That would be great. I haven't been by the airport in a while to see how things are proceeding with the extension of 6R-24L to 11,250 feet. The work was scheduled to be underway by now....

 

http://www.clevelandairport.com/site/494/default.aspx

 

Runway 6R/24L Uncoupling and Extension

 

This project is a safety enhancement mandated by the FAA. In November 2000, the FAA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) requiring that the Airport eliminate the intersection of runways 6R/24L and 10/28. This project will eliminate the last remaining runway intersection at CLE and provide a fully compliant runway safety area for runway 6R/24L. The uncoupling project will relocate the threshold of runway 6R/24L approximately 1,000 feet to the southwest and will construct associated taxiway, infrastructure and navigational aid improvements. In conjunction with this project, the runway will be extended by approximately 2,500 feet to result in a runway length of approximately 11,250 feet. When the runway is completed and fully instrumented, CLE will have the ability to accommodate unrestricted international service to any worldwide destination.  Construction related to this project is expected to start in late 2005 and be completed by the Fall of 2007.

I thought there was a thread with discussion about new international flights recently. I don't think I found it. But I have a tip that the two new direct service flights are being planned for Cleveland to Amsterdam, and Cleveland to Paris.

 

To piggy back on this.  I've got a strong tip, that London will go back to year round service and we'll get Honolulu as well.  I also was told - this has not been confirmed - that continental will direct (about 10-15%) of its flights from EWR to Cleveland to relieve EWR of its massive delays.  There would be ½ hr. shuttle service from CLE to EWR from 5AM to 8AM and 4PM to 7PM.

 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

 

wow thats some great news for me. nothing like having even more continental flights to cleveland.

 

Outstanding!!

I've heard the CLE-AMS service kicking around for a while. There's one hitch...since CO and NW codeshare and there are something like 16 flights between DTW and CLE and NW codeshares with KLM..I don't know if CAL would start the service.

 

The one reason AMS would be the next international destination for CLE: Mittal Steel. BP America was the impetus behind London even if though they packed up and moved to Chicago. Maybe Cleveland/Mittal Steel could convince CAL to start some sort of seasonal service to the Netherlands.

 

CAL has shown no real determination to make CLE anything but an domestic hub. They tried San Juan for a about a year and pulled it....cut London in half and threaten every year or so to pull it altogether...trimmed Cancun to just Saturdays. I'd start buying CAL's intentions more if they extended London back to year-round service.

 

I still think Jackson's decision to bring Ricky Smith in is to do what he did at BWI. USAir treated it like a domestic hub...so Smith went out and got international carriers to do what American carriers wouldn't. Don't be surprised if we get Aer Lingus or Lufthansa soon to force Continental's hand. I say by 2008 after some A concourse upgrades.

 

BTW, JetBlue started service to JFK-PIT service.

The one reason AMS would be the next international destination for CLE: Mittal Steel. Maybe Cleveland/Mittal Steel could convince CAL to start some sort of seasonal service to the Netherlands.

 

Mittal Steel USA HQ is in Chicago, not in Cleveland as it was with ISG.  Most Mittal Cleveland employees would prob. travel to Chicago before Amsterdam. 

 

That would be nice if it was though.  Hopefully, we can still get the AMS flight anyway.

 

 

I thought the big reason that Amsterdam would be the next logical stop is that Schipol is basically the main point of entry for trans-Atlantic flights.  I'm not an aviation enthusiast, though.  So I could be wrong.

Flights to Frankfurt would be the best next best direct service after London. It is a great location and major rail hub (and a really cool station too).

Like Frankfurt, Amsterdam's Schipol airport also has a high-speed rail station.

The one reason AMS would be the next international destination for CLE: Mittal Steel. Maybe Cleveland/Mittal Steel could convince CAL to start some sort of seasonal service to the Netherlands.

 

Mittal Steel USA HQ is in Chicago, not in Cleveland as it was with ISG.  Most Mittal Cleveland employees would prob. travel to Chicago before Amsterdam. 

 

That would be nice if it was though.  Hopefully, we can still get the AMS flight anyway.

