I get so frustrated with the airports that only give you 30 free minutes of WiFi. And that's after watching some ad.

 

I think O'Hare and Charlotte are among them :|

I think O'Hare and Charlotte are among them :|

 

Charlotte is an annoying airport.  The only airport I have ever been to with bathroom attendants.  It's a transportation terminal, not a nightclub!

 

I think O'Hare and Charlotte are among them :|

 

Charlotte is an annoying airport.  The only airport I have ever been to with bathroom attendants.  It's a transportation terminal, not a nightclub!

 

 

It's probably due to all those GOPers who've been getting in trouble in bathrooms! lol. (sorry bad joke. Couldn't help it!)

O Hare is annoying.  Im absolutely shocked that in 2016, not every airport has chargers at every seat and wifi throughout....and that every airplane doesn't have the same.  I am glad CLE offers free wifi and yes I do notice it.

I think O'Hare and Charlotte are among them :|

 

Charlotte is an annoying airport.  The only airport I have ever been to with bathroom attendants.  It's a transportation terminal, not a nightclub!

 

 

 

I stil don't see the benefit of the Charlotte hub anymore. Philly, DC, Miami and Charlotte on the East Coast for American. The other 3 cities are much better gateways than Charlotte. I would not be surprised to see that airport dramatically shrink in the coming years with the other East Coast hubs.

^it took a couple years post United Continental merger to axe CLE.  I wouldn't be surprised if American axes someone in the near future.

I hope it is Charlotte

Anyone know what CLE landing fees are, and how they compare to other airports currently?

 

The last time I read about it I remember that we had some of the highest in the nation, just wondering if we had brought ours down, or if other airports have increased theirs, making ours more competitive

I hope it is Charlotte

 

I think it's more likely to be Philly than Charlotte.  CLT actually has gained passengers since the merger, it is cheaper and easier to operate and would be easier to modify/expand than PHL.  I could see them drawing down PHL a bit, but I doubt they would eliminate it.  CLT is not likely to shrink.

CLE-PDX starts today.  Really hope this one has legs...as well as seattle and that the seasonals to Portland and seattle stagger days of the week so we can get to the Pacific NW on almost any day of the week.  Planning on using that route as soon as possible

CLE-PDX starts today.  Really hope this one has legs...as well as seattle and that the seasonals to Portland and seattle stagger days of the week so we can get to the Pacific NW on almost any day of the week.  Planning on using that route as soon as possible

 

PDX = Portland, Or.

 

I don't believe Cleve-Portland was ever flown by a regular carrier until United did it three summers ago. I think it's a sign the UA flight did well for Frontier to decide to take a stab at this.

My wife and I are using the new Frontier CLE-->SFO service in June for an anniversary trip.  The ticket specials when the routes were announced were incredible!  I wonder if this will lead to any change in UA's SFO flights... since the F9 flight isn't daily, I think United might leave theirs intact, but they may drop the price a little. 

http://www.cleveland.com/travel/index.ssf/2016/04/frontier_airlines_launches_cle.html#incart_m-rpt-1

 

Frontier Airlines launches Cleveland-to-Portland route, has more destinations from Hopkins than every airline but one

 

Frontier Airlines launches service this afternoon to Portland, Oregon, the 21st market the carrier has flown from Cleveland Hopkins in the past two years.

 

Not every route has worked. At least six destinations -- including New York City, Dallas and Fort Lauderdale -- didn't perform well enough for the airline to continue service.

 

But Frontier keeps trying -- adding and subtracting and then adding some more.

 

"They're very agile. They aren't wed to bad decisions," said airline industry analyst Robert Mann. "They quickly see where things don't mature the way they predicted, and they move those assets."

Aerozone Alliance working to entice businesses around NASA Glenn, Hopkins

http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2016/04/aerozone_alliance_formed_to_encourage_economic_development_by_nasa_glenn_and_hopkins.html

 

Planning starting for 'cleveland aerotropolis'

Frontier announces CLE-PHL service.

