October 6, 20186 yr No other way to get to midway. Southwest was cheaper than JetBlue direct to Boston?
October 6, 20186 yr No other way to get to midway. Southwest was cheaper than JetBlue direct to Boston? Yeah the flight was free with our points. Couldn’t pass it up.
October 7, 20186 yr "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 7, 20186 yr Took the new-ish Frontier direct to San Antonio on Monday and back on Friday (also taking the Rapid to/from Shaker). Pleasantly surprised that both flights were completely full. Also, I'd say the San Antonio airport is pretty close to being a twin of CLE. Both form and function felt very much the same, though it took much longer going through their TSA, and they of course don't have a convenient train line.
October 15, 20186 yr I took the new cle-slc route last week. Great route to get to west coast if not going to LA or SF. Breaks up the travel nicely and is a straight shot. Both of my flights were 100% full. Not sure why they go out of A concourse though?
October 16, 20186 yr That sure didn't last long..... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 16, 20186 yr To be honest, if icelandair picks up another day and has 5 days per week, not the end of the world. They are the better airline
October 16, 20186 yr 1 hour ago, KJP said: That sure didn't last long..... I wonder if this means that some of their incentive money will remain unspent and can be re-allocated.
October 19, 20186 yr Maybe not the most appropriate topic for this story, But the Ford Engine Plant land adjacent to the airport is for sale. What are thoughts on if it would be a good opportunity for the airport (assuming it could raise the funds), to acquire for a modern terminal and concourses? Part of the land could be used for the new terminal and the remainder could be put under lease to operators whose lease payments would pay for future airport expenditures. The existing terminal facility could remain in place until the new one was ready, then demolished for room for a potential additional runway or future terminal expansion if needed. http://realestate.cleveland.com/realestate-news/2018/10/former_ford_engine_plant_in_br.html
October 19, 20186 yr There are a lot of railroad tracks that would need to be bridged over by multiple taxiways, along with the highway
October 20, 20186 yr Cool idea. You could also incorporate an intercity rail station with the airport. Existing Amtrak trains to Elyria, Sandusky, Toledo, South Bend, Chicago, Alliance, Pittsburgh, Erie, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and beyond pass through here, as would have the 3C trains, plus proposed trains to Detroit, Ann Arbor, Youngstown, Akron, Canton and elsewhere. You can use RRIF loans (up to $35 billion available) to pay for a rail station and supportive real estate developments associated with any railroad station (existing or planned including the dink Amtrak station in downtown Cleveland). "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 20, 20186 yr 11 hours ago, KJP said: Cool idea. You could also incorporate an intercity rail station with the airport. Existing Amtrak trains to Elyria, Sandusky, Toledo, South Bend, Chicago, Alliance, Pittsburgh, Erie, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and beyond pass through here, as would have the 3C trains, plus proposed trains to Detroit, Ann Arbor, Youngstown, Akron, Canton and elsewhere. You can use RRIF loans (up to $35 billion available) to pay for a rail station and supportive real estate developments associated with any railroad station (existing or planned including the dink Amtrak station in downtown Cleveland). Yea, make the new terminal intermodal and could possibly be the set up point for getting the red line past the airport where it ends now. Given that the airport is completely land locked you'd think the city would have had a plan or been working behind the scenes to secure the property or the rights. It may seem like a huge expenditure, and it would be, but let's say the Cleveland region has 5 million people in 50 years and double the amount of jobs. Hopkins in it's current footprint probably won't be adequate.
October 20, 20186 yr 18 minutes ago, Mov2Ohio said: Yea, make the new terminal intermodal and could possibly be the set up point for getting the red line past the airport where it ends now. Given that the airport is completely land locked you'd think the city would have had a plan or been working behind the scenes to secure the property or the rights. It may seem like a huge expenditure, and it would be, but let's say the Cleveland region has 5 million people in 50 years and double the amount of jobs. Hopkins in it's current footprint probably won't be adequate. The CLE terminal, running at about 9.7 million passengers this year, can handle ~35% more easily as it did when it was a Continental hub. The pinch will be access and parking, since the passenger loads are now mostly local folks and not passengers connecting in Cleveland. An intermodal hub on the rail lines is a great idea, but there's no need to put the whole terminal there - you'd need a couple hundred million just for the aircraft taxiways. Remember: It's the Year of the Snake
October 20, 20186 yr 5 hours ago, Dougal said: The CLE terminal, running at about 9.7 million passengers this year, can handle ~35% more easily as it did when it was a Continental hub. The pinch will be access and parking, since the passenger loads are now mostly local folks and not passengers connecting in Cleveland. An intermodal hub on the rail lines is a great idea, but there's no need to put the whole terminal there - you'd need a couple hundred million just for the aircraft taxiways. Ok. And what happens when it needs to serve 15 million or more? What's the airports plan for that? These are the types of things there should be strategic planning for, and maybe there is, I just don't see it. And as mentioned above, of course it will be a huge expense, what airport projects aren't? There are quite a few airports that have bridges over existing infrastructure to expand. Hopkins will someday have to do the same, assuming the economy here doesnt completely collapse and Cleveland becomes a ghost town.
