I'd guess they count it as four gates -- if the airlines want to put 4 jetways up they can. FYI a jetway was added to D46 in the last year.

Speaking of which, it struck me as odd that even as Frontier was contracting again and again, a jetway was put up on D46 (after YX/F9 swung a single jetway back and forth between D46 an D47 for 20+ years) and D30, which was said to be decomissioned because the new baggage improvements encroached on it, ended up moving a few yards and being rebuilt in the past year or so, too.

They should have spent a little money in the baggage area. Place is an embarrassment. Carpet is worn and filthy. Nasty.

The new baggage claim is all designed and ready to go, they are just waiting for the funding. In the mean time all the baggage claim carpeting is being replaced.

From the Business Journal:

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee...concourse.html

The beginning of the end for Concourse E?

As I stated previously, I believe this makes the most sense. My how far MKE has fallen the last few years.

i too have been saying this for quite a while. I'm not surprised at all.

Easy come, easy go. :(

Additional info from JSOnline:

http://www.jsonline.com/business/mit...172829721.html

Looks like the plan is US and WN swapping gates, and United consolidating with three gates on D. That, along with the move of Delta to D, means E will be deactivated.

C:
American
Southwest/Airtran

D:
Delta (six unnamed gates)
Frontier
United/Air Canada (3 unnamed gates)
USAirways D52/D56

http://milwaukeecounty.legistar.com/...E-F63EF5AA97E5

I have not done anything with monthly MKE data as of late, but the August numbers which just came out can be useful in judging how the gate swap will balance things out.

Passenger Totals, August 2012
207,541 AirTran
152,596 Delta
131,526 Southwest
66,873 United+Continental
44,951 Frontier
36,875 USAirways
28,849 American
2,551 Air Canada
1,209 Other

Change in passengers, year-over-year, for August
+60357 Southwest
+7345 Delta
+4024 United
+3179 USAirways
+823 other
-338 Air Canada
-4273 American
-73314 AirTran
-227350 Frontier

Market share August 2012
50.4% Southwest+AirTran
22.7% Delta
9.9% United+Continental
6.7% Frontier
5.5% USAirways
4.3% American
0.4% Air Canada
0.2% Other

Total passenger change, August 2012 vs 2011
902,518 2011
672,971 2012
-229,547, off -25.4%

Year-over-year change at MKE by segement
-227,350 Frontier
-12,957 Southwest+AirTran
+10,760 all other carriers


Passengers by Concourse, 2011 actual
350,562 Concourse C
374,402 Concourse D
176,117 Concourse E

Passengers by Concourse, 2012 actual
321,012 Concourse C
176,477 Concourse D (D bottomed out at 154,164 in June)
174,263 Concourse E

Passengers by Concourse 2013 using August 2012 stats and new assignments
367,918 Concourse C
308,846 Concourse D
000,000 Concourse E

The vendors on C should be okay, and while D won't likely reach levels of 2011, it should be a lot healthier than it had been. D will see only nominal amounts of connecting traffic, compared to heavy connecting volumes over the years. But it's hard to exactly know how that affects the vendors. A connecting passenger with 30 minutes between flights is worthless, while a connecting passenger with three hours between flights is golden. Harder to say with a local passenger.

Frontier lease runs into 2015...they are still on the hook.

It would be great if they could connect C and D. You see this in other airports that have downsized. It would allow people that have a little extra time to use the amenities in the other terminal. However, this would require a complete rehaul of TSA as well as the landside space, and I have not heard (or seen) any inclination of this.

I have been asked on a number of occasions at MKE if there were any way of accessing one concourse from another, without having to clear security more than once. When advised that there was not, there was visible disappointment.

With the current state of the economy and the reduced traffic levels at MKE, I don't see any changes in layout/accessibility in the near future.

Of course, anyone with a current boarding pass is supposed to be allowed on any concourse, prior to departure, but it means passing through TSA more than once.

In the MKE 20 year plan, I believe it calls for adding bridges between the secure areas to allow for this:

http://www.mitchellairport.com/files...ves7-28-06.pdf

In almost all of the alternatives, they add space in the main terminal to the East and bridges between the secure areas. With the service reductions, and most airlines not connecting passengers in MKE, I don't see them being anxious to start this project anytime soon.

http://assets.bizjournals.com/milwau...rousel.jpg?v=1

Very appropriate...before its time.

DL will be taking D43-D49. Also looks like US will be using D56 as a swing gate for two RJs.

Update on gate/concourse changes at MKE: