Spirit Airlines Coming to Mitchell Airport

Spirit Airlines will begin running non-stop flights out of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport this June.

The budget airline will run direct flights once-daily to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Orlando. Spirit will run the only non-stop flight to Los Angeles out of Milwaukee.

Las Vegas and Orlando are the company’s largest hubs in the country, said Atul Kumria, Spirit regional director, which will allow Milwaukee travelers to catch connecting flights to many other destinations.

Spirit’s new non-stop flights out of Milwaukee will begin June 24th. “We already see the level of confidence of traveling guests has gone up,” Kumria said, as COVID-19 vaccination ramps up around the country.

In the early months of the pandemic, airlines took a huge hit when business trips and vacations across the country were cancelled. At one point, air traffic in and out of Milwaukee was down approximately 90%. Now, Kumria said “demand is looking up.”

The new flights to Milwaukee are part of a bigger strategy, connecting its larger network to regional airports around the country, Kumria said. On Monday, it announced direct flights to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Fort Lauderdale out of Louisville, Kentucky.

In Milwaukee, fares for the new services will start at $69, Kumria said. Spirit runs three types of Airbus planes, which seat 148, 178 and 228 passengers respectively. Starting in 2019, the company revamped its fleet with new cabins and seats, which Kumria said are more “spacious and comfortable.”

Airport Director Brian Dranzik thanked his leadership team at the airport for working with Spirit to bring the service to Milwaukee and said “it’s always exciting” to bring in a new carrier because it adds options for travelers in Milwaukee. He also said Spirit’s low fares will “make it more affordable for people from all walks of life to fly to and from Milwaukee.”

Photos from the Announcement