October 21, 20186 yr 19 hours ago, Mov2Ohio said: Ok. And what happens when it needs to serve 15 million or more? What's the airports plan for that? The airport is developing a new master plan. which should be ready in a couple of years. By the 2024 time of construction, the airport's debt ($684 million on last Dec 31) should be well under $400 million and they can consider a billion dollar terminal project. Meanwhile, the airport will do what it has to to keep the present operation going. Getting to 15 million passengers would require either an airline to start a new hub or significant population growth; one or both of those will happen someday, but it won't be within the next few years. An intermodal hub could be developed independent of the airline terminal and much more cheaply. The county, however, would probably have to be the sponsor and it's hard to imagine the current county administration wanting to do that. Remember: It's the Year of the Snake
October 29, 20186 yr From GCP. Embedded links are in the original article at: https://www.gcpartnership.com/Stay Informed on News and Policy/Newsroom/~/link.aspx?_id=23B2001836104556BAD707E10078EAF8&_z=z October 29th, 2018 City Council Approves $3 Million in Improvements to Airport Transportation Center Cleveland City Council recently voted to allow Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to spend up to $3 million to expand the Ground Transportation Center, allowing more commercial vehicles to use it for picking up and dropping off passengers. Canopies will be constructed to allow the vehicles to be under cover and provide shelter from the weather for travelers. The GCP’s Senior Vice President of Advocacy Marty McGann provided testimony earlier this year in support of raising fees to cover the cost of the improvements, stating “[W]e stand in strong support of the airport administration’s proposal to assess the existing fee imposed on some commercial transportation operators—on those commercial vendors not yet paying the per-trip fee. This will allow upgrades to the ground transportation facilities while re-routing some growing vehicle pressure on the roadway system.” McGann went on to explain that the GCP recently completed and released its three-year strategic plan, in which more than 250 of its members highlighted “expanding international and domestic air service” as one of the highest priorities of the organization. To read more about why this work at the airport is necessary and what it will entail, read the cleveland.com article. Additionally, the airport is in the early stages of the process to update the CLE Master Plan, the key airport guiding document. This plan provides guidance for the development of the airport to meet continued growth, assessment of major facility improvements and long-term capital investment. The GCP will be engaged in this process, providing its perspective and support to ensure the infrastructure is in place to foster future air service growth. View the current Airport Master Plan here. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 29, 20186 yr Would this include the Rideshare pickup area? I find that's an important "front door" impression when visiting other cities. Cleveland's rideshare is well located, but it could definitely help to make it feel more permanent.
October 29, 20186 yr 7 minutes ago, ML11 said: Would this include the Rideshare pickup area? I find that's an important "front door" impression when visiting other cities. Cleveland's rideshare is well located, but it could definitely help to make it feel more permanent. Per the PD I think the answe is yes? But it’s still a little unclear to me personally. “The improvements would add more space for vehicles, put them under cover and include heaters to try to keep passengers warm as they walk to their rides in the winter. Passengers will be able to wait inside the building for their ride to arrive.” https://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/index.ssf/2018/10/city_council_oks_3m_in_improve.html
October 29, 20186 yr While they're at it they should move the rental car facility into the short-term garage and build a a new garage behind it to supplement the lost parking. The off-site rental car facility is also a horrible "front door" impression.
October 31, 20186 yr On 10/29/2018 at 1:53 PM, Cleburger said: While they're at it they should move the rental car facility into the short-term garage and build a a new garage behind it to supplement the lost parking. The off-site rental car facility is also a horrible "front door" impression. I don't think that will happen; most mid-size and larger airports have gone the off-site route. Any cost of bringing it back on property wouldn't generate enough return on investment to be worthwhile. But I do agree that it's not the greatest first impression.
October 31, 20186 yr I really don’t think it’s that huge of an issue. Seattle’s rental facility is just as much of a hassle to get to via shuttle, and don’t even get me started on LAX and their scattered lots for individual companies instead of a centralized area. “To an Ohio resident - wherever he lives - some other part of his state seems unreal.”
October 31, 20186 yr Yea let me tell you I used to think the off site rental at CLE was awful but now that I travel regularly for work- its fine. Some of the facilities feel like you are going to another state to get to... (DALLAS!)
