"Hello, Milwaukee," said a man entering
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on Sunday wearing a red "Make America Great Again" cap.
"Republicans suck," a woman walking past the man said.
Thousands of people from across the nation arrived in Milwaukee this weekend for the
2024 Republican National Convention, with the airport prepped with more flights, more security and RNC-related advertising.
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On a typical summer day, Mitchell handles about 9,000 travelers arriving and 9,000 passengers departing. This weekend, it's estimated that between 11,000 and 12,000 people arrived, mostly boosted by RNC attendees, according to
Harold Mester, director of public affairs for Mitchell.
"It's similar to a typical spring break period," Mester said. "The difference here is that most of these visitors are going onto ground transportation instead of just to the parking garage."
On the peak arrival days leading up to the convention, United Airlines added eight non-stop roundtrip flights from Washington-Dulles (IAS), two from Washington-National (DCA), and two from Denver (DEN). American Airlines added a nonstop roundtrip flight from New York LaGuardia (LGA). Similar schedules will be in place for departing flights on Friday, after the convention ends.
In addition, larger aircraft were used on some flights for peak RNC arrival days.
United upgraded aircraft from regional jets to full-size mainline aircraft for some flights to Milwaukee from Newark and some from Chicago to accommodate additional passengers connecting in those cities. American will use larger aircraft for its existing Milwaukee to Washington D.C. service.
Among the Sunday arrivals was presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who landed at about 5:45 p.m., just one day after he survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Mester said he's anticipating some heightened traffic for RNC arrivals Monday morning as well, but said it will trickle off and airport traffic will return to normal throughout the week before picking up again Friday and Saturday, which are expected to be the busiest days for RNC departures.
Boosted by the RNC traffic, the airport is expecting to service 1.7 million travelers this summer.
The RNC is expected to draw 50,000 people, including nearly 4,700 delegates and alternates, 15,000 members of the media and 4,000 volunteers.
Additional security was stationed throughout the airport, including officers with long-armed guns, as well as additional airport staff helping guide visitors throughout the airport.
Advertisements for conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation are prominently displayed throughout the airport, as well as advertisements for cable network C-SPAN.