 

 

 

Oops, my bad...well If we get an AMS flight out of CLE maybe we can the headquarters here! :)

I thought the big reason that Amsterdam would be the next logical stop is that Schipol is basically the main point of entry for trans-Atlantic flights.  I'm not an aviation enthusiast, though.  So I could be wrong.

 

I think it's London then Frankfurt then Paris then Amsterdam. After that it starts getting a bit sketchy. If we ever do get these four flights out of CLE and they succeed...then I'd say take a stab at Tokyo/Narita. Then again a flight to San Diego or Portland, Ore. would be nice. I just wish CAL had more plans for CLE than Morgantown. :)

Yeah, I'm addicted to working in aviation.

 

Which just irritates me that Ohio airports don't have more international service. I think CMH could have international service as well...they just need to get a larger domestic presence. I'm amazed that some major hasn't jumped on CMH. It's not a small market. I'm also amazed JetBlue hasn't started service there with CMH's limited competition. It's good to see LUV expanding service there, it's needed.

Just saw something interesting on FlightAware... This flight landed at Hopkins after 6:32 p.m., from Le Bourget Airport in Paris (which serves only private aircraft, like corporate jets)...

 

Dassault Mystère 900 (tri-jet) (F900/Q)

Origin  Le Bourget (LFPB)

Destination  Cleveland Hopkins Int'l (KCLE)

    Other flights between these airports

Route  YQB J560 PLB

Date  Sunday, Jul 16, 2006

Duration  1 hour 14 minutes (in the U.S.)

Status Arrived 41 minutes ago! (track log)

  Proposed/Assigned Actual/Estimated

Departure 08:57PM GMT 09:18PM GMT

Arrival 04:57PM EDT 06:32PM EDT

Speed Mach .80 

Altitude 45000 feet

 

it looks like it continues to Boeing Field King Co., departing 7:46 from CLE and arriving in Seattle @ 9:23 PDT.  Must be a fuel stop.  Tail reads N193F. 

 

Continental threatening to pull to London again.

 

Continental could solve this problem by offering more domestic service to/from Cleveland. I don't think they're using the same excuse with IAH and EWR. I'm sure once they shelve CLE-LGW, lo and behold, EWR and IAH will add a flight or two there.

 

But "open skies" is far from a bad thing. It'll be easier for a foreign carrier to bring in a CLE to London or Paris or whatever and in turn offer domestic service to places CAL refuses to give us. CAL is against it because they don't want the competion. They'd rather pull CLE-LGW in a couple of years after open skies fails and screw Clevelanders into flying to Newark then let someone with a better aircraft come in and offer service to Heathrow. NE Ohio has 5 million people and is WAY underserved by the boys down in Houston....you think the European carriers don't notice this?

 

The Port Authority has blame in this as well...they need to upgrade the concourses to allow for a 767 to get into Hopkins. Again, that's why I think Ricky Smith is here. Cleveland has been getting kicked in the teeth too long by CAL and Mr. Smith will make it a priority to improve concourses and get some real competition to Europe going. If that means CAL has to go hub shopping...so be it.

 

I'd rather have 20 carriers offering different ports of call...than have CAL continue to abuse this CLE "hub".

A couple corrections:  NE Ohio has a bit over 2 million people in the Metropolitan Statistical Area defined by the U.S. Census.  A population of 5 million would make it the 5th largest metropolitan area in the nation, which we know it is not.

 

Secondly, the Port Authority can't do anything about Hopkins, because CLE is owned and operated by the City of Cleveland.  For that reason alone, Hopkins will continue to languish, as the City doesn't have the bonding capacity and financial cushions that other airport operators have throughout the country.

Hopkins will continue to languish, as the City doesn't have the bonding capacity and financial cushions that other airport operators have throughout the country.

 

Interesting info.

A couple corrections:  NE Ohio has a bit over 2 million people in the Metropolitan Statistical Area defined by the U.S. Census.  A population of 5 million would make it the 5th largest metropolitan area in the nation, which we know it is not.

