Minneapolis Airlines / Airport Examiner, Mark Friedman, reports that, "there is an exciting new option for air travelers who typicallydrive to MSP from western Wisconsin, northeastern Iowa and southeasternMinnesota. Starting November 1, 2009, Southwest Airlines will be serving Milwaukee’s Mitchell Field with non-stop service to Baltimore/Washington, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Las Vegas, Orlando and Phoenix.

WhileMinneapolis/St. Paul offers many more non-stop opportunities than doesMilwaukee, being a fortress hub for Delta Air Lines sometimes makesMSP’s airfares less attractive. So, beginning this fall, if you residebetween the Twin Cities and Milwaukee in areas such as La Crosse,Wausau, Winona and northeastern Iowa, Milwaukee may be an attractivealternative for you to save money on an upcoming trip."


Here's some more travel news you can use:

*  Verified Identity Pass (a.k.a. Clear Pass), a company that promised to speed passengersthrough airport security checkpoints for an annual fee, has shut down,leaving some frequent fliers looking for options to avoid longscreening lines.  The company said it wasn'table to negotiate a deal with its creditors, and its Clear fast-lanesecurity check service stopped operations abruptly late Monday. Morethan a quarter million customers (including Yapta – which had been issuing the Clear Pass as part of its sweepstakes prize packages) won't get refunds of membership feesthat ranged from $178 to $199 per year.  Yapta will now source an alternative prize (of comparable value) for its sweepstakes.

*  Frontier Airlines appears to have found a way out of bankruptcy protection: Republic Airways Holdings says it will sponsor the bankruptcy exit plan of the Denver-based carrier. Indianapolis-basedRepublic says that if creditors and the bankruptcy judge approve, thenFrontier would become one of its subsidiaries. Republic also operates aregional airline under its own name as well as Chautauqua Airlines and Shuttle America.

*  A traveler is suing the TSA after being detained and questioned for 30 minutes for carrying too much cash through the security checkpoint at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.  The passenger actually recorded the conversation.