Not altogether, but this isn't a growth sector and CVG is already over-runwayed and I doubt see the kind of massive growth at CMH to make it worth it (or really any of their recent investment - the 670 interchange, esp.). Investing in air infrastructure today is like building a gigantic train station in the 1930s or a major trans-atlantic passenger port in the 1950s. There are just other places where 90 million bucks would be more useful.

Not altogether, but this isn't a growth sector and CVG is already over-runwayed and I doubt see the kind of massive growth at CMH to make it worth it (or really any of their recent investment - the 670 interchange, esp.). Investing in air infrastructure today is like building a gigantic train station in the 1930s or a major trans-atlantic passenger port in the 1950s. There are just other places where 90 million bucks would be more useful.

 

This to replace an EXISTING RUNWAY not build an additional one.  The present runway will be torn-up.  You don't have to land/take-off on it... just sit back, relax n njoy the flight lol.  I on the other hand do.  Some of these runways, while not readily apparent to a passenger, are in dire need of rehabilitation/replacement.  Re-surfacing is not an option in a lot of cases, only a complete replacement. 

Body scanners expected soon at Port Columbus

Wednesday,  January 13, 2010 - 3:15 AM

By Marla Matzer Rose

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

If you plan to fly from Port Columbus when the weather warms up, there's a good chance you'll have to step into a full-body scanner first.  The airport expects to receive at least two full-body scanners by late spring or early summer to enhance its security screenings. 

 

Airport officials are awaiting final confirmation and further details from the Transportation Security Administration, which will pay for and operate the scanners.  Columbus had been put on a list by the TSA last year to receive the full-body scanners, said Rod Borden, chief operating officer of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority.

 

TSA spokesman Jon Allen said the 150 body scanners the TSA has already secured are manufactured by Rapiscan and cost $160,000 apiece.  They will be distributed across the country in coming months.

 

Full article at http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/01/13/airport_bodyscanners.ART_ART_01-13-10_A1_C1G9KKP.html?sid=101

Port Columbus traffic down 10% in ’09

Business First of Columbus

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 4:52pm

 

Passenger traffic at Port Columbus International Airport finished 2009 much different than how it started. 

 

The Columbus Regional Airport Authority on Tuesday reported a 0.3 percent decline in traffic for December, when 516,429 passengers used the airport, down from 518,181 in the same month the year before.  A fractional drop marks a stark contrast from traffic at the start of the year, which saw drops of more than 20 percent amid an industry-wide slump and absent a lift from defunct discount carrier Skybus Airlines Inc. in 2008.

 

Full article at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2010/01/25/daily20.html

J.D. Power: Customer satisfaction increases at Port Columbus

Business First of Columbus

Friday, February 19, 2010, 11:16am EST

 

Port Columbus International Airport emerged with better-than-average marks in a new customer satisfaction survey from J.D. Power and Associates.

 

The Westlake Village, Calif.-based market research firm scored Port Columbus with a 715 on a 1,000-point satisfaction scale, calculated through consumer opinions on factors including accessibility, baggage claim, restaurants and retail.  The airport’s score represents an average ranking but stood above the nationwide average of 690.

 

In the small-airport category where Port Columbus was ranked, Indianapolis International Airport took top honors.  In the large-airport category, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County airport got top marks, while Kansas City International Airport received top honors in the middle-airport category.

 

Full article at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2010/02/15/daily36.html?surround=lfn

Solid start in 2010 for Port Columbus

Business First of Columbus

Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 4:00pm EST

 

Passenger traffic at Port Columbus International Airport began the year with a nearly 5 percent gain after a rough 2009, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority said late Tuesday.

 

The authority said 449,827 passengers used the airport in January, up 4.8 percent from 429,225 in January 2009.  Traffic grew for six of the 10 carriers at the airport, with Southwest Airlines Co. – the busiest airline – recording a 4 percent gain.

 

Full article at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2010/02/22/daily14.html

The record amount of snowfall (45.2" so far - two feet above normal) that Columbus has faced this year has certainly had an impact on Port Columbus Airport.

