Expansion of discount airline routes is driving down prices at Mitchell International Airport. The newest arrival, Southwest Airlines, joins AirTran as another option for low cost flights at the Milwaukee airport. Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s own Midwest Airlines has announced plans to increase service levels to compete with the carriers.
The competition resulting in cheaper flights at Mitchell may benefit Wisconsin’s leisure, business and convention travel. “It does making it more attractive when we’re trying to book Midwest meetings and other national meetings if the airfare is competitive,” says Julia Hertel, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus.
Wisconsin business travel, which normally peaks in the fall and spring, has been down with the recession. But people traveling on the company dime may come back on their own time. Hertel says they’ve seen business travelers who’ve made their first trip to Wisconsin coming back for leisure.
