Milwaukee Airport also known as General Mitchell International Airport, denoted by three letter code MKE is located 5 miles south from the city centre. It is named after General Billy Mitchell of United States Army Service, who was from Milwaukee and regarded as father of US Air force.
Milwaukee is the main hub for Midwest Airlines and secondary hub of Air Tran. It is often referred to as third airport for Chicago as many Chicago travelers sometimes use it if they find it challenging to get to Chicago Midway or Chicago O’Hare. It is used by air travelers from throughout Northern Illinois and Wisconsin. It occupies an area of 2,180 acres and contains five concrete and asphalt paved runways. On an average 600 aircrafts arrive and depart from Milwaukee.
The original airfield was established by businessman Thomas Hamilton in the year 1920 and named it as Hamilton Airport. On 19th October 1926, the land was purchased by Milwaukee County paving the way for commercial passenger service. On 13th August 1929 Kohler Aviation Corporation started operations across Lake Michigan.
The airport is well connected to the city. The airport has an Amtrak railway station operational since 2005. It is used by the Hiawatha service line operating between Milwaukee and Chicago several times daily. Airport Express and Wisconsin Coach Lines run services connecting the three airports i.e. O’Hare, Midway and Milwaukee.
Milwaukee airport has the unique distinction of being the first airport in the world housing used books store. The main building is home to Mitchell Gallery of Flight, a museum, the regular retail outlets, a small food court, an observation lot and FM transmitter. The city itself is famous for Summerfest and many other cultural and ethnic events and also is home to Harley Davidson and Miller Brewing Company.