 

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2016/04/14/776200/#.Vw-g6zrg-hM.twitter

 

"To celebrate this new service, Frontier is offering special introductory fares as low as $20 one-way on these new routes today only."

 

This is good, as prior to this it was a monopoly route with USAir (now  AA).

Aerozone Alliance working to entice businesses around NASA Glenn, Hopkins

http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2016/04/aerozone_alliance_formed_to_encourage_economic_development_by_nasa_glenn_and_hopkins.html

 

Planning starting for 'cleveland aerotropolis'

 

Positive news, except for the fact that it's news.  How does this org not already exist?  We should pursue aerospace development at least as much as we pursue biotech.  We're big in aerospace now, but we used to be bigger and we could be again.

Hopefully this org and plan help move us in that direction! There is a lot of developable land over there

Finally, United is updating their gate stands/displays.  I guess for the convention, they didn't want to look like a third class operation.

 

They've installed the first one at gate C29, and they've staged several stands and display monitors near gate 19.

 

The new customer service center is small!  It's probably the correct size for their operation now.  Makes me wonder what they are going to do with that space.

 

Lastly, they got rid of that car rental stuff which was in gate C2.  I'm sure they don't intend on leaving that empty, so I'm curious what will end up there.

Is there anyway to see how flights are peforming?  Perhaps MD88 knows?  Im interested to see how month 1 has gone for Frontiers non stop flights to PDX and SFO.  I want to retain as many west coast non stops as possible

Is there anyway to see how flights are peforming?  Perhaps MD88 knows?  Im interested to see how month 1 has gone for Frontiers non stop flights to PDX and SFO.  I want to retain as many west coast non stops as possible

 

I second this; I will be flying on their SFO nonstop in a couple of weeks.  I'm curious what kind of load factors there are.

Is there anyway to see how flights are peforming?  Perhaps MD88 knows?  Im interested to see how month 1 has gone for Frontiers non stop flights to PDX and SFO.  I want to retain as many west coast non stops as possible

 

He's a Delta pilot. How would he know?

^ People talk, industry knowledge. They were just asking.

^ People talk, industry knowledge. They were just asking.

 

I work in the industry. Without working for the airline, it would be just as effective for you to go to a non-busy Frontier gate agent and just ask. Just FYI.

^ People talk, industry knowledge. They were just asking.

 

I work in the industry. Without working for the airline, it would be just as effective for you to go to a non-busy Frontier gate agent and just ask. Just FYI.

Wouldn't that have been easier to say?

^ People talk, industry knowledge. They were just asking.

 

I work in the industry. Without working for the airline, it would be just as effective for you to go to a non-busy Frontier gate agent and just ask. Just FYI.

Wouldn't that have been easier to say?

 

It was an honest question from the start. Really don't want to get into the weeds on this, let's keep the thread on-topic.

I love Twitter sometimes! I asked if the TSA checked baggage scanners sitting out in the ticketing area would be hidden at the end of the renovations (because the renderings don't show them but no one ever mentions them).

 

Here is the response: "that's not part of this project, but a project is just starting that will get rid of them. Should be complete next year."

I love Twitter sometimes! I asked if the TSA checked baggage scanners sitting out in the ticketing area would be hidden at the end of the renovations (because the renderings don't show them but no one ever mentions them).

 

Here is the response: "that's not part of this project, but a project is just starting that will get rid of them. Should be complete next year."

 

Disappointed that wasn't included as part of the current project, especially to be done in time for the RNC... But glad it is in the works nonetheless!

 

Enough time has gone by since they started using them IMO that all airports should by now have renovated behind the scenes to accommodate the larger scanners.

