CMH_Downtown

Southwest will add to their CMH portfolio with new nonstop service to Denver in June of 2011. In additon, WN will add a second daily nonstop to PHX and a third nonstop to TPA: Southwest Airlines Adds Three New Nonstop Destinations From Denver Carrier Adding New Daily Nonstop Flights to Columbus, Jacksonville, and Pittsburgh Press Release Source: Southwest Airlines On Tuesday November 16, 2010, 11:00 am EST DENVER, Nov. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - News) announced today that the carrier will add three new nonstop destinations from Denver with daily, nonstop flights to Columbus, Jacksonville, and Pittsburgh. For sale beginning today, Southwest will add one daily roundtrip flight each between Denver and the new markets, with service beginning on June 5, 2011. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Southwest-Airlines-Adds-Three-prnews-1279841846.html?x=0 http://www.blogsouthwest.com/files/June%202011%20Weekday%20Flight%20Changes.pdf

Hmmm...looks like we'll have to tear down all those new offices and condominiums NRI just built. :drunk: Seriously though, the concept of a new soccer stadium that is up to par with the recently completed venues across the country is exciting. The obvious choice for a location is downtown. Areas that have been mentioned are the cleared-out area west of Huntington Park where the Hollywood Casino was planned on being constructed, or in Franklinton by Veterans Memorial connected to the AD via pedestrian bridge. Both areas sound fantastic in my opinion. Hopefully the stars align for this to take place sooner rather than later.

Don't read too much in to this. This new service is more a reallocation of resources to a marginal route. Conventional wisdom in the airline industry says that once Delta is able to shed the majority of its 50-seat jets, this and other thinner routes may go away. Also, Delta is finally using CVG for what Cincinnati has been pleading for for years: for usage by Cincinnatians. They have right-sized the hub to serve local demand and changed their pricing structure out of CVG accordingly. O&D traffic out of CVG is through the roof, and Delta still maintains excellent service to many cities across their network (3x daily LAX, 3x daily MCO, 5x daily BOS, etc.). And let's not forget the daily nonstop widebody service to Paris. It's not the 600-some daily flights that once flew out of CVG, but it's far more in line with what the market itself can support.

More new Delta service out of CMH. Starting 11NOV, Delta will begin 1x daily service to Raleigh/Durham. This comes on the heels of new service to DCA starting 31OCT and CUN starting 19FEB11, as well as upgraded service to LGA. Come November, Delta will operate 41 peak daily flights from CMH.

From the Dispatch: Columbus to gain departures to hot spots More Miami flights, Cancun service added Tuesday, August 3, 2010 02:51 AM By Marla Matzer Rose THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Sun lovers, rejoice: Port Columbus is getting new service to Cancun and more flights to Miami. Delta Air Lines filed yesterday with the U.S. Department of Transportation to fly nonstop between Columbus and Cancun, Mexico, starting in February, and American Airlines said it will increase its daily flights between Columbus and Miami from one to three. http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2010/08/03/columbus-to-gain-departures-to-hot-spots.html?sid=101

Lots of new and improved service on tap for the coming months: American Eagle is adding 2 more nonstop flights to MIA this November for a total of 3x daily. AirTran is adding a second nonstop to Ft. Myers (RSW) in November and upgauging all flights to 73Gs. Delta has applied to the DOT to serve Cancun (CUN) nonstop on Saturdays starting in Feb. of 2011. This is in addition to previously announced new nonstop service on Delta to DCA starting Oct. 31.

Bravo Brio Restaurant Group plans initial stock offering Company hopes to raise up to $172.5 million in IPO Tuesday, July 6, 2010 11:20 AM By Marla Matzer Rose THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Columbus-based Bravo Brio Restaurant Group has filed for an initial public stock offering. According to documents submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company looks to raise up to $172.5 million. The chain was founded by the Doody family, which separately owns Lindey's Restaurant in German Village. Rick Doody remains chairman of the company. Entire article @: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2010/07/06/bravo-brio-will-take-restaurant-company-public.html?sid=101

