I was in Philadelphia when the August 1997 MKE flooding happened, and flew home the next day. When I landed in MKE the runways and taxiways were the only thing you saw – everythign else was water right up to the edge of runways and taxiways. It was amazing…like landing on water in all directions. Baggage was flooded out, and rampers drove bags out to the sidewalk and unloaded on the curb.

I really hope MKE can reopen soon. This kind of event can easily cost Republic and AirTran millions each with all the diversions, cancelations, overtime, passenger reaccommodation, and the like.