Mitchell makes its case for saving time, money at airport (Kenosha News)

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BY MELINDA TICHELAAR
Average airfares cheaper than Chicago's O'Hare, study shows

If you're still flying out of O'Hare, you might be wasting your time and paying too much.

That's what the most recent statistics from Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee say.

The average passenger traveling through Mitchell pays $246 for a ticket. The average passenger going through O'Hare pays $327.

"The perception is that since O'Hare is bigger, it must have better prices, but that is hardly the case," said Jamie Rybarczyk of Milwaukee.

He was recently at Mitchell dropping off his wife, Jenny, for a business trip, but he's still crowing over the great tickets he got for their trip to Germany last year. They shopped for the best prices online and saved $200 per ticket by choosing Mitchell over O'Hare.

"Mitchell is underrated," Jenny Rybarczyk said before she hopped her flight to Indianapolis. "The tickets are cheaper, getting in and out of here is so much easier, and parking is cheaper."

The addition of Southwest Airlines to Mitchell's lineup also is making it easier for travelers to find good deals without heading to Illinois.
More passengers

Passenger traffic at Mitchell is skyrocketing. In February, 668,504 people traveled through Mitchell compared to 500,025 in February 2009.

"We're going through the roof compared to most airports right now," said Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker. "It used to be you'd go to O'Hare because even though it was a hassle, it was cheaper. That's not true any more. Mitchell is more convenient, and it's a better overall experience than O'Hare or Midway."

The increased passenger traffic means you'll be sharing the terminal with a few more people. However, the folks at Mitchell have put convenience to the test: They asked someone to park in the farthest parking spot, check in, go through security, and walk to the farthest gate. The entire operation took just 10 minutes.
O'Hare vs. Mitchell

There are other things that differentiate Mitchell from O'Hare:

- The rental cars at Mitchell are in the garage right across the street from the terminal; at O'Hare, a shuttle bus takes passengers to the various agencies.

- Long-term economy parking is just $5 a day at Mitchell versus $17 a day at O'Hare.

"The one complaint we used to hear was that there was nothing to eat or do once you got past security. That's not true any more," said Mitchell marketing manager Pat Rowe.

Travelers - not taxpayers - have funded $200 million in improvements at the airport in the past eight years. "Now, on the other side of security you can eat well and really enjoy yourself."

This year, Usinger's and Johnny Rockets will open restaurants on the D Concourse. The Nonna Bartolotta's restaurant on the D Concourse also is expanding to add more "patio" seating.
Family friendly

Mitchell is family-friendly, too. All the bathrooms have child-height sinks and changing tables. All the concourses have kid play areas and family bathrooms. The family bathroom next to the play area on the D Concourse has a special "pebble" floor and a blue and green decorative toilet seat.

Bill Mosley of Washington, D.C., travels through Mitchell twice a year with his family to visit grandparents in the Libertyville area.

"Of all the airports I've ever seen, this has to be the most kid friendly," he said on a recent afternoon while waiting for a plane with his 6-year-old son, Nelson. "It's easy to get around, easy to get to the car rental, easy to get in and out, and the tickets are comparable to O'Hare."

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