This airport just brought back my favorite winter amenity; I wish more would follow
Back in the day, I used to escape cold winters in Washington, D.C., by flying down to the sunny climes of Naples, Florida, to visit my godmother. Because it was so cold, I'd need to drag my winter coat with me for the beginning and the end of the trip — which was always a big pain. My Florida flights were always full (because who doesn't want to leave the cold and snow for sun and temperatures in the 80s?) and so were the overhead bins. The lack of space forced me to sometimes wear or sit on my coat. Every time I did that, I wondered why airports didn't offer coat checks for snowbirds like me.
Thankfully, Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) has heard my cry. Back by popular demand, the airport is offering its coat check service for the fourth year. Working with airport concessionaire Paradies Lagardère, locals flying to warmer weather can check their coats inside the Summerfest Marketplace's pre-security location for only $2 a day, or $10 per trip.
This means you no longer have to wear your bulky coat, gloves and other unneeded items on the plane when escaping to warm-weather locations. It solves the problem of trying to stuff your winter coat into your luggage. It frees up space in the overhead bins on airplanes. Not to mention, it saves you from looking silly when you get off the plane in Cancun wearing a T-shirt, shorts, flip-flops and a big puffy coat.
Related: 8 underrated amenities all airports should offer
Milwaukee will offer nonstop flights to cities in Florida, Arizona, California, Mexico and the Caribbean this winter, making this coat check service convenient for travelers. Airports Council International-North America, which represents airports, recognized Milwaukee's airport for this unique service in 2020.
This isn't the only airport to ever offer the service. Frankfurt Airport (FRA) also allows travelers to leave winter coats behind during warm-weather getaways. From October to April, the airport charges around 50 cents per day, per item, to store jackets and coats next to the luggage storage service at Frankfurt Airport's Terminal 1, Concourse B (arrivals). For a short stint in 2014, JetBlue offered a coat check amenity at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
Here's hoping a simpler version of that comes back and we have coat check service at more airports.
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app