SkyWest will offer flights to Milwaukee

Omahans will soon have even more ways to get to the land of beer and brats.

SkyWest Airlines announced Wednesday that it plans to offer three daily, nonstop flights between Eppley Airfield and Milwaukee. The flights will begin Feb. 11.

They will leave Omaha at 5:50 a.m., 10:35 a.m. and 4:25 p.m. One-way ticket prices will range from $64 (Internet specials) to $270.

Currently, Midwest Airlines is the only airline offering nonstop flights from Omaha to Milwaukee.

SkyWest also will offer three daily flights to Milwaukee from Des Moines starting Feb. 11.

Under an agreement with AirTran Airways, SkyWest passengers will be able to travel from Milwaukee to several major cities, including Atlanta, Boston and Washington, D.C. All flights can be booked through AirTran’s Web site.

SkyWest already flies in and out of Eppley, but for other airlines. With this new service, SkyWest will have its own presence at Eppley, said Steve Coufal, executive director of the Omaha Airport Authority.

The announcement of the new service to Milwaukee comes on the heels of newly announced flights from Omaha to Orlando and Tampa on Midwest Airlines.

Coufal said Omaha is an attractive market for new flights because the recession hasn’t affected this region’s economy as much as other areas. Eppley Airfield hasn’t experienced as sharp a drop in passenger traffic as other airports have experienced. Passenger traffic at Eppley was down 0.7 percent in September and down 3.6 percent through the first nine months of 2009.

“We’re very pleased that Airtran and SkyWest Airlines have considered Omaha for new markets,” Coufal said.

Contact the writer:

444-1149, tom.shaw@owh.com