Dallas-based Southwest Airlines will add additional flights from Milwaukee in the coming months, some to new destinations and in other cases offering additional flights to existing destinations.
Southwest will offer new nonstop service between Milwaukee and Miami on Saturdays during the peak spring break period, beginning March 7. Currently American Airlines offers the only direct flights between Milwaukee and Miami, also on a seasonal basis.
Beginning on March 5, Southwest will offer two daily flights between Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport. Traditionally, Milwaukee travelers have been able to fly from Mitchell to O’Hare International Airport in Chicago to connect to flights to their final destination. But a flight from Mitchell to Midway is a new option. In Chicago, Southwest primarily operates out of Midway.
Southwest will expand its service between Milwaukee and Austin, Texas, which began in March of this year, five days per week, Monday through Friday. Beginning on March 8, 2026, Southwest will add flights between Milwaukee and Austin on Sundays.
As previously announced earlier this year, Southwest will begin offering daily nonstop flights between Milwaukee and San Diego on Oct. 2, five day per week. In recent years, Southwest’s direct service from Milwaukee to San Diego has only been available on Saturdays during the summer season.
There are currently no other direct flights between MKE and California.
“Southwest’s daily nonstop service to both San Diego and Austin connect Milwaukee with two of the best cities to visit in the U.S., and the Miami flights are timed for cruises, many of which start and end on Saturdays,” Milwaukee airport director Brian Dranzik said. “By using these new flights, we can show our largest carrier that we support flight additions from MKE, which can make it easier for airlines to add more flights in the future.”
Southwest now offers nonstop flights to 19 destinations from Milwaukee.
Airlines servicing Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport now offer direct flights to 36 destinations.
Passenger traffic at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport was up 5% in 2024, with more than 6.3 million passengers. That’s the highest level of passenger traffic at the airport since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but still remains below pre-pandemic levels. The airport served nearly 6.9 million passengers in 2019.
But for the first half of 2025, passenger traffic at the airport is down nearly 9% compared to the first half of 2024, with a total of 2,874,530 passengers.
More articles about Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport:
- Q&A: Busy year ahead for Mitchell International Airport
- Mitchell Airport international terminal project cost rises to $95 million
- Construction begins on new Mitchell International air cargo facility
- Passenger traffic at Mitchell International rose 5% in 2024