 

From http://blog.dispatch.com/flying/2010/02/snow_takes_a_bite_out_of_cmh.shtml:

 

Snow Takes a Bite Out of CMH

At yesterday's board meeting, Columbus Regional Airport Authority CEO Elaine Roberts said the snowstorms of the past several weeks resulted in more than 5,000 hours of overtime being accumulated by workers as they struggled (mostly successfully) to keep the runways open during sometimes very heavy snow and high winds.  She said more than $600,000 had been spent on snow removal -- that includes chemicals, fuel and other things required to operate the equipment only, not the cost of overtime.

 

Midwest resuming flights to Kansas City

Round-trip service will restart in May

Friday,  February 26, 2010 - 2:46 AM

By Marla Matzer Rose

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Midwest Airlines will resume nonstop service between Columbus and Kansas City in May, the carrier announced yesterday.  The airline operated the route from May 2007 to April 2008 but ended it amid financial struggles and competition from Skybus Airlines.

 

Columbus has been without nonstop service to Kansas City since Skybus folded in April 2008.  Kansas City has since become the fifth-largest market not served on a nonstop basis from Port Columbus, with about 78 passengers per day traveling between the two cities each way, said David Whitaker, the Columbus airport's vice president for business development.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2010/02/26/midwest-resuming-flights-to-kansas-city.html?sid=101

American adding JFK flights at Port Columbus

Business First of Columbus

Wednesday, March 3, 2010, 4:03pm EST

 

American Airlines Inc. next month is set to add a daily flight from Columbus to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport with a second on the way in July, Port Columbus International Airport officials announced.

 

The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier said a daily flight to JFK will be added April 6, with a second to follow on July 2.  American runs 24 daily nonstop flights out of Port Columbus, including six to New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2010/03/01/daily25.html

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

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:

A little more about that from The Dispatch:

 

Delta to resume nonstop to LAX

With a couple more flights added from Delta, CMH will be their newest "hub".

Rockwell named safety director at Port Columbus

Tuesday,  May 4, 2010

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

John Rockwell, a Columbus deputy police chief for 18 years, will leave the division to become the public safety director at Port Columbus.  Rockwell will oversee the airport's police and fire departments, said Angie Tabor, an airport spokeswoman.  He replaces Richard Morgan, who will retire May 31 after 15 years in the position, she said.  Rockwell, 60, joined the Columbus Police Division in 1973.  He was promoted to deputy chief in 1992.

 

Full article: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/05/04/rockwell-safety-director-port-columbus.html?sid=101

Body scanner ready to screen Port Columbus fliers

First of 5 devices will be put to use at airport in June on Concourse B

Thursday,  May 20, 2010

By Marla Matzer Rose, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Port Columbus' first full-body scanner was put through its paces yesterday but won't go into general use for passenger screening until late next month.  The unit, which uses X-ray "backscatter" technology, will be one of five installed in the next two months.  The first will be used in Concourse B, serving American Airlines, US Airways, United Airlines, Air Canada Jazz and Midwest Airlines.  Scanners will be installed for use in the A and C concourses by the end of the summer.

 

Not everyone has to use them, though.  Travelers will be able to opt for a pat-down and metal-detector inspection rather than a body scan if they choose, said Don Barker, federal security director for Port Columbus.  Columbus is one of the first 10 U.S. cities to receive the $160,000 devices this year, under a Transportation Security Administration program using federal stimulus funds.

 

Full article: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2010/05/20/body-scanner-ready-to-screen-port-columbus-fliers.html?sid=101

ON-TIME ARRIVAL RATES

Port Columbus beats U.S. average

Friday, July 9, 2010 - 2:53 AM

By Marla Matzer Rose

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

The number of flights arriving on schedule nationwide fell in May compared with April and the previous May, but Port Columbus' on-time arrival rate was well ahead of the national average.  Nationwide on-time arrival rates averaged 79.9 percent for the month, down from 80.5 percent in May 2009 and from 85.3 percent in April, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

 

The on-time arrival rate at Port Columbus was 84.7 percent, the best May performance in at least 10 years.  The flip side is that the number of flights were down, to about 2,400 takeoffs and landings locally in May, from more than 2,550 in May 2009 and 2,980 in May 2008.

 

Full article: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2010/07/09/port-columbus-beats-u-s--average.html?sid=101

Delta announced new service to DCA today, beginning 31 October. 3x daily to/from CMH on mainline fleet I believe. This is in addition to other key business cities that are getting new service to DCA. imo this is a direct punch to US Air for not playing nice on the proposed slot swap...

 

read more: http://news.delta.com/index.php?s=43&item=1088

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.

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

YAY!!!

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.

 

Great, so Cincinnatians can now drive to Columbus to fly Delta. Makes perfect sense.

Great, so Cincinnatians can now drive to Columbus to fly Delta. Makes perfect sense.

 

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.

I really wasn't reading that much into it. Sorry, I'm glad CMH is getting the flights. Just couldn't resist the hyperbole.

 

I've discussed this with MD88Pilot (or whatever his name is...) ad nauseum in the CVG thread, and I don't want to derail this thread, but what you call "right-sizing" the CVG hub is highly debatable. After manufacturing a culture where Cincinnatians instinctively & habitually bargain hunt and drive 50-100 miles to fly, Delta's "right-sizing" is sized to an artificially low O&D.

Though I'm annoyed at Delta generally, the flights in DCA are quite convenient, now if we could restore service to RIC that existed in that blink of eye w/ Skybus.

Broken connections: Cleveland, Cincinnati airports suffer as legacy airlines cut back on hubs, but Port Columbus might benefit

Sunday, September 19, 2010

By Marla Matzer Rose

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

There was a time when Columbus had airport-hub envy.  For a few years, America West Airlines had what some called a minihub here.  But Cleveland and Cincinnati boasted hubs for "legacy" carriers Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines, respectively.  And the hub-and-spoke system operated for years by major airlines boosted passenger counts, revenue and jobs in those cities.

 

But recent years haven't been kind to these hubs.  Delta has continued slashing flights out of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport after the completion of its merger with Northwest Airlines.  And Cleveland Hopkins International Airport faces an uncertain future in the wake of Continental's planned merger with United Airlines - including lingering worries that the hub there might be lost.

 

Meanwhile, Port Columbus' status might be viewed as hub-free - free from being tied so closely to the fortunes of a single airline, which often brings less competition and higher fares.  In fact, industry-watchers see Port Columbus as a possible beneficiary of the hub issues in Cleveland and Cincinnati.

 

GRAPHIC:  CINCINNATI, CLEVELAND, COLUMBUS AND DAYTON AIRPORT STATISTICS

 

Full article: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2010/09/19/broken-connections.html?sid=101

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

New concessionaires will be added to CMH next year.

 

 

Airport adding Tim Hortons, Auntie Anne’s to dining mix

Business First - by Dan Eaton

Date: Wednesday, November 24, 2010, 12:58pm EST

 

Port Columbus is shuffling a few eateries and making over another long-standing (sitting?) restaurant as it refines its dining mix.

 

The Columbus Regional Airport Authority on Tuesday approved a three-year extension of its deal with Host International Inc. to run its concession operations, which takes the agreement to the end of 2020.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2010/11/airport-adding-tim-hortons-auntie.html

Not published, but also new at CMH:

 

American Eagle will expand their maintenance base in Columbus to begin work on their expanded fleet of 63-seat CRJ-700 aircraft. In addition to the new jobs, AA will place these larger aircraft on flights from CMH to ORD, JFK, and LGA that are currently flown with 37-50 seat ERJ aircraft. Also, current schedules show AA bringing the DFW route to all mainline aircraft 5x a day by June of next year.

I love me some Auntie Anne’s!

Port Columbus airport officials taking tally of grounded assets

Business First - by Adrian Burns

Date: Friday, March 18, 2011, 6:00am EDT

 

The Columbus Regional Airport Authority owns thousands of acres and dozens of buildings but has no plan for how best to use its varied real estate assets. 