Is there anyway to see how flights are peforming?  Perhaps MD88 knows?  Im interested to see how month 1 has gone for Frontiers non stop flights to PDX and SFO.  I want to retain as many west coast non stops as possible

 

If you go on flightaware.com and type in the origin of the flight and its destination a list of flights will pop up. Select the Frontier flight and there is a "airline insight" button next to average airfare. You are able to scroll down and look at the load factors. Do note that some routes have this stat and some do not.

United's new gate stands and gate information displays look really nice.  With a little gentle updating of the seating areas, their rotunda space looks pretty nice, now, actually.  It's too bad they don't have many connections in Cleveland anymore, now it would be a better experience.  I just came back from a trip and have 3 more in the next 30 days, so I am excited to see the ticketing area project finish.  I wonder if American will move their gates to Concourse C before or after the RNC.  All in all, they are doing what they can at the airport.  Without a major influx of cash, this is really the best we can expect.  Perhaps that may change if new leadership comes in (nothing against Szabo, but he's just a placeholder) and has a "vision" and a mechanism with which to realize it.  I'm not holding my breath, though.

 

 

Can you grab some pics next time your're there, plinth857[/member]?? :)

Is there anyway to see how flights are peforming?  Perhaps MD88 knows?  Im interested to see how month 1 has gone for Frontiers non stop flights to PDX and SFO.  I want to retain as many west coast non stops as possible

 

If you go on flightaware.com and type in the origin of the flight and its destination a list of flights will pop up. Select the Frontier flight and there is a "airline insight" button next to average airfare. You are able to scroll down and look at the load factors. Do note that some routes have this stat and some do not.

 

good stuff, thanks

Is there anyway to see how flights are peforming?  Perhaps MD88 knows?  Im interested to see how month 1 has gone for Frontiers non stop flights to PDX and SFO.  I want to retain as many west coast non stops as possible

 

If you go on flightaware.com and type in the origin of the flight and its destination a list of flights will pop up. Select the Frontier flight and there is a "airline insight" button next to average airfare. You are able to scroll down and look at the load factors. Do note that some routes have this stat and some do not.

 

I would caution using load factors as a metric of success for a flight or a route. The stat doesn't tell us what the yield is for each flight. You can have a full flight and it can be a money loser. Although with Frontier it would be probably be more accurate compared to a legacy carrier like United because of the low-cost nature of it's pricing.

i didn't see a load factor for that frontier flight, anyway

As if Hopkins isn't bad enough due to construction, I'm sitting here at B4, and they're playing the weather forecast from Sunday.  It's Tuesday.  Is playing the correct TV feed really that hard?

wow. That's embarrassing.

How do you even get a two day old TV feed?

City employees.  Someone probably called off on Monday and the rest of the people said, "that's not my job." 

Condor just announced seasonal 2x weekly service to Germany from New Orleans. So another city has Transatlantic service. Does Cleveland think the carriers will come to them? Really wish the city didn't run the airport.

United justified in leaving Cleveland, audit finds

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/06/united_justified_in_leaving_cl.html

United justified in leaving Cleveland, audit finds

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/06/united_justified_in_leaving_cl.html

 

And nowhere in article does it note United was unprofitable... just that they were "justified..."

Condor just announced seasonal 2x weekly service to Germany from New Orleans. So another city has Transatlantic service. Does Cleveland think the carriers will come to them? Really wish the city didn't run the airport.

 

You mean someone from Maple Hts or Medina or Willoughby would intrinsically be better?  Its not the City that can't run the airport---its that the mayor installs incompetent people. A More effective + more visionary mayor would result in a better choice for leadership and growth of the airports.  THAT'S the problem---not that its run by the city.

 

You just said that the problem is not with the city running the airport, but instead the mayor being able to place incompetent people in important roles. Does the mayor not work for the city? If the city did not own the airport, then the mayor would not be able appoint people to jobs, and the airport may be in a better situation right now. So in other words, you completely contradicted yourself, and did a beautiful job of showing that the problem with the airport is that it is owned by the city.

