Airport sings the blues - and loves it

Some airports are actually trying to do something about those airport blues. At Milwaukee, about 90 miles north of Chicago’s O’Hare, they’ve been luring customers away from the big city for a long time with promises of a smoother trip. Milwaukee draws a half million travellers a year from the wealthy suburbs of Chicago’s North Shore. The Milwaukee airport has long tried to position itself as a hassle-free or at least a less hassling alternative to O'Hare, with trees and natural light prominent themes in the airport. Aware that it can't just rely on its geographic advantage, they’re adding sweeter tunes. Milwaukee General Mitchell Airport’s ‘Airplay: MKE Never Sounded Better’ offers free downloads of jazz and blues from local but well-known musicians. MKE is the code of the Milwaukee airport, named after famed US Army Air Corps General Billy Mitchell, a local boy who made good without the help of his family, which included a senator and a railroad baron. The campaign is intended to stress that the Milwaukee facility is stress-free alternative to Chicago, and the soothing notes let travellers relax wherever they have their I-pods. People who register for the downloads at www.AvoidTheChicagoORDeal.com.also get a chance at a pair of free air tickets. ORDdeal is sly poke at Chicago’s designator, ORD. This website offers a lot of information and arguments about picking the 7.3-million-passenger Milwaukee over the 76-million passenger O'Hare; an appeal like this one though is not going to be won on numbers alone. It's those soft notes that carry win the day.