October 31, 20186 yr ^^I don't disagree with these examples in terms of onvenience, however they are top 20 airports in the USA and we are....Cleveland. We are already starting from a negative position in terms of perception...why not make it a much better experience? Similar sized markets like Indianapolis and Buffalo all placed their rental cars in transportation centers right out side the arrivals area.
October 31, 20186 yr 4 hours ago, plinth857 said: I don't think that will happen; most mid-size and larger airports have gone the off-site route. Any cost of bringing it back on property wouldn't generate enough return on investment to be worthwhile. But I do agree that it's not the greatest first impression. If only there was a light rail line that could lead to a parking and car-rental station.
October 31, 20186 yr Putting the rental cars where they are was part of building up the Contnental hub - move the cars to make room for Concourse D. The master plan being developed will no doubt reconsider where to put the rental cars. There probably is no alternative worth pursuing in the meantime. Remember: It's the Year of the Snake
October 31, 20186 yr 1 hour ago, Foraker said: If only there was a light rail line that could lead to a parking and car-rental station. Ha! That's too forward thinking. But that would be incredible.
November 1, 20186 yr It was planned. In fact, the ridership was estimated to be higher than that of the Blue/Green lines. The scenario was to route the Red Line through the airport grounds on an elevated structure, with a station built as part of a multi-story retail/hotel complex built between the short-term parking garage and the main terminal. The current tunnel would be used for a shuttle train to the rental car lots, joining with the Red Line outside the current tunnel ramp and running combined to the north side of the Brookpark Station, then tracks spliting off and going over I-71 to an east-west right of way preserved for a rail line to North Olmsted, but turning south from this ROW into the car rental facility. You can read more about it here: http://freepdfhosting.com/6c439439e1.pdf Edited November 1, 20186 yr by KJP "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 1, 20186 yr Just now, KJP said: It was planned. In fact, the ridership was estimated to be higher than the Blue/Green lines. The scenario was to route the Red Line through the airport grounds on an elevated structure, with a station built as part of a multi-story retail/hotel complex built between the short-term parking garage and the main terminal. The current tunnel would be used for a shuttle train to the rental car lots, joining with the Red Line outside the current tunnel ramp and running combined to the north side of the Brookpark Station, then tracks spliting off and going over I-71 to an east-west right of way preserved for a rail line to North Olmsted, but turning south from this ROW into the car rental facility. If you have a copy of those plans, it would be nice to see them. (I love maps.) I'm somewhat surprised that "security" wasn't used as an excuse to push all the car traffic away from the terminal. (And although I think the security concerns are probably overblown, I'd like to see this happen!)
November 1, 20186 yr Wish granted. See my edited post above. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 7, 20186 yr Icelandair purchases WOW. I'm sure this deal played a role in the decisions both airlines made in their route reconfiguration for 2019. This sale might be good news for CLE maintaining this transatlantic option. Icelandair to buy budget rival WOW BEN MUTZABAUGH | USA TODAY Updated 2:40 p.m. EST Nov. 5, 2018 WOW Air, the Icelandic budget airline that shook up the U.S. market with Europe fares as low as $99 one way, will be acquired by rival Icelandair in a deal that could make the company a strong force in the trans-Atlantic market. The acquisition must still be approved by Icelandair shareholders and by regulators. Icelandair says the brands will continue to operate independently, but the tie-up could bring restraint to competition that has flooded the U.S. market with new capacity on the two Icelandic carriers. WOW Air has opened more than a dozen new routes to North America since 2015, with Icelandair often matching its rival’s plans. That’s led to a sudden surge in some markets where nonstop flights to Iceland proliferated practically overnight. In Cleveland, for example, the midsized U.S. market went from having no nonstop flights to Europe to suddenly having two to the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik after WOW and Icelandair announced flights only about 24 hours apart. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2018/11/05/airline-deak-icelandair-buy-budget-rival-wow/1891622002/
November 7, 20186 yr ^Based on the airport's numbers that Susan Glaser reported in https://www.cleveland.com/travel/2018/10/cleveland-hopkins-icelandic-airline-experiment-hits-turbulence-as-wow-pulls-out-icelandair-cuts-back.html passengers departing Cleveland to Iceland were 200 per day in June, 185 in July, 170 in August, and 158 in September. That is more than enough to make ONE airline happy (IcelandAir's plane holds 160; WOW's holds 200); not enough for two, which between them operated 9 flights a week this year. The good news is IcelandAir, who say they will be back next May, should be very happy next summer. Remember: It's the Year of the Snake
December 10, 20186 yr United dropping Cleveland to Boston...slowly tip toeing away from everything. This is fine. Delta picking up the route and frankly, I go Jetblue any time i go to Boston. I use to be pretttty dedicated to United, but I must say, ive almost completely phased them out at this point
December 10, 20186 yr In a statement, United said: “Boston and Cleveland continue to be important destinations in United’s route network. We continuously monitor business and leisure demand across the system and during the most recent review made the difficult decision to discontinue service on the Cleveland-Boston route effective March 7, 2019. Today’s announcement does not change United’s plans to expand Cleveland service to nine popular business and leisure destinations this winter.” https://www.cleveland.com/travel/2018/12/united-airlines-to-drop-cleveland-to-boston-flights-delta-will-pick-them-up.html
December 10, 20186 yr Regarding CLE-BOS, Delta is a better product--better service and will utilize better, slightly larger aircraft and 3x dailv compared to UA's 2x. This change is good for Cleveland (and Boston).
