Latest news with #BrianDranzik
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
You'll soon be able to fly nonstop from Milwaukee to Detroit
Florida-based carrier Spirit Airlines will launch its nonstop flights to Detroit from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport this summer with service operating twice per week, the airport announced Wednesday. The budget airline is offering nonstop service from Milwaukee to Detroit starting June 13 on Friday and Monday with fares as low as $37 each way. These new flights from Milwaukee will be operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft featuring 174 standard seats. All flights are available for booking now at or on the Spirit Airlines mobile app. "At less than an hour of flight time, these new flights to the Motor City are significantly faster than dealing with the six-hour drive and Chicago traffic delays," said Airport Director Brian Dranzik in a statement. In Milwaukee, Spirit Airlines started serving the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport in 2021 with daily nonstop flights to Orlando, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Spirit now offers nonstop flights from Milwaukee to nine locations, including Baltimore, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando and Tampa. Some of these destinations are served seasonally. Milwaukee's airport has nonstop flights to over 35 destinations across North America. A full list of all nonstop destinations from Milwaukee can be found on the airport's website at RELATED: Traveling for spring break? Here's a look at some new nonstop flights from Milwaukee in 2025 This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Spirit Airlines Milwaukee to Detroit nonstop flights begin June 2025
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Milwaukee airport building facility to lure cargo from Chicago area
Construction is underway at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on a modern air cargo terminal that local officials say will make it easier for Wisconsin businesses to move goods domestically and internationally, but ultimate success still hinges on attracting one or more cargo airlines that can provide airlift. The speculative project will redevelop a significant portion of a former U.S. Force Reserve base into a 337,000-square-foot dedicated cargo building with parking for up to five Boeing 747-400 freighter aircraft and enhance adjacent taxiways to improve accessibility for widebody jets. An all-new airfreight facility in Milwaukee will be cheaper and more efficient for shippers in the region than having to truck goods 70 miles south to Chicago O'Hare airport, which is often congested and has high user fees, according to Milwaukee County officials and the developer. 'When this project is complete, builders and suppliers will be able to transport their raw materials and finished products in and out of Wisconsin more quickly and efficiently,' said Airport Director Brian Dranzik in a news release on a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said the four largest shippers in the state – GE Healthcare, Rockwell Automation, packaging giant Amcor and Mercury Marine, a manufacturer of boat engines – are interested in utilizing Milwaukee airport (MKE) for air transport. 'I love the fact we're taking business from Illinois,' he said in a short speech during the event, which was recorded by a local TV station. The Illinois airports Crowley alluded to are Chicago O'Hare and Chicago Rockford. O'Hare is one of the largest gateways for international cargo. Chicago Rockford is a secondary airport much closer to the Wisconsin border that has successfully created a cargo friendly alternative to O'Hare, with logistics companies renting terminal space and arranging scheduled freighter services with widebody aircraft. Many businesses located in southeast Wisconsin, including newly established tech firms, ship goods through Chicago Rockford, but the vast majority rely on feeder trucks that connect the region to Chicago O'Hare, according to local logistics experts. Crow Holdings, a privately held real estate investment and development firm with $33 billion of assets under management, is financing and managing the air logistics center in exchange for a 50-year ground lease. The facility, estimated to cost $80 million, will have high ceilings, wide open areas to facilitate storage and sorting, 68 truck docks, and stalls for 75 trailers. It is scheduled for completion in from the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program, for the taxiway improvements, and the state of Wisconsin will cover $11.2 million of the total bill, according to the airport. The project involves tearing down a vacant business park on the former campus of the 440th Airlift Wing, extending the aircraft apron to add parking for an additional freighter and reconstructing a portion of the taxiway that doesn't meet standards. The discovery that the taxiway needed replacement slowed planning and resulted in a larger footprint than the originally planned 288,000 square feet. Developers assumed the Air Force had maintained the taxiway with overlays, but the thickness was only about 11.5 inches compared to a 19-inch subbase needed to support large cargo aircraft, said Jack Rabben, Crow's vice president of industrial, in an interview. Laying the concrete deeper meant a wider footprint was needed to achieve a minimal slope, resulting in more space that could accommodate a larger building, he explained. Existing infrastructure – power, water, sewer, fiber optic cable and roadways – and the site's proximity to the main runway attracted Crow because development costs will be much lower than a greenfield facility. And those savings will pass through to users, said Rabben. Key to monetizing the infrastructure, he said, is getting a critical mass of interested shippers and logistics providers that make it economically viable for a cargo airline to offer service at MKE. Crow is also engaging cargo agents for interest in running the cargo warehouse and handling truck-to-air transfers on behalf of airlines. 