 

Secondly, the Port Authority can't do anything about Hopkins, because CLE is owned and operated by the City of Cleveland.  For that reason alone, Hopkins will continue to languish, as the City doesn't have the bonding capacity and financial cushions that other airport operators have throughout the country.

 

Dan...NE Ohio is more than the 6 county metro. There are close to 5 million people that live in NE Ohio: Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Y'town, Lorain-Elyria, Ashtabula, Mansfield, Wooster....and hell lets be honest...the Census includes the two NE Pa. counties Erie and Crawford(?) as part of the Cleveland "trade" area as well. The are 5 million people that are within a 1-1.5 hour drive of Hopkins. They're just spread out all over the place. Just like the DC-Balt trade area is like 9-9.5 million.

 

I agree about the City of Cleveland thing. I said that a long time ago. There needs to be a push to get Cleveland out of running the airport. That being said....I don't know the finances of the airport. We assume because the city is running it, it's broke. Yet they have done capital improvements in the terminal...the parking garages...the bag basement...all over the past 5 years. I don't think Smith is gonna add a new terminal, just an gate/customs improvement to get the airport a bit up to speed. Thanks for your usual brand of optimism though!

Amrap, methinks you like to read too much into things.  I find it hard to believe that roughly half the State of Ohio lives in the northeastern corner.  Where do your numbers come from???

 

"Optimism" has nothing to do with this issue, either.  The City of Cleveland simply doesn't have as much money to dump into Hopkins as WMAA, PANYNJ, the State of Maryland--whomever--has to dump into their airports.  Cleveland won't be able to help but backslide in comparison.  Wayne County, Michigan turned DTW over to a new airport authority a couple years ago in order to relieve the (fairly corrupt) county of the responsibility of running one of the then-worst airports in the U.S.  If they can do it, there's no reason why Cleveland can't. 

 

 

Cleveland Hopkind Airport is a operated out of a separate enterprise fund, with its own revenue sources and financial obligations. Under city law, and I believe state law, there cannot be any mingling of funds with the general fund or other funds, such as Cleveland Public Power. There may even be federal restrictions, courtesy of the FAA. Thus, a bond issued by the Department of Port Control may have a different rating than a general obligation bond backed by general fund revenues.

 

And, yes, I can see the NE Ohio area (as defined by AmrapinVA), as having 5 million people (and representing half the state's population). I have an interesting population density map of Ohio that should make the reason clear.

Well, Northeast Ohio itself has 5 million; Central and Southeast has around 2 million; Southwest has around 3 million (of course, that doesn't include NKY and Southeast Indiana for marketing, but alas); and Northwest Ohio has around 1.5 million.  So it makes sense.

Just saw something interesting on FlightAware... This flight landed at Hopkins after 6:32 p.m., from Le Bourget Airport in Paris (which serves only private aircraft, like corporate jets)...

 

Dassault Mystère 900 (tri-jet) (F900/Q)

Origin  Le Bourget (LFPB)

Destination  Cleveland Hopkins Int'l (KCLE)

    Other flights between these airports

Route  YQB J560 PLB

Date  Sunday, Jul 16, 2006

Duration  1 hour 14 minutes (in the U.S.)

Status Arrived 41 minutes ago! (track log)

  Proposed/Assigned Actual/Estimated

Departure 08:57PM GMT 09:18PM GMT

Arrival 04:57PM EDT 06:32PM EDT

Speed Mach .80 

Altitude 45000 feet

 

The Dassault line of aircraft are corporate jets, very large ones at that. It's not out of the ordinary for CLE, or any other large airport for that matter, to see international arrivals by corporate aircraft. It does sound likely that CLE did serve as an intermediate fuel stop for this particular aircraft, owned by Freescale Semicondoctor Inc. A photo of this exact aircraft can be found here:

 

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0935800/M/

As far as Continental pulling CLE-LGW is concerned, the quotes by Continental officials from the PD article only reiterates what I've been saying all along: the route is a marginal performer. The fact that Continental apparently still believes this to be the case leads me to believe that the rumored expansion of the London route to year-round service could be dead in its tracks. It seems to me, like AmrapinVA mentioned, that Continental is looking for an excuse to terminate the route without pissing off the Cleveland community. For, Mr. Messing's example of why the CLE-LGW would not longer be viable at all doesn't exactly hold water:

 

If a businesswoman in Indianapolis is planning a trip to London, she would strongly consider flying to Cleveland so she could board the flight from Hopkins to London Gatwick.

 

But with the "open skies" agreement in place, a direct flight from Detroit to London Heathrow could be available. The traveler would likely prefer that flight because Heathrow is known as a superior airport to Gatwick.

 

Imagine that scenario happening in other cities that feed into Continental's service from Cleveland to London, such as Kansas City, St. Louis and Minneapolis, Messing said.

 

An Open Skies agreement wouldn't necessarily open Heathrow up to new entrants, since the airport is slot controlled, meaning that airlines currently holding flights into LHR essentially own the rights to fly there. BAA Heathrow can allow slot exceptions, which possibly could be granted in an Open Skies environment. However such a scenario isn't likely, which means a direct flight from, say, Detroit to Heathrow on Northwest, isn't a really possible. Also, as of now, the only U.S. carriers with slots at LHR are United and American, both of which provide seamless connections from all the cities Mr. Messing mentioned and more to Heathrow through hubs in Chicago and New York.

 

I personally think an Open Skies treaty between the U.S. and the E.U. is a good idea, for the reasons AmrapinVA mentioned and others, however more needs to be done to address the situation at high-demand airports like LHR and CDG, so that communities here at home don't loose out in the process.

http://news.cheapflights.com/airlines/2006/07/eriely_good_dea.html

 

Located not far from the shores of Lake Erie is one of this country’s most flier-friendly airports: Cleveland Hopkins International (CLE). Now there is word that the airport has become even more customer-conscious.

 

Cleveland fliers can now get right to the point, ferreting out deals on local discount airfares by going to www.CLEsmartfares.com. The airport-operated site serves up low fares to top destinations out of Hopkins International. Choose a time frame, and specify a destination. A CLE smartfares “Boarding Pass” appears on the screen laying out the airline, destination airport, and – most importantly – the price. You can also search for fares by specific carrier.

 

Cleveland says its site is the only airport-operated Web site that provides updated fares throughout the day. It’s straightforward, user-friendly, and devoid of gimmicks.

 

A lot of the fares the site pulls up are likely to be on Continental Airlines. CLE is a major hub for the carrier. It’s also a significant destination for discount airline Southwest.

 

In all, airlines loft more than 2,200 flights per week from this Lake Erie aerie to more than 80 nonstop destinations.

 

If the site is straightforward, so too is getting to Hopkins. It’s located near downtown, and is accessible by light rail as well as via Interstate Highways 71, 77, 271, and 480.

CMH you are right about open skies and the slot allocation process at LHR. In fact you could argue it was one of the driving forces behind open skies. United, American and BA have a fortress hold on that place and the British govt. shows no signs of helping respond to the other airlines concens in that matter except to say 'Hey, we have LGW'.

 

It's funny that CAL used the word 'marginal' in talking about how CLE-LGW is performing. Not 'bad','we're losing money on the route' or 'terrible', just marginal. That's a very vague word. Marginal can very well mean money-maker. That says alot about the route itself considering it's a 757 and it flies to Gatwick where airports up and down the East Coast fly 767's and 777's to Heathrow. Also it's not like Continental has invested money in making regional routes more successful at CLE. If CLE had more conx traffic...and it could if CAL would actually invest in a resonable timetable for CLE instead of using it as a conncetion base to IAH and EWR..you'd have more pax. Right now, someone from Indy is going to choose Detroit anyway...because DTW offers more flights to London than Cleveland. If something goes wrong on my flight from say IND-CLE and I miss my connection to LGW, I now have to fly to EWR to get there or spend the night in Cleveland. While in Detroit, I just get on the next flight.

