Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport

What Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport does

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) is a civil-military public airport located six miles south of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, owned and operated by Milwaukee County. Established in 1926 and entering its centennial in 2026, MKE is the sole major commercial-service airport in southeastern Wisconsin, providing nonstop service to 30+ destinations through partnerships with eight scheduled passenger airlines (Southwest, Delta, American, United, Alaska, JetBlue, Frontier, Sun Country) plus charter operators Apple Vacations and Funjet Vacations. The airport serves both originating and connecting passengers across the Milwaukee metropolitan area and the northern Illinois catchment.

The airport's core digital and operational product surface centers on terminal access, the SmartPark parking ecosystem (Hourly/Daily/Surface/Saver/Valet/Amtrak tiers, mobile app, online reservations, and a SmartPark Rewards loyalty program), and ground transportation coordination across rental cars, rideshare, public transit (MCTS GreenLine and Route 80), Amtrak rail, and coach services. Safety operations are managed via a Safety Management System with a confidential hazard-reporting portal for staff, tenants, and contractors. Notable infrastructure initiatives include the Ground Run-Up Enclosure (reducing engine-run noise by more than 50%), and the Concourse E Redevelopment Project - a federal-funded capital program to convert the former 2017-closed E concourse into a flexible-use domestic/international facility capable of handling 400 international arrivals per hour.

MKE operates as a self-sustaining county enterprise, generating revenue through Passenger Facility Charges, parking, ground transportation fees, rental car and advertising concessions (Lamar), airline rates and charges, and emerging air cargo operations (via the Crow Holdings-partnered South Air Cargo facility). Federal funding (initially $13.5 million plus an additional $8 million in May 2026 from the FAA Airport Terminals Program) is supplementing airport funds and bonding for the Concourse E build, with the project expected to deliver late 2027 without drawing on property-tax dollars.

Name

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport

Legal name

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport

Website

https://mitchellairport.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) is the public, Milwaukee County-owned civil-military airport serving southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois with nonstop service to 30+ destinations, generating revenue from Passenger Facility Charges, airline rates, parking, concessions, and air cargo operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Airport Operations

NAICS

Airport Operations (48811), Other Airport Operations (488119), Scheduled Air Transportation (4811), Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812)

SIC

Airports, Flying Fields & Airport Terminal Services (4581), Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510), Air Transportation, Scheduled (4512), Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522)

akta.pro primary industry

Aviation Infrastructure Agencies (Public Airports, Airfield Ops, Ground Access) (BPAIALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Airport Car Rental (On-Airport Concessions) (THADAAAA), Airport Retail (Duty-Free & Specialty) (THABALAC), Airport Ground Transport Terminals (Rail/Bus/Coach) (THAIALAG)

Keywords

• Commercial airport operations
• Passenger air travel services
• Airport parking facilities
• Cargo and freight handling
• Aviation ground services

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Passenger Facility Charges (PFCs): Fees collected from passengers using the airport facilities, contributing to capital improvements and debt service.
2. Parking Operations: Revenue from multiple parking facilities including hourly, daily, surface, saver, valet, and Amtrak station parking. Additional revenue from electric car charging stations at $5/charge.
3. Ground Transportation Fees: Fees charged to transportation operators including shuttles, buses, and other ground transportation services using airport facilities.
4. Rental Car Concessions: Revenue from rental car agencies operating at the airport including Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, and Sixt.
5. Advertising Concessions: Revenue from Lamar Airport Advertising who handles all advertising within MKE terminal and property.
6. Airline Rates and Charges: Fees charged to airlines for use of airport facilities including gates, baggage handling, and other operational services per the Airline Rates and Charges schedule.
7. Cargo Operations: Revenue from air cargo operations including the South Air Cargo facility project being developed by Crow Holdings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport operates a public-use commercial aviation facility providing passenger terminal services, airfield operations, parking, and ground transportation access. It generates revenue by leasing gates and operational facilities to airlines on a Rates and Charges schedule, collecting parking fees across multiple lots, taking concessions from rental car agencies and advertisers, charging air cargo operators, and assessing passenger facility charges. The airport also sells digital services including the MKE SmartPark parking ecosystem (mobile app, online reservations, and loyalty rewards) and publishes the Now Boarding in-terminal magazine.

Product overview

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport operates primarily as a passenger airport with informational and operational digital services rather than a software product company. The core digital offerings include: the main airport website providing flight information, parking services through the MKE SmartPark ecosystem (mobile app, reservations, and loyalty rewards), safety management systems (including a hazard reporting portal), and the Now Boarding in-terminal magazine. The airport is undergoing a major infrastructure transformation through the Concourse E Redevelopment Project. These products and services function together as a passenger-facing airport operations ecosystem, with the SmartPark suite serving as the primary transactional digital service and the Safety Management System serving internal airport operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MKE SmartPark: Mobile parking application for airport parking reservations and payments
• Now Boarding
• Concourse E Redevelopment Project
• Safety Management System (SMS)