 

That’s changing.  The authority has begun an effort to catalog its holdings and come up with a long-term development plan to help it profit from what it owns.  The land and building inventory was completed late last year, and officials are analyzing how each property can make – or save – the airport money.

 

The land-use report, expected to be completed this year, likely will provide a deep look at opportunities to develop, lease or sell properties around the authority’s three airports – Port Columbus International, Rickenbacker International and Bolton Field.

 

READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2011/03/18/airport-taking-tally-of-grounded-assets.html

Port Columbus’ boundaries not easy to map, and I’ve tried

Business First - by Adrian Burns

Date: Friday, March 18, 2011, 2:36pm EDT

 

When the Columbus Regional Airport Authority told me it would take a number of days to come up with a map of the property boundaries around Port Columbus International Airport, I was annoyed with the delay.  I thought surely such a map would be quick and easy to produce for our use in the story I was writing for this week’s paper about the airport’s plan to inventory and analyze all its property holdings.

. . .

 

It turns out there’s a good reason it would take days for airport officials to come up with such a map, and indeed for why they have embarked on an effort to catalog their properties over the course of a year. That reason is complexity and scope.  When I opened up the Franklin County Auditor’s mapping program online, I found that the Columbus Regional Airport Authority owns no fewer than 270 separately filed parcels in Franklin County, ranging in size from a fraction of an acre to well over 1,200 acres, and representing all manner of geographic forms from rhombuses to quadrilaterals.

 

 

READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2011/03/port-columbus-boundaries-not-easy-to.html

Port Columbus gained altitude in 2010 as passengers returned, Skybus paid up

Business First - by Adrian Burns

Monday, March 7, 2011, 9:45am EST

 

An unexpected windfall from defunct Skybus Airlines Inc. and revived interest in travel helped lift the Columbus Regional Airport Authority last year.  The operator of Port Columbus International Airport saw its operating revenue reverse two years of declines to reach $77.1 million, up 6 percent from 2009, according to preliminary financial results.  The final payment from the resolution of Skybus’ 2008 bankruptcy, along with a 2.1 percent increase in passengers and other factors, helped counteract the lingering effects of the recession.

 

Port Columbus International Airport - 2010 Passengers by Airline

• Southwest - 1.7 million
  
• Delta - 1.4 million
  
• U.S. Airways - 952,168
  
• American - 746,322
  
• United - 554,292
  
• Continental - 423,108
  
• AirTran - 394,338

Top Seven Airlines - 6.4 million passengers in 2010

 

READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2011/03/04/port-columbus-gains-altitude.html

An article published by The Dispatch describes the current airline trends when adding or enhancing service to and from the cities they serve. While lower fares might not be a direct result of the new flights out of CMH, the increased connectivity and available seats will be a welcomed addition to Port Columbus air service.

 

Port Columbus

Competition won't spur big decline in airfares

Sunday, June 19, 2011  03:13 AM

By Marla Matzer Rose

 

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines both have added flights at Port Columbus - but don't expect lower fares because of it.

 

In the past, the entry of the low-cost airlines JetBlue, Skybus Airlines and AirTran Airways into the Columbus market prompted existing, competing carriers to respond by cutting ticket prices.

 

But the route additions by existing carriers don't have the same effect. Instead, they illustrate how airlines have become increasingly strategic in where they'll add flights, cherry-picking only those routes that they think will be most lucrative.

 

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2011/06/19/competition-wont-spur-big-decline-in-airfares.html?sid=101

Port Columbus' rising traffic, city's steady economy lead to ratings upgrade

Business First - by Adrian Burns

Friday, July 8, 2011, 6:00am EDT

 

Strong cash flow, low debt and a diversity of airlines have earned the Columbus Regional Airport Authority’s bonds an upgrade from Standard & Poor’s.

 

The operator of Port Columbus International Airport’s senior airport revenue bonds were upgraded to A+ from A with a stable outlook, the ratings agency said.  Aiding in that upgrade was Central Ohio’s economy, S&P said.

