April 12Apr 12 2 hours ago, urb-a-saurus said: Since awkwardness in connecting from an incoming international flight to a US domestic flight has been a topic of discussion, I thought I would post this: "U.S. Customs and Border Protection said this week it is working with American Airlines to test a new procedure that could save time and aggravation for inbound travelers who are connecting to a U.S. domestic flight at their international arrival airport. Called the International Remote Baggage Screening initiative, it would eliminate the need for arriving passengers to recheck their bags onto their domestic connection "unless specifically referred by CBP for further inspection," the agency said. Instead, the bags would be transferred directly from the international flight to the airline operating the domestic connection." Source for the whole article: An SFGATE article posted on MSN.com It also mentions another initiative to be tested that will eliminate the second TSA screening at the connecting airport. Hope! This would likely not affect anything at Cleveland, which is just plain stupid for CLE passengers arriving from a non pre-clearance location like Cancun. Passengers still must go through TSA before claiming their checked bags, and lose duty free alcohol etc purchased on the way.
April 12Apr 12 6 minutes ago, Cleburger said: This would likely not affect anything at Cleveland, which is just plain stupid for CLE passengers arriving from a non pre-clearance location like Cancun. Passengers still must go through TSA before claiming their checked bags, and lose duty free alcohol etc purchased on the way. Check out the last sentence in my previous post. LOL, I remember returning from Cancun with booze, connecting ar EWR, and having to leave the EWR TSA line to go back to CO ticketing,, where they gave me a box and let me check the bottles. Some things are worth it. Edited April 12Apr 12 by urb-a-saurus Typo
April 12Apr 12 That sounds great. Another annoyance is going through security again at the gate waiting area. If you have to use the bathroom before boarding you have to go through security again coming back into the gate.
April 13Apr 13 8 hours ago, urb-a-saurus said: Check out the last sentence in my previous post. LOL, I remember returning from Cancun with booze, connecting ar EWR, and having to leave the EWR TSA line to go back to CO ticketing,, where they gave me a box and let me check the bottles. Some things are worth it. But this is where Cleveland is weird. They make incoming international passengers with CLE as a final destination pass back through TSA to walk back to baggage claim and claim their luggage. So they are taking away duty free booze from people who should just be able to walk to bag claim and head to the curb. I'm not sure why they do this, other than maybe there is no customs facility quarantine area in bag claim? But I still don't understand it.
April 13Apr 13 Well, CLE got rid of the shuttle bus that used to take passengers from customs to the terminal, so the passengers did not have to go back into the secure area to get to the main part of the terminal, and could avoid repeating TSA screening. So, here we sit. The proposed, revamped (master plan) customs area will presumably have a direct exit into the terminal for CLE bound passengers.
April 13Apr 13 ^ Supposedly in phase one of master plan, but several years before it will be available.
April 27Apr 27 Rehabilitation Project to Disrupt Lower Roadway at CLEApril 25, 2025Press ReleasesStarting on April 28th, 2025, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) is starting a Terminal Tunnel Membrane Project, a substantial infrastructure endeavor to waterproof and rehabilitate the pedestrian connecting tunnel on the RTA Level.During the project, two of the four lanes of traffic on the Lower Roadway will be closed. Customers are asked to meet their arriving groups at doors 5 through 7, or on the departure level. We also advise passengers to use the skywalk to get between the parking garage and the terminal. Vehicles using the lower road might expect delays and traffic congestion.https://www.clevelandairport.com/rehabilitation-project-disrupt-lower-roadway-cle?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR6ptvxbqrmeVn63cbZYJn6s07p4SrP-dwoIiLbLeRxb-2z54UNVRmma1zLPtQ_aem_HYDIo8a9qI4JydSJb8MCKA*****The press release doesn’t clarify, but I asked in their Facebook post and they clarified that the tunnel to the Red Line will remain open during the repair project. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
April 27Apr 27 1 hour ago, Boomerang_Brian said:Rehabilitation Project to Disrupt Lower Roadway at CLEApril 25, 2025Press ReleasesStarting on April 28th, 2025, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) is starting a Terminal Tunnel Membrane Project, a substantial infrastructure endeavor to waterproof and rehabilitate the pedestrian connecting tunnel on the RTA Level.During the project, two of the four lanes of traffic on the Lower Roadway will be closed. Customers are asked to meet their arriving groups at doors 5 through 7, or on the departure level. We also advise passengers to use the skywalk to get between the parking garage and the terminal. Vehicles using the lower road might expect delays and traffic congestion.https://www.clevelandairport.com/rehabilitation-project-disrupt-lower-roadway-cle?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR6ptvxbqrmeVn63cbZYJn6s07p4SrP-dwoIiLbLeRxb-2z54UNVRmma1zLPtQ_aem_HYDIo8a9qI4JydSJb8MCKA*****The press release doesn’t clarify, but I asked in their Facebook post and they clarified that the tunnel to the Red Line will remain open during the repair project.And where is everyone going to sit and park for hours while they wait to pick up their loved ones? This will be a clusterf**k LOL
April 27Apr 27 5 hours ago, Cleburger said:And where is everyone going to sit and park for hours while they wait to pick up their loved ones? This will be a clusterf**k LOLThey reaaaaaaaally need to visit an airport like Chicago or Boston to see how you deal with this. There will be a cop up your a** in 2 minutes if they don’t see anyone getting in or out of the car. Instead ours sit there with their lights flashing doing (I assume) nothing.