Where do these expectations for the airport come?  I understand the consumer mentality we have here, but it seems exacerbated here in Cleveland.  The airport receives so much enmity - it isn't the best airport, I'll grant.  But there are many worse, and I won't understand anyone who complains about Cleveland baggage claim... it is much much faster than any other airport our size, particularly since there is so much less connecting traffic.  At Charlotte, I waited nearly one hour for bags - I suspect during the heyday of Continental's operation in CLE (or any other airport that has so much more connecting traffic than O/D), that must have been what it was like, since connecting bags surely must be prioritized over O/D bags.

Condor just announced seasonal 2x weekly service to Germany from New Orleans. So another city has Transatlantic service. Does Cleveland think the carriers will come to them? Really wish the city didn't run the airport.

 

You mean someone from Maple Hts or Medina or Willoughby would intrinsically be better?  Its not the City that can't run the airport---its that the mayor installs incompetent people. A More effective + more visionary mayor would result in a better choice for leadership and growth of the airports.  THAT'S the problem---not that its run by the city.

 

 

When is that vision going to come? I know first hand that there isn't an international passenger or cargo airline interested in starting service to Cleveland. In fact Cleveland does so little to market itself that some carriers reps don't even know who is running Hopkins now. It's embarrassing and unprofessional.

 

Then do a lookup on the Google machine at what folks in Pittsburgh and Columbus are doing to attract new service. Pittsburgh is talking to Qatar! It's a very long shot but good for them anyway.

 

The carriers aren't going to come to Cleveland begging to start service. I stand by what I said, I do think Hopkins would be run better with a regional authority. Never going to happen though.

 

Were things any better when Ricky was in charge? He moved on (back) to BWI, which has got an enviable terminal/service - so he must not be bad at the game of running an airport...

Were things any better when Ricky was in charge? He moved on (back) to BWI, which has got an enviable terminal/service - so he must not be bad at the game of running an airport...

 

Ricky cleaned up a lot in the early part of his tenure but it certainly did go downhill at the end. In classic Cleveland style when Mok was running the airport some vendors hadn't paid fees in years. Ricky fixed the accounting and tried to find ways to increase revenue to offset the large debt Cleveland had run up on the airport. He did market the airport but when United bailed he became the fall guy. Then there was the FAA snow removal violation under his watch which cemented his legacy at Hopkins.

 

Now with Szabo Hopkins is invisible to the aviation community. I do believe he's more concerned with his standing in the city government than doing things to improve service for the general public. I don't expect much to be done while he's in charge.

This would seem a good time to move the management of the airport to the port authority. They have deep pockets to make the investments that would be needed like updating concourses to handle the bigger jets so maybe it could be a hub again. It would probably need dual runways for that to happen though. But a shift to a less hamstrung agency would improve things nonetheless.

This would seem a good time to move the management of the airport to the port authority. They have deep pockets to make the investments that would be needed like updating concourses to handle the bigger jets so maybe it could be a hub again. It would probably need dual runways for that to happen though. But a shift to a less hamstrung agency would improve things nonetheless.

 

Hopkins needs to fix the debt situation. Landing fees are still very high compared to similar sized airports which hampers new service. There seems to be no clear vision from the city on how to fix this. Does the port authority have enough revenues on hand to pay part of the debt down? Then that would be a great idea.

The Port Authority mainly issues bonds. It may be able to get some debt shrunk and easier to pay off.  It is more the strategic vision and mindset that the port authority has plus allowing Cuyahoga county to add some direction and needed monetary clout.

The Port Authority mainly issues bonds. It may be able to get some debt shrunk and easier to pay off.  It is more the strategic vision and mindset that the port authority has plus allowing Cuyahoga county to add some direction and needed monetary clout.

 

They have enough cash flow to pay down the debt at a rate of about 5% a year if they would just QUIT spending money on vanity projects like the lobby improvements currently underway and the "green roof" project that is planned.