 

READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2011/07/08/rising-traffic-steady-economy-lead-to.html

Re-cap of Port Columbus 2011 passenger numbers:

 

Port Columbus traffic up – barely – in 2011

By Rick Rouan, Business First web coordinator

Date: Tuesday, January 24, 2012, 4:06pm EST

 

Passenger traffic at Port Columbus International Airport nearly stalled last year, edging out 2010 by less than 1 percent.

 

In 2011, 6.38 million passengers traveled through the airport, up 0.2 percent from 6.37 million in 2010, according to data released Tuesday by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority.  The annual tally was hurt by slow holiday travel in December, when 511,489 passengers traveled through Port Columbus, about 1.3 percent fewer than in December 2010.

 

Still, it was the second year in a row that Port Columbus was busier after slowdowns during the recession.  Passenger traffic was up 2.1 percent in 2010 after two years of declines.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2012/01/24/port-columbus-traffic-up---barely---in.html

 

---

More from the Columbus Dispatch:

 

Port Columbus’ numbers up; Rickenbacker’s down

Port Columbus adding hundreds of outlets to give travelers a charge

Business First by Adrian Burns, Staff reporter

Date: Tuesday, January 24, 2012, 2:45pm EST

 

The days of desperately searching for an outlet and sitting on the floor to plug in at Port Columbus International Airport are coming to an end.

 

The airport has been adding electrical outlets and USB charging docks by the score in the past couple years, and is ramping up that effort in coming weeks.  By early February, officials plan to have completed the installation of 650 additional outlets and another 650 USB charging stations on gate seats, said David Whitaker, vice president of business development for the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which oversees Port Columbus.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2012/01/port-columbus-adding-hundreds-of.html

"Port Columbus International Airport had a 2.2 percent traffic decline in April, the first decline at the airport this year...Rickenbacker International Airport's    cargo traffic improved by 14.1 percent...in April..."

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/morning_call/2012/05/port-columbus-traffic-down.html

Port Columbus planning $80M in terminal upgrades

Business First by Rick Rouan, Staff reporter

Date: Wednesday, October 17, 2012, 4:10pm EDT

 

Port Columbus International Airport’s terminal is in line for an $80 million face lift that officials say will help the airport accommodate millions of additional passengers.  Improvements at the airport’s 835,000-square-foot terminal will unify the look and feel of its three concourses, which were built in different eras, in addition to improving the functionality of the airport for passengers, said David Whitaker, vice president of business development for the Columbus Regional Airport Authority.

 

The project will combine updates to the airport’s natural lighting, flooring and systems such as self-serve ticket stations, with replacement of infrastructure that is reaching the end of its useful life.  The program will take about three years to complete and position the airport for the next 20 years, Whitaker said.

 

READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2012/10/17/port-columbus-planning-80m-in.html

Thank God.  The terminals are out-dated and need a bigger facelift than Goldie Hawn.

That picture makes it look horribly bland though. Look at all that white. Anybody remember when the lights in the mirrored part of the ceiling of the ticketing area were all disco? Or all that orange and yellow stuff on the way up to the upstairs cafeteria? Those were the days.

Anybody remember when the lights in the mirrored part of the ceiling of the ticketing area were all disco? Or all that orange and yellow stuff on the way up to the upstairs cafeteria? Those were the days.

 

Haha, I certainly do remember those days. And honestly, the cosmetic improvements made since are due for another face-lift. While sterile, the clean and fresh look depicted in the renderings will be a welcome treatment to the building's interior.

 

Regarding the terminal upgrade, the airport recently completed the first part of the renovation to the A Concourse:

 

Port Columbus finishes first phase of $80M terminal renovation

Rick Rouan Staff reporter- Business First

Date: Jan 3, 2013, 11:26am EST

 

Port Columbus International Airport has finished the first leg of its three-year, $80 million terminal renovation.