April 27Apr 27 6 hours ago, Cleburger said: And where is everyone going to sit and park for hours while they wait to pick up their loved ones? This will be a clusterf**k LOLLOL, maybe they should do a shuttle to the cell phone lot.
May 1May 1 https://www.cleveland.com/travel/2025/05/air-canada-relaunches-nonstop-service-from-cleveland-to-toronto.html
May 5May 5 Per CLE's social media channels:Cleveland, it’s time for something new.The journey to the future of your airport begins tomorrow (5/6)– we can’t wait to tell you all about it!https://www.facebook.com/share/18LZENkRTe/
May 5May 5 22 minutes ago, brownsfan1226 said:Per CLE's social media channels:Cleveland, it’s time for something new.The journey to the future of your airport begins tomorrow (5/6)– we can’t wait to tell you all about it!https://www.facebook.com/share/18LZENkRTe/Finally. I sure hope this is an announcement about when terminal construction will start. Here’s the teaser graphic (not much): When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
May 5May 5 Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb expected to announce plans for $2 billion modernization of Hopkins International Airport: Watch Tuesday at 9 a.m.https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/cleveland/cleveland-hopkins-international-airport-mayor-justin-bibb-announcement-renovation-plans-development-terminal/95-4f78e547-cb27-441d-bc1d-1f1b9e4a6860
May 5May 5 58 minutes ago, brownsfan1226 said:Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb expected to announce plans for $2 billion modernization of Hopkins International Airport: Watch Tuesday at 9 a.m.https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/cleveland/cleveland-hopkins-international-airport-mayor-justin-bibb-announcement-renovation-plans-development-terminal/95-4f78e547-cb27-441d-bc1d-1f1b9e4a6860I wish they wouldn’t characterize it as a $2B project. It would only be that if they do all three phases. The project has been strategically divided into separate phases that are aligned with passenger usage. Barring significant changes, I don’t expect passenger levels to get to the point that would merit phase 3, meaning the whole thing is going to cost much less than $2B. The first two phases are the really critical ones and I’m excited for the announcement tomorrow. (LOTS of info on this project in this thread on previous pages. 2021 is when most of the discussion was happening.) When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
May 5May 5 I just wanna see a fancy rendering tomorrow lol - I'm tired of looking at the "PAL options" in the master plan. Who's with me 😂
May 5May 5 I admit, I’m curious how the plan has changed/evolved or stayed the same since the master plan & PAL scenario was unveiled (years ago at this point).I’m hoping it’s splashy, and that Bibb wouldn’t attend if it was just ho-hum… Edited May 5May 5 by Enginerd
May 6May 6 Announcement live on WKYC:https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/cleveland/cleveland-hopkins-international-airport-mayor-justin-bibb-announcement-renovation-plans-development-terminal/95-4f78e547-cb27-441d-bc1d-1f1b9e4a6860
May 6May 6 TL;DRPhase 1 - $1.1 billion terminal, $1.6 billion total, target 2032 for completionNew Gold Lot by Concourse DNew Garage at Orange Lot (additional 2k spaces compared to existing capacity) adjacent to a new Ground Transportation CenterNew RTA StationDemolish current garage, build new expanded terminal entrance on siteWave-inspired terminal entranceHeadhouse will be twice the size of the existingSingle, enhanced TSA checkpointNew international arrivals facilityAirside, including concourses Phase 2 at later date~$460 million agreed upon from airline partners so farhttps://www.cleveland.com/travel/2025/05/new-11-billion-cleveland-hopkins-airport-terminal-will-be-built-on-site-of-current-parking-garage.html Edited May 6May 6 by Geowizical
May 6May 6 4 minutes ago, Geowizical said:TL;DRPhase 1 - $1.6 billion total, target 2032 for completionNew Gold Lot by Concourse DNew Garage at Orange Lot adjacent to New Ground Transportation CenterNew RTA StationDemolish current garage, build new expanded terminal entrance on siteWave-inspired terminal entranceHeadhouse will be twice the size of the existingSingle, enhanced TSA checkpointNew international arrivals facilityAirside, including concourses Phase 2 at later date~$460 million agreed upon from airline partners so farGreat info, thx. Is the new RTA station at the current location? The ONLY reason to move it would be to enable through running for extension to the southwest. Hopefully the new station is as convenient (close to the terminal) as the current station.Also, this whole thing is huge - more than I was expecting from phase 1. Is the new B Concourse part of phase 1? When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
May 6May 6 4 minutes ago, Boomerang_Brian said:Great info, thx. Is the new RTA station at the current location? The ONLY reason to move it would be to enable through running for extension to the southwest. Hopefully the new station is as convenient (close to the terminal) as the current station.Also, this whole thing is huge - more than I was expecting from phase 1. Is the new B Concourse part of phase 1?Not sure about the RTA station exactly, they just said "new station". Would need to see a new master plan aerial view of the complex.No new concourses are part of Phase 1 is the impression I got. They said they will be evaluating those next, I'm assuming as Phase 1 kicks off.Doing all Landside first in Phase 1 then moving to all Airside in Phase 2 makes a lot more sense to me from a phasing and complete-ability perspective. Glad Francis acknowledged in the presentation that the old "PAL" master plan was unrealistic in this day and age and that that formula would've lead to continuous disruptions and lack of a cohesive vision, if not an uncompleted vision as a whole. Kudos! Edited May 6May 6 by Geowizical
May 6May 6 20 minutes ago, Geowizical said: 24 minutes ago, Boomerang_Brian said: Great info, thx. Is the new RTA station at the current location? The ONLY reason to move it would be to enable through running for extension to the southwest. Hopefully the new station is as convenient (close to the terminal) as the current station.Also, this whole thing is huge - more than I was expecting from phase 1. Is the new B Concourse part of phase 1?Not sure about the RTA station exactly, they just said "new station". Would need to see a new master plan aerial view of the complex.No new concourses are part of Phase 1 is the impression I got. They said they will be evaluating those next, I'm assuming as Phase 1 kicks off.Doing all Landside first in Phase 1 then moving to all Airside in Phase 2 makes a lot more sense to me from a phasing and complete-ability perspective. Glad Francis acknowledged in the presentation that the old "PAL" master plan was unrealistic in this day and age and that that formula would've lead to continuous disruptions and lack of a cohesive vision, if not an uncompleted vision as a whole. Kudos!"The new garage will also include a Ground Transportation Center, where off-site parking and hotel shuttles drop off and pick up travelers, as well as a new Regional Transit Authority Red Line station. Because the main terminal is moving about 500 feet southeast of its existing location, the RTA stop – which is located underneath the existing terminal – will need to be moved as well."That's not an insignificant move.There are a lot of unknowns with this project right now, but my guess is that the station would be moved further southeast along the existing tunnel alignment. I think there would be just enough room for a new station on the straight portion of the tunnel if the new platform begins right at the end of the curve. That would require digging out a new station box under the new parking garage before work starts on it. If built right, this could dramatically improve the station from an aesthetic standpoint. Ideally a direct underground connection is maintained so passengers can continue to walk directly from the platform into the terminal.Going by their phasing of first the new Gold Lot (next to Concourse D) in 2026, then the new parking garage on the Orange lot, work on the new redline station would need to begin pretty soon as it would likely be in the lower level of the new garage.*EDIT*Yep, according to a timeline graphic in the presentation work on a new station would begin with the new parking garage next year.
May 6May 6 7 minutes ago, NorthShore64 said:"The new garage will also include a Ground Transportation Center, where off-site parking and hotel shuttles drop off and pick up travelers, as well as a new Regional Transit Authority Red Line station. Because the main terminal is moving about 500 feet southeast of its existing location, the RTA stop – which is located underneath the existing terminal – will need to be moved as well."That's not an insignificant move.Haven't read the articles yet, but hoping rental cars are moved on site, or at least closer/more convenient than the current spot.
May 6May 6 8 minutes ago, GISguy said:Haven't read the articles yet, but hoping rental cars are moved on site, or at least closer/more convenient than the current spot. New on site rental car facility built with money from the rental car companies according to Francis.
May 6May 6 Wow, this is VERY different than what was proposed in the master plan released in 2021. The cle dot com article says it's subscriber only, but I was able to access it with no subscription. (Oh, I like this new embedding of articles snapshot - headline below the image is the link direct to cle dot com article)"The project outline differs from earlier proposals that would have rebuilt the terminal largely on its existing footprint. In addition, the new plan prioritizes work in the pre-security areas of the terminal, while putting off work to improve concourses and gate areas. The pre-security area, also known as the landside section of the terminal, includes check-in counters and security checkpoints, baggage claim and parking; the “airside” area includes concourses, gate areas, shops and dining. “We’re really wanting and needing to focus on improving the front of house,” said Francis. “That’s critical to improving the guest experience.” In addition, he said, the redesigned project should minimize disruption to travelers by building the new terminal a few hundred feet away from the existing building."clevelandNew $1.1 billion Cleveland Hopkins airport terminal will...But first: The airport will build a new parking garage on the current Orange Lot, with spaces for 6,000 cars, as well as a new Ground Transportation Center and RTA station. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
May 6May 6 I tried to find on Google a larger image of the one below, but Google kept trying to tell me that this was the Tirupati Airport, also known as Sri Venkateswara Airport, located in Renigunta, Andhra Pradesh, India! Looks very similar! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 6May 6 Does anyone have a link to an overhead site plan view? I'm struggling to envision how this will look. Are the gates all going to be abutting the current terminal and then they'll demo the current terminal so the gates will front directly onto the tarmac?
May 6May 6 5 minutes ago, LlamaLawyer said:Does anyone have a link to an overhead site plan view? I'm struggling to envision how this will look. Are the gates all going to be abutting the current terminal and then they'll demo the current terminal so the gates will front directly onto the tarmac?The picture in the Cleveland.com article appears to be the best look at that. The concourses will be connected via bridges.Press Release: https://49718389.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/49718389/FINAL%20Post%20Media%20Event%20Release.pdfIt's the first picture in the press release.
May 6May 6 3 minutes ago, LlamaLawyer said:Does anyone have a link to an overhead site plan view? I'm struggling to envision how this will look. Are the gates all going to be abutting the current terminal and then they'll demo the current terminal so the gates will front directly onto the tarmac?The gates and existing Concourses will not change in Phase 1. The new terminal (on the site of the existing garage) will connect to the existing Concourses via pedestrian bridges. Concourse replacement would be a later phase that was not discussed at all, which is disappointing considering how bad A and B are. (C is mostly fine, if a bit cramped.) This means LONG walks for everyone, but I do agree it will be much less disruptive during construction and the final, final product (decades away) will be much better. I think Pittsburgh and Kansas City terminal constructions apparent success are informing this decision. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
May 6May 6 The website that is activehttp://ItsACLEvolution.comStates that the pics are just conceptual. I like them a lot however! we’ll see what they actually design….
May 6May 6 12 minutes ago, LlamaLawyer said:Does anyone have a link to an overhead site plan view? I'm struggling to envision how this will look. Are the gates all going to be abutting the current terminal and then they'll demo the current terminal so the gates will front directly onto the tarmac?Pardon the crude drawing but I imagine it'll be something like thisEDIT: Ignore my drawing, the website has an animation of the phasing lolWhat's cool now is that the orientation of the new headhouse allows for almost any new concourse configuration to be slapped on the back of it without having to worry too much about the existing concourses! Edited May 6May 6 by Geowizical
May 6May 6 18 minutes ago, Geowizical said:Pardon the crude drawing but I imagine it'll be something like this:1) new Headhouse, TSA, and bridge connecting to existing terminal.2) new parking garage on current Orange Lot, connected to headhouse by aerial bridge3) surface lot in former Sheraton area, including new ground transportation center and4) new RTA station underground attached to everythingWhat's cool now is that the orientation of the new headhouse allows for almost any new concourse configuration to be slapped on the back of it without having to worry too much about the existing concourses!I'm really wanting the see the plans for the updated RTA station. I'm hoping it can be made to have the platforms parallel to the new terminal to allow for potential through-running to the south/southeast in the future. Any mention of an Amtrak platform being built here as well? Or will they likely just drop riders off at Brook Park to catch an RTA train to the airport?
May 6May 6 9 minutes ago, PlanCleveland said:I'm really wanting the see the plans for the updated RTA station. I'm hoping it can be made to have the platforms parallel to the new terminal to allow for potential through-running to the south/southeast in the future.Any mention of an Amtrak platform being built here as well? Or will they likely just drop riders off at Brook Park to catch an RTA train to the airport?Here is the new routing from the video above. It seems like it could be continued south/southwest from here in the future.
May 6May 6 ^ That video really helps. Thank you.BTW as somewhere who flies 2-3 times a month, a connected Rental Car walking distance substantially improves a business travelers opinion of an airport. (case in point, I literally chose to fly into SNA .. with a layover in DEN ! ,,, last week instead of LAX because I did not want to deal with the headache of taking the d@mn shuttle bus to the car rental center.) Still not sure if I understand the chatter above ... but is a connected car rental an option here? Edited May 6May 6 by MuRrAy HiLL
May 6May 6 After watching the phasing video, it looks like it will be a long walk to B concourse after the old terminal is demolished. It will require taking a walkway to either A or C, then another walkway to B. But perhaps they will reconfigure the concourses when they get to the next phase. If they could construct tunnels from the new terminal to the concourses, that would eliminate the walkways which would open up more space and might allow for a few more gate to be added at the existing concourses. It's funny they are still showing D concourse at end of phasing. I wonder if that means it will not be demolished? Edited May 6May 6 by LibertyBlvd
May 6May 6 The new plan looks great. Just wish they could start the new terminal sooner, though I get it's contingent on demo'ing the existing garage.2 minutes ago, MuRrAy HiLL said:^ That video really helps. Thank you.BTW as somewhere who flies 2-3 times a month, a connected Rental Car walking distance substantially improves a business travelers opinion of an airport. (case in point, I literally chose to fly into SNA .. with a layover in DEN ! ,,, last week instead of LAX because I did not want to deal with the headache of taking the d@mn shuttle bus to the car rental center.) Still not sure if I understand the chatter above ... but is a connected car rental an option here?The cleveland.com article above mentions there are plans to relocate it next to the terminal.Additional space on the airport grounds will be reserved for a relocated rental-car facility, which was moved off-campus to Maplewood Avenue in 1998. Francis expects the new rental-car facility, which will be financed primarily by the car-rental companies, will open around the same time that the new terminal is finished.
May 6May 6 Not sure how they're planning to do the new concourses, but with where the new terminal would be, they could easily build a new concourse C where D is now, then demo current C when new C is up and running. Build new B where C is now. Then demo current B and build new A where B is now. You could replace all three concourses without ever losing a concourse or having to put passengers into a concourse that's being renovated.
May 6May 6 The creations of long walkways to get to the concourses almost definately assures that a phase 2 will happen sooner rather than later. I can't see the walkways as being a long term solution.
May 6May 6 I've been an ardent follower of this stuff for decades, and the sad part is possibly not living long enough to see it completed. LOL, sorry about the whining.From the video It looks like concourse D is not being demolished, as opposed to what was specified in the TDMP. Why would it take 1.5 years to pave parking spaces on existing tarmac to create the gold lot? Perhaps the connections to the concourses, as shown, are temporary, until concourse modernization.** They are addressing the need for the sterile corridor from customs to the airport exits. Implied that customs would still be on concourse A at least for a while. I feel that placing the ground terminal where that embarassment of a garage stands was genious-y.** Imagine a monorail making this loop hehe.
May 6May 6 2 minutes ago, urb-a-saurus said:I've been an ardent follower of this stuff for decades, and the sad part is possibly not living long enough to see it completed. LOL, sorry about the whining.Same here. If I am still living, I will likely be in assisted living and no longer flying.
May 6May 6 One thought I was having... With the terminal being moved further from the runways, and the concourses due to be redesigned, we might be able to rebuild councorses in such a way as to preserve space for a third runway... Obviously we don't need that now, and probably won't anytime soon, but if we can leave room for expansion that could make a lot of sense. Maybe I'll make a quick sketch later, but if you pull all the concourses toward the terminal and maybe utilize some of what was the blue lot I can see making space for a third runway. Obviously there are some buildings that need to move near the western end of the runway, but there's no need to worry about those unless we actually need another runway. For now it's just about preserving the space. Probably a stupid and/or crazy idea, I just figured I'd share.
May 6May 6 1 hour ago, dski44 said:The creations of long walkways to get to the concourses almost definately assures that a phase 2 will happen sooner rather than later. I can't see the walkways as being a long term solution.I agree. There will be a lot of available space after the old terminal is demolished. Maybe they can extend the existing concourses into that space and add a few more gates.
May 6May 6 I was thinking they could use some or all of the old terminal for retail, dining, working spaces, and meeting spaces, instead of tearing it all down. I have to say though, this phase of the plan manages to create all new buildings, almost in the same place.
May 6May 6 7 minutes ago, LibertyBlvd said:I agree. There will be a lot of available space after the old terminal is demolished. Maybe they can extend the existing concourses into that space and add a few more gates.The infrastrucutre to the east of the exisiting terminal, where the blue and red lots are currently located, is being demolished and will remain open space after phase 1. I wonder if that will be used to construct a new concourse in phase 2.
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