Products and services

• Concourse E Redevelopment Project Major infrastructure redevelopment of the former Concourse E into a new flexible-use domestic/international concourse with two gates, featuring green roof and solar shading environmental design. When completed in late 2027, the facility will have capacity for 400 international arrivals per hour, up from the previous 140, and will create over 200 construction jobs during build-out.
• MKE SmartPark App Mobile application for Android and iOS that allows travelers to find parking options, make reservations, and use their smartphone to enter and exit parking facilities at MKE Airport, including access to the SmartPark Rewards loyalty program.
• MKE SmartPark Rewards Customer loyalty program that lets travelers earn free parking by making reservations and flying through MKE Airport. Members track points and redeem rewards for parking.
• MKE SmartPark Online Parking Reservations Online parking reservation system enabling travelers to book parking spots in advance at Hourly, Daily, Surface, and Saver lots at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport via the parking website and the SmartPark app.
• Safety Management System (SMS) Comprehensive safety management framework for MKE that provides staff, tenants, and contractors a portal to report hazardous conditions, accidents, incidents, or unsafe actions, with confidential and anonymous submission options and FAA compliance tracking.
• Flight Status Tracking Real-time flight departure and arrival status tracking system providing information on scheduled times, gate assignments, and flight status (On Time, Departed, Boarding, Delayed, En Route) for all airlines serving MKE.

Quantifiable outcome

• Increased international arrival capacity from 140 to 400 passengers per hour upon Concourse E completion
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Make-A-Wish Wisconsin and Green Bay Packers Give BackflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2026Partnership to unveil newly branded Make-A-Wish Kids Zones at MKE Airport, highlighting the collaboration between Make-A-Wish Wisconsin and Green Bay Packers Give Back initiative.
• AmtrakcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmtrak Hiawatha and Borealis rail service stops at Milwaukee Airport Rail Station. Free shuttle bus operates every 5-10 minutes, 24 hours per day between rail station and terminal. MKE offers FREE shuttle service for connecting passengers.
• Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMCTS GreenLine and Route 80 provide public transit service between downtown Milwaukee, eastern suburbs, and MKE Airport. Real-time bus arrival map located near Carousel 1.
• Lamar Airport AdvertisingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLamar Airport Advertising handles all advertising at Mitchell Airport. Contact: Jessica Sadler, [email protected], 262-994-8891.
• GO Riteway Transportation GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShuttle operator providing door-to-door airport service to hotels and all locations in southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, including Chicago.
• Badger Coaches, Coach USA, FlixBus, LamersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCoach bus operators serving cities across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio with stops at MKE Airport (stop located outside Bag Claim Exit 2).
• Crow HoldingscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for South Air Cargo facility, one of the airport's most significant development projects in decades. Milwaukee County Executive toured construction progress in March 2026.
• Uber and LyftminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRideshare services available at MKE. Uber and Lyft follow signs near Carousel 2 for passenger pickup.
• Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Sun Country AirlinescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPassenger airlines serving MKE with scheduled commercial flights. Includes major carriers (Southwest, Delta, American, United) and low-cost carriers (Frontier, JetBlue, Sun Country, Alaska). Vacation charter operators Apple Vacations and Funjet Vacations also serve MKE.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Indianapolis International Airport: Mid-size Midwest commercial airport operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority. Comparable passenger scale, similar airline mix, and parallel capital program structure (terminal redevelopment funded through a mix of bonds, PFCs, and federal grants).
• Pittsburgh International Airport: Mid-size commercial airport that recently completed a major terminal modernization program funded similarly to MKE's Concourse E project (mix of airport funds, bonding, and federal grants). Comparable scale, governance, and capex profile.
• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport: County-owned mid-size commercial hub in a peer Great Lakes metro (Detroit). Operates a similar mix of domestic/international service, parking concessions, and FAA-funded capital projects, making its operating economics directly comparable to MKE.
• Cleveland Hopkins International Airport: Mid-size Great Lakes commercial airport with comparable passenger volumes, similar carrier mix, and an analogous mix of parking, rental car, and concession revenue streams. Both airports compete with larger hubs (Chicago/Pittsburgh/Detroit) for connecting traffic.
• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport: Mid-size commercial airport with significant cargo operations (DHL Americas hub) and a parallel revenue mix. The cargo dimension makes it a particularly useful benchmark for MKE's South Air Cargo development with Crow Holdings.
• St. Louis Lambert International Airport: Mid-size US commercial airport with similar passenger throughput, parallel parking/concession revenue model, and a comparable renovation-driven capex cycle. Useful comp for MKE's Concourse E redevelopment economics.

Broad incumbents

• Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport: Larger Midwest hub airport operated by the Metropolitan Airports Commission. Operates the same core business model (parking, concessions, airline rates, advertising) at meaningfully greater scale, providing a benchmark for MKE's upper-bound non-aeronautical revenue potential.
• Chicago O'Hare International Airport: Dominant US commercial hub located ~80–90 miles from MKE. Operates the same core airport product (passenger handling, parking, concessions) at vastly greater scale and is MKE's primary competitive threat for both traffic and air service.

Regional players

• Dane County Regional Airport: Wisconsin's second commercial airport serving Madison. Smaller scale than MKE but in the same state and catchment, competing for intra-Wisconsin business travel and overlapping with MKE on certain nonstop routes.
• Chicago Midway International Airport: Mid-size commercial airport located ~80–90 miles from MKE in the same Chicago CSA. Competes with MKE for Milwaukee/northern Illinois origin traffic, particularly for Southwest and low-cost carrier routes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MitchellAirport
• Facebookfacebook.com/MitchellAirport
• Instagraminstagram.com/mitchellairport

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport