International Airport.

General Mitchell International Airport covers an area of 2,180 acres (882 ha) which contains five asphalt and concrete paved runways ranging in length from 4,183 to 9,690 ft (1,463 to 2,954 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2005, the airport had 219,114 aircraft operations, an average of 600 per day: 56% air taxi, 32% scheduled commercial, 10% general aviation and 1% military.[4] The main building houses the Mitchell Gallery of Flight, a non-profit museum on the concession level; the usual retail outlets, including a small food court; and a branch of Renaissance Books which is believed to be the world's first used book store in an airport[10]. An observation lot along the northern edge of the airport is open to the public, and tower communications are rebroadcast using a low-power FM transmitter for visitors to tune in on their car radios. A Wisconsin historical marker documenting the airport's history is also located there.

Mitchell International is considering expanding the buffer zone on their runways, after the accident on January 21, 2007, when Northwest Airlines Flight 1726 skidded off the runway after aborting takeoff. According to the FAA, most airports are supposed to have a buffer zone no shorter than 1,000 feet (305 m), although many airports do not meet this requirement.

There is also a "Master Plan" idea to significantly increase terminal area by either stretching the existing terminal (in some cases, to almost double the size) or begin construction of an entirely separate terminal. Nearly all cases will involve major reconstruction on the airport itself, and will have a huge impact on the airport's future traffic.[11]

Accourding to the Fall 2007 Newsletter, the proposed Concourses F and G will be built just below the Concourse E stem[12].

General Mitchell International Airport has completed a 10 gate addition to Concourse C in mid July 2007, and new rampside boarding gates for Midwest Connect in Concourse D. US Airways was moved to Concourse C, leaving all of Concourse D for Midwest Airlines and Midwest Connect). Concourse E has also been renovated due to the larger passenger volume.

AirTran Airways has added 8 destinations, and continues to build up operations in Milwaukee, as they have moved into gates C22-C25 in Concourse C. The airline looks to expand service from Milwaukee in the future.[13][14]

Virgin America lists Milwaukee as one of 30 cities it expects to serve in the next 5 years. [15]

RyanAtlantic a planned low-cost, alternate-airport-using airline that could launch in 2009, may consider flying into General Mitchell International Airport from Trans-Atlantic locations, such as London.

Airlines and destinations

Interior of main terminalGeneral Mitchell International Airport has 50 gates on 3 concourses in one terminal. However, all international arrivals lacking border perclearence must pass through the International Arrivals Building.

Ground Transportation

Badger Coach has frequent trips between Mitchell Airport, Downtown Milwaukee, Madison, Johnson Creek, and Goerkes Corners. Airport Connection has routes from the Airport to the Amtrak Station (MKA), parking lots, Sheboygan, and the Fox Valley Area. Milwaukee County Transit System Route 80 serves the Airport. Coach USA has Frequent trips between Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Kenosha Counties. Also between Chicago-Midway, Chicago-O'Hare and General Mitchell International Airports. Amtrak has a station platform close to the airport and uses the Hiawatha Service. Wisconsin Coach Lines AS Airport Express operates frequently to O'Hare Airport (ORD), Midway Airport (MDW) and General Mitchell Airport (MKE) from Waukesha, Milwauke (Downtown Amtrak/Greyhound Station), Racine, and Kenosha.