New for 2015: Mitchell Intl. Airport offers new airline, nonstop flights & technology

MILWAUKEE (WITI) --  A new airline, new nonstop flights and the completion of the Baggage Claim Renovation Project. There's a lot going on at Mitchell International Airport in 2015.

In January, Frontier Airlines added a nonstop service from Milwaukee to Orlando and Fort Myers. Which is something Jim Reiser, who lives near Orlando and often flies through Milwaukee for business, is happy about.

"If the pricing was competitive and I would be able to fly direct, I would definitely go direct fly Orlando to Milwaukee instead of having a layover in Detroit or Cincinnati," Reiser said.

West coast travelers can also look forward to nonstop service to a new city when Southwest Airlines begins flights from Milwaukee to San Diego. Southwest's new nonstop San Diego service will operate every Saturday beginning April 11, 2015. The announcement also included additional flight frequencies to Denver and Orlando. Southwest's flights can only be booked online at Southwest.com.

Plus, Alaska Airlines will become the eighth airline to serve Milwaukee when it begins daily nonstop service from Milwaukee to Seattle on July 1st. The new service will open up additional easy one-stop connections for a number of cities in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii. Sale fares for the Milwaukee-Seattle route start at just $119 each way until December 1. Alaska's flights can be found online at www.alaskaair.com.

"No tax dollars of any kind come to this airport from Milwaukee County. We are completely self sufficient, so when you choose this airport over other airports in the region, you are helping to grow the air travel economy here," said Harold Mester, Mitchell Airport Public Relations Manager.

Summer 2015 will also bring the completion of the airport’s $45 million Baggage Claim Renovation Project. The interior and exterior of the building are being fully rebuilt, including new baggage handling systems, large windows and skylights to provide natural light, terrazzo floors and the addition of a new glass canopy extending over the vehicle roadway.

The renovations will create an improved customer experience and first impression for Milwaukee. The first phase of the project opened to the public on September 3, 2014.

Airport officials are reminding those picking up family and friends at the airport to use the hourly parking structure while the baggage claim area is under renovation.