American Airlines will add nonstop service between Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport and Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C., beginning Oct. 5.
Once launched, the new twice-daily route will be one of two nonstop service options from MKE to DCA. Southwest Airlines currently offers daily service with weekday departures from MKE at 7:50 a.m. and 4:05 p.m.
American’s flights will depart MKE at 6:13 a.m. and 1:39 p.m., with return flights departing DCA at 11:34 a.m. and 7:50 p.m., which will accommodate “families and school trips visiting museums and monuments in the nation’s capital,” according to a news release from Mitchell International.
What’s more, the service will launch as Milwaukee prepares to welcome upwards of 45,000 visitors for the Republican National Convention next July. Travelers coming to town ahead of and during the four-day event will now have another option to fly directly into Milwaukee.
“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,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said in a statement.
The flights will be operated with dual-class CRJ-700 aircraft.
“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,” said Mitchell International airport director Brian Dranzik. “American’s decision to offer two daily flights will be a big hit with travelers, and DCA also provides another easy connection point to access other east coast markets.”
In addition to the new route to Washington, DC., American already flies daily nonstops from MKE to Dallas/Fort Worth, Charlotte, Phoenix, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Beginning Nov. 4, American will also fly nonstop between MKE and Miami on Saturdays.