Former Brice mall to transform into flea market Vendors of all sizes hope to revitalize area plagued by closings Tuesday, July 6, 2010 02:50 AM By Marla Matzer Rose THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH If the once-bustling Brice Road retail corridor on the Far East Side regains some of its former vibrancy, many smaller efforts probably will fill in the bigger picture. Consider some of the activity stirring: A taxi driver is starting a lingerie business, a young man is looking for a busy location to cut hair, and one guy sees the shuttered Skyline Chili transformed as a '50s-style diner. These are examples of the types of businesses planning to move into the former Brice Outlet Mall, which is aiming to reopen Labor Day weekend as Marketplace of the Americas after a major overhaul. Entire article @: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2010/07/06/former-brice-mall-to-transform-into-flea-market.html?sid=101

Short North Housing Condo plan replaced as investors keep suing Tuesday, July 6, 2010 02:50 AM By Jim Weiker THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The developer of the failed Ibiza housing project in the Short North says it has signed an agreement with a "large Columbus developer" to build apartments instead of condos on the site. "The goal is the exact same building," said Scot Dewhirst, an attorney representing the developer, Apex Realty Enterprises. "I think it's still going to be an exciting project for the Short North." While Apex tries to revive the project, lawsuits mount against the company from investors seeking to get their condo deposits back. Entire article @: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2010/07/06/condo-plan-replaced-as-investors-keep-suing.html?sid=101

SCIOTO AUDUBON City clearing clunkers to make way for park expansion Columbus is preparing to move hundreds of abandoned vehicles to a new impounding lot by February Tuesday, July 6, 2010 02:50 AM By Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A green Volkswagen Jetta has been on the city's impounding lot for so long that a tree has grown in front of it - and died. "I sprayed it to kill it," said Sgt. Dan Hale, who helps run the operation and whose duties, yes, include weed control. The car has been held as evidence in a homicide since May 15, 2004, and is one of hundreds of vehicles that sit on the lot - at least until the city begins moving them later this year to a new South Side lot off Rt. 104. The city is to clear the Whittier Avenue lot by February to make way for an expanded Scioto Audubon Metro Park. Entire article @: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/07/06/clearing-clunkers.html?sid=101

Delta is to resume nonstop service to L.A. this summer after a 2-year hiatus. This is the second city to see resumed service from Columbus this year, following Midwest Airlines' planned return of Kansas City service in May: Delta Air Lines Expanding Service in New York, Los Angeles New hourly Delta Shuttle flights to Chicago O'Hare, four daily flights between L.A., San Francisco among highlights Press Release Source: Delta Air Lines On Thursday March 18, 2010, 1:00 pm EDT ATLANTA, March 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - News) today announced expanded service in Los Angeles and New York, two of the nation's top markets for business travelers. The expansion includes: A new business shuttle service with 11 daily round-trip flights between New York-LaGuardia and Chicago O'Hare International airports, replacing existing, less-frequent service between LaGuardia and Chicago Midway. New nonstop service between Los Angeles International Airport and four U.S. cities – Columbus, Ohio; Hartford, Conn.; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; and San Francisco. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Delta-Air-Lines-Expanding-prnews-4037171662.html?x=0&.v=1

More from Columbus Business First: Downtown historic buildings to be turned into hotel Business First of Columbus - by Brian R. Ball Two historic downtown buildings are in line to be redeveloped into a 117-room hotel thanks to a state-approved historic tax credit. State officials announced the tax credit for the upscale Hotel Indigo at 16 and 20 E. Broad St. Thursday morning. The properties are controlled by affiliates of Columbus retail and real estate magnate Jay Schottenstein and his family. The $26.6 million renovation, including $14.7 million in ‘hard’ construction costs, is expected to get under way by mid-2010 with anticipation of a December 2011 opening. Schottenstein Property Group’s Mike Schiff said the 25 percent Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit is worth about $4.57 million. http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/12/07/daily27.html

Maybe so, but it doesn't take away from the fact that it is a welcome addition to downtown, especially the Capitol Square area. And technically, I would say this will be downtown Columbus' second boutique hotel, after The Lofts on E Nationwide Blvd.

Now if we could just get rid of the Rhodes Tower this would be an incredibly handsome block! ;) I am excited about this project moreso due to the increased cohesiveness it will bring to the area. 16 E Broad is right on Pearl Alley, which feeds into Gay St. 20 E Broad is adjoined to the recently completed residences at 8 E Broad, which is part of the larger Broad & High area, as rider mentioned. The Indigo brand should fit nicely into the buildings and the entire area as well.

