American Airlines Announces Daily, Nonstop Flights to D.C.

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. Image from the airport.

American Airlines is adding new daily, nonstop flights between Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport and Ronald Reagan International Airport (DCA) in Washington D.C.

The airline will begin running two roundtrip flights a day on Oct. 5 this year between Milwaukee and the nation’s capital. The service is expected to be heavily used in part because of the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC) being held in Milwaukee in July 2024.

“We are expecting to see a considerable uptick in travelers between Milwaukee and Washington not only during the convention itself, but also in the months leading up to the convention,” County Executive David Crowley said. Milwaukee Mitchell is owned and operated by Milwaukee County. The RNC is scheduled to run from July 15 – 18.

Beyond the RNC, the flights are expected to be useful for families and school trips visiting Washington D.C., and the local business community. “These new flights to DCA will offer a schedule that favors Milwaukee-based business travelers, allowing them to fly to DC, conduct a full day of work, and then fly back to MKE on the same day, avoiding the cost of a hotel stay,” Airport Director Brian Dranzik said, adding that Reagan International will also offer additional opportunities for connecting flights to other cities and areas along the east coast.

Reagan International offers a connection to 85 other destinations through American Airlines, according to Brian Znotins, the carrier’s senior vice president of network and planning.

American is the third largest carrier for Milwaukee Mitchell in terms of passengers and runs daily nonstop flights to Dallas-Ft. Worth, Charlotte, Phoenix, Philadelphia, and Chicago. The airline also plans to begin offering a nonstop flight to Miami once a week from Milwaukee on Saturdays.

The nonstop trips to D.C. will be flown on a Bombardier CRJ-700, according to the airport.