December 11, 20186 yr On 12/10/2018 at 12:21 PM, Clefan98 said: In a statement, United said: “Boston and Cleveland continue to be important destinations in United’s route network. We continuously monitor business and leisure demand across the system and during the most recent review made the difficult decision to discontinue service on the Cleveland-Boston route effective March 7, 2019. Today’s announcement does not change United’s plans to expand Cleveland service to nine popular business and leisure destinations this winter.” https://www.cleveland.com/travel/2018/12/united-airlines-to-drop-cleveland-to-boston-flights-delta-will-pick-them-up.html Nice catch. Interested to see what those 9 destinations are, and how many will be year-round vs. seasonal. (You'd think winter seasonal would be launched by now?) A lot of good info at the bottom of that article, including a note of how average airfare to Boston has dropped 40% since 2013 due to increased competition...another sign that the loss of the hub has helped many consumers in the long-run.
December 12, 20186 yr In a petty sort of way, because of what they have done to Cleveland since the merger, but also being unsatisfied with the product, I deliberately boycott United. I fly Jetblue on the Boston route but Delta is a better product anyway for people wanting long haul. It'll be the few remaining p2p routes that'll get culled next and all that will be left of United in Cleveland will be service to their hubs. Also I don't get why they'd cut Boston then re-introduce a bunch of others. Boston is a strong p2p, Delta have been expanding there and its also a gateway to Europe. Milkwaukee was cut as well. What would the growth be? Would it be new routes or just frequency increases as well? I don't see west coast stuff that can't maintain daily frequency. Other midwestern cities that are just as easy to drive to? I'd then say probably Vegas/Florida seasonal, if you ask my apathetic self. That said, Delta have done a u-turn of sorts with Cincinnati and restored some routes (also maintained TATL throughout the cuts), but we'll wait and see. Edited December 12, 20186 yr by snakebite
January 1, 20196 yr Now that Szabo is gone, who is "running" the airport? Longer walks, higher costs: New Cleveland Hopkins drop-off locations, fees irk drivers, passengers, lot owners https://www.cleveland.com/business/2018/12/new-passenger-drop-off-locations-fees-at-cleveland-hopkins-airport-irk-private-drivers-parking-lot-owners.html
January 4, 20196 yr More bad PR for CLE this week: Airport water fountains shut down after passengers become ill on Frontier Airlines flight https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/01/us/ohio-frontier-airlines-passengers-sick/index.html
January 4, 20196 yr ^ Yawn... Cleveland says Hopkins Airport drinking water is safe https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2019/01/cleveland-says-hopkins-airport-drinking-water-is-safe.html
January 8, 20196 yr Frontier adds CLE-RDU, 4x/weekly starting May 1, as part of a buildup at RDU. F9 also added RDU-BOS, -PHL, and TPA. On the CLE front, F9 is expected to have a press conference this week--probably tomorrow (Tues) for some CLE adds. Edited January 8, 20196 yr by Pugu
January 8, 20196 yr Oh. Well, it's back this year! (so its still considered a "schedule add" in airlines parlance). regarding the other rumor of a press conference this week for more F9 adds, not sure now if that's happening, as I was expecting that for earlier today.
January 9, 20196 yr ^ It's still a good addition - Delta flies 1x daily CLE-RDU but it's been a single class CRJ-200 in past years. I see it's a CRJ-700 now which is slightly better.
January 9, 20196 yr I'm lazy and probably a lot of people have the same question - what airport is RDU?
January 10, 20196 yr New eatery at Hopkins: Embers. Located just on the secure side of B Security. Annoying photo.
January 14, 20196 yr Looks like there was a Frontier announcement after all: 2x Weekly to Charleston--Thursday and Sunday--starting May 2 3x Weekly to San Francisco, Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday--starting Apr 30 Year-Round Extension on Sarasota and Punta Cana Termination of Portland San Diego--was reloaded for the summer Added frequency to Austin, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh and Tampa https://www.cleveland.com/business/2019/01/frontier-airlines-adding-flights-from-cleveland-hopkins-to-charleston-sc-san-francisco-dropping-portland.html Edited January 14, 20196 yr by Pugu
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