'All those shippers are currently flying products into other airports in Illinois. Obviously, it doesn't make sense to fly things into Illinois only to ship them up to Milwaukee in a truck,' Rabben said. Officials said the metro area has the third-highest-per-capita manufacturing base in the country. He said shippers will save close to 60% by operating out of MKE instead of Chicago O'Hare because of the lower ground rent, building rent, taxes, landing fees and trucking costs. Unlike facilities at many airports that are antiquated and functionally obsolete, the MKE cargo terminal will be built to the latest industry standards for efficient processing. Rabben said Crow's logistics center can easily be configured for a wide range of needs, including cold storage for pharmaceuticals and perishable foods, as well as live officials said the cargo facility also has the potential to attract passenger airlines by lowering the overall operating cost for all airlines at MKE. The new southside cargo facility will function in addition to an existing one where FedEx and UPS support a limited number of flights per week. The age of the legacy facility raises questions about how long it is serviceable, but MKE spokesperson Summer Hegranes said that 'there are no plans at this time to relocate existing cargo tenants or to make any changes to their space.' Convincing cargo airlines and logistics companies to establish operations at non-major airports is a tall order because the habit to move shipments through large metropolitan airports is ingrained and difficult to change. Southeast Wisconsin has a strong manufacturing and distribution base that could support additional air cargo service in Milwaukee, but capturing business from O'Hare will be a challenge, consultant Michael Webber said two years ago when Crow first floated the project. 'I think they're in a position to certainly pick up overflow from that Chicago market,' but O'Hare has an overwhelming advantage as an international gateway with a mix of cargo carried by passenger aircraft and freighters, Webber explained. Freight forwarders like using airports with a wide range of traffic from around the world because it gives them more shipping options and the ability to create specialized routes for their customers when direct flights aren't available. Secondary airports typically secure freighter services when a logistics company has a key client, or two, with enough volume to justify chartering dedicated flights to locations where they can enjoy priority treatment, said Webber, who once studied the cargo market for the MKE airport authority. Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch. UPS getting more elbow room at Gary/Chicago airport Kuehne+Nagel moves into new cargo facility at Birmingham airport The post Milwaukee airport building facility to lure cargo from Chicago area appeared first on FreightWaves.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Milwaukee Mitchell Airport announces new nonstop flights to San Diego: What to know
Thinking of traveling to warmer destinations? Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport announced Thursday it will be offering new, nonstop flights to San Diego starting in October. The airport announced that Southwest will run flights from Milwaukee to San Diego every day of the week except Tuesday and Wednesday. Previously, the airline only operated the route seasonally on Saturdays, according to the release. Flights will start October 2, and will operate on a full-size 737 aircraft. Most of the new flights are scheduled to depart from Milwaukee in the early-afternoon, according to the release. Flights are available to book at or on the Southwest Airlines mobile app. For a full list of nonstop destinations leaving Milwaukee's airport, click here. "After testing the San Diego route on Saturdays during the last couple of summers, Southwest's expansion to the west coast shows that when our community supports new service by booking travel from Milwaukee's airport, it can help convince airlines to add more flights from MKE," said Airport Director Brian Dranzik in a statement. With these new San Diego flights, Southwest now offers 17 nonstop flight destinations from Milwaukee. The airline will also run new daily nonstop service between Milwaukee and Austin, starting in March. The airline will also offer flights to Cancun, Mexico, during March. To book, you can visit the Southwest website or mobile app. More: Air Wisconsin permanently laying off 219 workers and temporarily laying off 294 workers More: Traveling for spring break? Here's a look at some new nonstop flights from Milwaukee in 2025 This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Mitchell Airport: New Southwest flights to San Diego