Hotel Indigo will transform 16 and 20 E Broad St. next to the Rhodes Tower and across from the Statehouse into a 117-room upscale hotel: Tax credit to transform historic buildings into Downtown hotel Thursday, December 10, 2009 12:36 PM By Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch The first boutique hotel Downtown will be built by rehabilitating and combining two historic buildings and using a $4.6 million state historic tax credit. The Hotel Indigo will utilize buildings at 16 and 20 E. Broad Street, immediately next to the Rhodes State Office Tower. http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/12/10/historic-tax-credit-downtown-hotel.html?sid=101

That actually should be 6; service to Columbia, SC (CAE) is discontinued in February. The location of the new DIA wasn't chosen to be within reach of multiple communities. Denver built a new airport because Stapleton was at capacity, in the middle of an urbanized area, and extremely suseptable to delays. In order to avoid these problems, the new airport was built in the far outskirts of the city. In fact, DIA is now further away from Colorado Springs (which maintains its own airport in a similar way to Dayton) than the old Stapleton airport.

Air Canada Jazz Air New Zealand AirTran American Airlines -American Eagle -American Eagle (Executive Airlines) America West -America West Express (operated by Chautauqua and Mesa) Continental Airlines -Continental Express (operated by ExpressJet) Delta -Delta Express Eastern Airlines Florida Express Independence Air jetBlue LIAT Lufthansa Northwest Airlines -Northwest Airlink (operated by Mesaba) Qantas Sabena Southwest Swissair TAESA TWA USAirways -USAirways Express (operated by Republic and Chautauqua) United Airlines -United Express (operated by Shuttle America, Skywest, Mesa, GoJet, Trans States, and Chautauqua)

I couldn't agree more. The O&D certainly exists to maintain a nonstop to at least LAX, however it's still a market pair that's just marginally doable. We're in the same boat as cities such as Raleigh and Hartford when it comes to nonstop service to the West Coast. The demand is there, however the stage lengths are so long that it's really hard to make these city pairs work for a non-hub carrier. Factor in that all 3 have a decent level of low fare competition and it makes it even harder to secure the yield necessary, despite all 3 being relatively high yield markets. Actually CMH has had service to LAX for about two decades. Before DL and SX, America West flew the route. Before HP, USAir flew CMH-LAX daily. As for which airline could attempt CMH-LAX now, the only one I could picture would be Delta. Delta maintains a sizeable presence in CMH, especially now that they've merged with NW. Likewise in LAX, Delta has inherited nonstops to NRT and HNL, as well as commenced their much-discussed SYD service, all three of which were not present when Delta attempted a connecting hub in LAX a few years ago. As the economy improves and Delta is able to utilize NW domestic aircraft better, specifically the A319, the airline's economics should improve to allow them to attempt CMH-LAX once again. Of course, we are talking about the airline industry, where logic and thorough thinking are after thoughts, so I could be way off on this. ;) Yes, however those cutbacks you mention occured when airlines were slashing service industry-wide. All airports faced some pretty daunting cuts, and of course CMH was not spared. Other route discontinuations, such as CMH-LAS on HP/US, were more due to cutback on the other end, not due to a faltering CMH market. 2008 was not a pretty year for the airline industry as a whole. Also, just a quick note, America West was "HP"; AM is AeroMexico. Ah, "think" being the operative word. You should see us board the morning flights out of here, or check out the upgrade list on our evening mainliners. Your mind would change pretty quickly :). Also, I wouldn't necessarily talk about CMH. Our second morning departure out of CLE today left with only 6 revenue pax out of 24 in the first class cabin. That's on a Thursday before a holiday weekend. That's just embarassing.

You're certainly right. That's why I said if the CRAA, the Columbus Partnership, and the Columbus Chamber could persuade certain area companies to purchase seats in the first class cabin regardless of whether they are used or not (akin to AA at RDU), such a venture could stand a chance. This is true to an extent. The contribution factor of a connecting flight into a hub is an important measure to the quality of connecting traffic coming in from a certain city. There are certain hub-to-spoke flights that exist and are specifically timed purely to capture high yield connecting traffic. For example, looks at RDU-CLT on USAirways. There's no way those 9 daily flights (7 of which are on mainline) carry a high percentage of O&D traffic. But the contribution factor to flights out of the CLT hub has to be incredible in order to maintain such a schedule on such a short flight. That and USAirways (Piedmont) has always been a strong player in the region, so I'm sure part of the reason their schedule exists like that is to protect their market share. No one ever said it was.

