OneJet, the Massachusetts-based airline that uses small planes to offer direct flights to mid-sized markets, announced today that it will expand its presence in Milwaukee by establishing an operating base and offering new nonstop service from Mitchell International Airport to Columbus, Ohio and to Omaha, Nebraska.
OneJet’s new operating base at the airport is expected to create 30 to 50 jobs within the next six months, including local pilots, mechanics and staff, according to Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele.
“The opening of OneJet’s base of operation at MKE creates jobs and shows that Milwaukee is on the leading edge of this new business model providing nonstop access to important destinations in the Midwest,” Abele said.
Former Midwest Airlines CEO and chairman Timothy Hoeksema organized a joint investment to enable the expansion of OneJet at Mitchell International. Hoeksema will serve in an advisory role, working alongside OneJet executives.
OneJet’s main base of operations is in Pittsburgh. Milwaukee will be a secondary operating base for the airline.
“The airline industry has undergone substantial structural changes over the past several years with the consolidation of the major network carriers,” said Hoeksema. “OneJet, with a right-sized and highly targeted model, is meeting the significant demand for nonstop service alternatives in what are relatively large regional air markets. I look forward to working with the management team to offer a continuing focus on customer service and operational excellence as the OneJet network expands.”
OneJet began service in Milwaukee in 2015 offering flights to Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. A year later it dropped the Milwaukee to Indianapolis service.
Currently there are no airlines providing direct nonstop service from Milwaukee to Columbus or Omaha. The OneJet service to those cities will begin Nov. 1.
With the addition of two flights each day to Columbus and Omaha and two flights each day from those cities to Milwaukee, OneJet will offer a total of 60 nonstop flights to and from the Milwaukee area each week.
“Milwaukee has proven to be an exceptional market for OneJet service, and this expansion underscores our commitment to bring nonstop service to important but unserved nonstop markets from MKE,” said Matthew Maguire, OneJet CEO. “We look forward to working with County Executive Abele and the Milwaukee Airport team as we evaluate additional growth in our network.”
OneJet’s flights are operated by Hawker 400XP turbojet aircraft, with the service offering amenities for business travelers, including TSA PreCheck access for eligible travelers and expedited boarding.
Traffic at Mitchell International Airport has been on the rise and several airlines have added new service there this year. For the first seven months of the year the airport has served nearly 4.1 million passengers, an increase of 2.46 percent from just under 4 million passengers during the first seven months of 2016.
Delta Air Lines announced it will launch new daily nonstop service between Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee and Salt Lake City, later this year. Earlier this year Delta launched new nonstop service from Milwaukee to Seattle and increased its Boston service to twice daily.
Southwest Airlines announced that it will add service from Milwaukee to Houston. In May, Southwest Airlines announced it would add service from Milwaukee to Nashville and from Milwaukee to Cleveland.
Frontier Airlines announced a major expansion of its network, including the addition of daily nonstop service from General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee to Miami and to Tampa, Florida, beginning this fall.
Allegiant announced that it would enter the Milwaukee market and provide nonstop service from here to Phoenix and several destinations in Florida.
Alaska Airlines launched direct service from Milwaukee to Portland, Oregon.
In March, Mexican airline Volaris began offering direct flights from Milwaukee to Guadalajara, Mexico.