 

The Columbus Regional Airport Authority said that it has finished work at gates A5 and A6 and has moved on to finish the rest of the work in Concourse A, scheduled for completion by mid-year.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2013/01/03/port-columbus-finishes-first-phase-of.html

More recent news from CMH:

 

 

Frontier Airlines flies comeback to Columbus with Trenton route

Evan  Weese Web coordinator- Business First

Date: Jan 7, 2013, 3:01pm EST

 

Frontier Airlines, which ended its handful of flights in and out of Columbus last June, will return in April with service to Trenton, N.J.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2013/01/07/frontier-airlines-flies-comeback-to.html

 

 

December slowdown crimps passenger traffic at Port Columbus for year

Rick Rouan Staff reporter- Business First

Date: Jan 23, 2013, 9:35am EST

 

The streak of passenger traffic increases at Port Columbus International Airport halted in 2012.

 

Port Columbus handled 6.35 million passengers, down marginally from 6.38 million in 2011. While four carriers added passengers in 2012, their gains were offset by slowdowns at four other airlines, including Southwest Airlines Co.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2013/01/23/december-slowdown-crimps-passenger.html

 

 

Added West Coast service, Euro route on Port Columbus agenda

Rick Rouan Staff reporter- Business First

Date: Jan 23, 2013, 3:01pm EST

 

The Columbus Regional Airport Authority is trying to jump-start traffic at Port Columbus International Airport.

 

Authority CEO Elaine Roberts said Tuesday the agency is working to add passenger service to the West Coast in the first quarter and reiterated the airports long-standing efforts to land a nonstop international flight. She said the authority is trying to attract a nonstop European flight that would take off in 2014.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2013/01/added-west-coast-service-euro-route.html

Trenton!??!  I didn't even know Trenton had a commercial airport!

Trenton!??!  I didn't even know Trenton had a commercial airport!

 

Nor did I. Guess I know where I'm going next vacay.

I was reading that the assumption is that trenton airport would serve as a second Philly area airport.

 

Will it work? Time will tell.

It is decent as an in extremis for NYC if you can get to NJ rail lines.

Port Columbus revenue up despite travel lull

By Rick Rouan, Staff reporter

Business First - Jan 25, 2013, 2:52pm EST

 

The Columbus Regional Airport Authority last year hit a revenue milestone it hadn’t seen since Skybus Airlines Inc. collapsed, but rising costs have eroded a surplus used to help pay for airport improvements.  Preliminary 2012 results for the overseer of Port Columbus and Rickenbacker international airports and Bolton Field show the authority’s operating revenue grew to more than $80.5 million in 2012, the first time it has brought in more than $80 million since 2008. 

 

In the spring of that year, Skybus folded and took thousands of passengers with it, while the deepening recession depressed travel and consolidation among carriers roiled the airline industry.  The authority’s top line has grown for three consecutive years, even as the number of travelers moving through Port Columbus has remained largely flat.

 

READ MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/print-edition/2013/01/25/port-columbus-revenue-up-despite.html

 

Columbus Regional Airport Authority 2012 Revenue breakdown from the article

Parking fees - $27.8 million

Airlines fees - $26.8 million

Concessions & leases - $18.6 million

General avaition fees - $2.5 milliom

Air freight fees - $2.2 million

Other fees - $2.6 million

Parking is their largest source of revenue. I didn't know that the aviation industry was that dependent on the automobile.

From the Port Columbus website:

 

Rendering Updates of Terminal Renovation project from July 2013 at http://flycolumbus.com/at-port-columbus/terminal-modernization-program/

 

Terminal Modernization Program - Phasing of Renovation & Modernization

 

Getting to L.A. getting a lot easier from Port Columbus

By Evan Weese, Staff reporter

Business First - August 19, 2013, 6:21pm EDT

 

Getting to Los Angeles is about to become a whole lot easier.  Delta Air Lines and American Airlines in the coming days will offer a combined additional 10 weekly flights between Port Columbus International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.

 

Delta on Tuesday (August 20) will increase nonstop service from four days a week to seven, including replacing a red eye with a more traveler-friendly time.  Separately, American on August 27 will launch daily nonstop flights between Columbus and LAX, a service not previously offered by the airline.

 

MORE: http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2013/08/19/getting-to-la-getting-a-lot-easier.html