LOL, it's funny that you mention the Somali population in Columbus. Yes, they go home, and they go home A LOT. The airline I work for probably carries the highest percentage of Somali foreign nationals at CMH, since they all use Ethiopian Airlines through IAD into Addis Ababa. Though the Somali population alone won't garner CMH a nonstop flight across the pond. It could, however, aid in the attempt.

This is very true. However: I would imagine the airport is banking on intra-Europe connections from the European gateway city, as well as connections into Africa and the Middle East, two rapidly growing ethnic groups in Columbus. So while a nonstop to London may generate only 50 O&D pax, you may have another 100 connecting on to points onward. A Columbus to Europe route is within the realm of possibility, in my opinion. However, as mentioned, it would require a certain guarantee of revenue. The only way I could see a nonstop European flight from Columbus is if one or several local companies "subsidizes" the route. The classic example is GlaxoSmithKline and their seat purchase agreement with American Airlines to fly nonstop from Raleigh to London. If, for example, Limited, Battelle, Hexion, and Grief agreed to essentially "purchase" the first class cabin of an AA 752 (4 seats each) to London on a yearly basis, it might work. All have their world HQ's in Central Ohio and have offices in London. I do have to disagree with that. The airline with which I work is not big to Europe from here, however we board a large majority of traffic between Columbus and Asia. And let me just say, I don't know where the CRAA got the stat that only 36 people on average travel one-way between Columbus and Asia. We board that many people alone to NRT, ICN, SIN, PVG, and PEK on a daily basis, and we're not even the biggest carrier to Asia from CMH (that title has always been Northwest's, now Delta's). You can thank Honda of America, OSU, OU, Battelle, and Hexion for that. We go through priority bag tags quick because of those groups.

International service Columbus may offer cash lure for flights Wednesday, September 2, 2009 3:07 AM By Marla Matzer Rose THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH In the hopes of landing prestigious international air service, Columbus officials are exploring a strategy that has worked in other cities: Put up some cold, hard cash. The effort comes after Columbus has tried for years but failed to get nonstop flights to Europe. The task is even more daunting now as airlines are cutting back. "It's a trend," said David Whitaker, vice president of business development for the Columbus Regional Airport Authority. He has been working with business groups such as the Columbus Partnership and the Columbus Chamber on the issue. In recent months, a public/private partnership in Pittsburgh put up a $9 million guarantee to secure nonstop service to Paris for two years on Delta Air Lines. The Port of Portland paid Delta $3.5 million to keep nonstop service to Tokyo during the slower winter months. And Maryland approved a two-year subsidy of up to $5.5 million per year to British Airways to keep the carrier at Baltimore-Washington International airport. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2009/09/02/airport_international.ART_ART_09-02-09_A12_GMEUKRF.html?sid=101

Stimulus aid lands at other airports Wednesday, September 2, 2009 3:07 AM By Doug Caruso THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Port Columbus has been shut out of a $1.1 billion federal stimulus program that has been criticized for sending funds to smaller, noncommercial airports. The Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which oversees the Port Columbus, Rickenbacker and Bolton Field airports, applied to the Federal Aviation Administration for more than $20 million for six projects. The largest sought $12 million to help pay for moving the south runway at Port Columbus to accommodate simultaneous takeoffs and landings, said Angie Tabor, a spokeswoman for the airport authority. The project, planned since 2006, would double the airport's capacity and make room for a new terminal. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2009/09/02/Stim_Airports.ART_ART_09-02-09_A12_GMEUL1M.html?sid=101

Haha, this is awesome! Is it me, or when one moves their mouse over the map, does it sound a lot like "Der Mondflek" from Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire: All you need is a voiceover of a German lady singing the county names instead! :lol:

The completed building looks great; even better than the renderings. I'm anxious to check the place out in person. Looking forward to when the grounds of the entire park is completed.