Students more likely to travel via airlines because of expanding presence in Milwaukee
The arrival of Southwest Airlines and the expansion of AirTran Airways at General Mitchell International Airport offer students more options and cheaper fares for getting home for winter break.
Southwest now offers 12 nonstop flights out of Milwaukee to Phoenix, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Mo., Baltimore/Washington, D.C., Orlando and Tampa.
AirTran, in conjunction with Skywest, Inc., added 18 new nonstop routes to its Milwaukee network from Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Omaha, Indianapolis, Des Moines and Akron/Canton, Ohio. AirTran will add two of these destinations each month for the next three months.
With these additions, passengers can now fly to 50 cities out of Mitchell Airport.
The entry of Southwest and the increase in AirTran routes are combining to drive fares down, said Pat Rowe, spokesperson for Mitchell Airport.
“Fares are always lower when there’s competition on certain routes,” Rowe said.
Competition brought to an airport with a new carrier known for its low fares means passengers can pay lower fares than they’re used to, she said.
The average domestic itinerary airfare for Mitchell Airport dropped by 15.2 percent from 2008 to 2009, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data. The national average domestic itinerary airfare dropped by a 13 percent in the same time period.
The average domestic airfare for Milwaukee in the second quarter of 2009 was $272.93 and the national average was $301.26, according to federal DOT data.
At airports with low fare carriers, like Chicago’s Midway Airport, low fares tend to “stick around” instead of just appearing with the arrival of a new airline, Rowe said.
Some Marquette students will be traveling home differently because of the new low fares out of Mitchell.
Joe Lorbert, a junior in the College of Business Administration, said price is the biggest factor for him when choosing an airline.
Lorbert said he usually takes the bus home to St. Louis because flying is so expensive. Now that Lorbert can fly home for under $100 with AirTran, he said he’ll probably do that instead.
Hannah Fogarty, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, only goes home for winter and spring breaks because of the cost of flying to Reading, Pa.
Fogarty said if Southwest or AirTran is significantly cheaper, it would allow her to go home for Thanksgiving. She said she’s willing to fly to a different airport if it would mean a cheaper flight.
“(Driving) an hour for me is worth the money,” she said.
Taylor Trovillion, a sophomore in the College of Communication, is excited to fly Southwest not because of its low fares, but because of its simple frequent flyer program.
Trovillion, who estimates she will have flown 6,500 miles by the end of the year, said Southwest frequent flyer miles accumulate quickly. Every eight round-trip flights earn a free flight, she said.
When it comes to redeeming the free flight, there is no discrimination for flight times and blackout days aren’t as strict as they are at other airlines, Trovillion said.
Another aspect Trovillion likes about Southwest is how a passenger’s first two checked bags fly free. She said this usually saves her $30.
