Thursday, July 29, 2004

Airfares down during last quarter in Milwaukee airport

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Airfares at Mitchell International Airport fell during the first three months of this year at one of the largest rates among the country's major airports, according to the U.S. Transportation Department.

A government index used to measure fares decreased 3.74% at Milwaukee compared with the same period in 2003, the data released Wednesday showed.

Milwaukee trailed Miami's 3.8%; Long Beach, Calif., 4.2%; Las Vegas, 4.3%; Boston, 4.5%; Santa Ana, Calif., 5.8%; and San Juan, Puerto Rico, 8%.

Cities with the largest fare increases included Honolulu, 11.8%; Richmond, Va., 9.8%; Charleston, S.C., 8.8%; and Columbus, Ohio, 7.5%.

The index, based on a sampling of airfares from U.S. travel markets based on passenger boardings, rose less than 1% on a national basis during the quarter compared with the same period in 2003.

In discussing the reason for the decline at Milwaukee, Jay Sorensen, a former Midwest Airlines executive who now runs the business consulting firm IdeaWorks in Shorewood, Wisc., said, "It's always about the competition."

"Clearly, the discount airlines are here to stay, and the legacy carriers are falling all over themselves to adapt to this new world," Sorensen added.

Find this article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2004-07-29-lower-fares_x.htm