 

As for Dan and the population numbers...is it really that hard? 3 mill in the six county metro. Another half-mil live in Canton...another half-mil in the Y'town-Warren area. Now I have 4 mill. Mansfield, Sandusky, Norwalk...another 200,000. Throw in the rural counties south of Canton along with the Erie, Pa. area and you have close to 5 million if not 5 mil itself. All these folks live within an 1-1.5 hours of Cleveland Hopkins. This is not radical thinking. Anyway, I can't find the trade area numbers on the Census web-site, but Rand-McNally puts out a gigantic atlas sized book you kind find at most libraries that breakes down each cities 'marketing/trade' area using Census numbers...Cincy has 5 mill too, BTW and they have non-stops to LGW, CDG and FRA. Again, it's quite obvious to me Cleveland is getting screwed by CAL.

 

It's good to see Mr. Smith talk about gaining service from those boys down in Houston, I just hope he wears thick boots with the amount of BS they'll throw his way on why they wont do it. Seattle should be a all-year round no-brainer. The Northern California route is interesting. I'm guessing San Jose since Oakland is low-cost airport and Sacramento seems a bit of a stretch.

 

Even with CAL's usual blow-hard comments...I think things will get better at Hopkins for the forseeable future.

Story is dated, but it just shows that Pittsburgh's demise seems to be Cleveland's gain. The West Virginia service, now Lancaster....can't wait for the non-stop to Latrobe.

 

The Amish-to-Amish connection is about to begin.

 

Airport lands a big offer

By Patricia Poist, Staff Writer

 

 

Published: Jul 16, 2006 12:00 AM EST

 

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - Continental puts in bid to fly out of Lancaster with bigger planes to Newark or Cleveland, or both.

 

-----

 

 

A Continental Airlines contractor is vying to take over airline service at Lancaster Airport, which would give travelers here up to three times as many destination choices than they have now.

 

 

And passengers would get to fly in larger, more comfortable aircraft and will still likely pay fares comparable to those at Harrisburg International Airport, said Lancaster Airport officials.

 

 

Airport officials said Friday that Smyrna, Tenn.-based RegionsAir is competing with Air Midwest, the present carrier, to offer three daily Continental Connections flights, starting Oct. 1, at the Manheim Township airport.

 

 

The company presented four options that involve three daily flights to Ohio’s Cleveland Hopkins International Airport or New Jersey’s Newark Liberty Airport or a combination of both.

 

 

Airport officials are endorsing one of the options, in which one flight would go to Cleveland and the other two to Newark, which is a major international airport.

 

 

Phoenix-based Air Midwest, the current carrier, has been offering service here since September 2004. That company contracts with U.S. Airways Express to offer three flights a day to and from Pittsburgh International Airport.

 

 

Pittsburgh has limited flights and “does not give local travelers the connections necessary for success,’’ said Tom Baldrige, president of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Baldrige is also the chairman of the six-year-old Lancaster Air Service Task Force, a group of business and community leaders whose aim is to grow the airport’s commercial air service.

 

 

___________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Contact Patricia Poist at [email protected].

 

 

While an attempt at increasing the amount of connecting traffic transfering through CLE would possibly create the need for larger aircraft on trunk routes, it would not be in Continental's best interests to do so. Quite frankly, the region is still overhubbed, even with the closure of America West's Columbus hub, and American and USAirways' parring of the St. Louis and Pittsburgh hubs, respectively (while the latter two might not be considered major hubs, both maintain close to or over 200 daily flights, comparable to Continental's Cleveland ops). In addition, you still have the monstrosity that is O'Hare in Chicago for American and United, Northwest in Detroit and Delta in Cincinnati. Also, in a time when returning to profitability is critical, Continental will not dillute their Cleveland yield by adding more connecting traffic. Delta's cutting of over 125 flights a day from Cincinnati in an attempt to boost yields by shortening the disparity between local traffic and connecting traffic is a very good example of this trend. Continental's Cleveland hub already has a strong local base, so an attempt to increase connecting traffic through the hub would likely be more detrimental than beneficial.

 

Also, in regards to the whole population numbers game, the figure we're looking for here is Cleveland's catchment area; or the geographical hinterland that gravitates towards CLE as the main choice in air travel. Cleveland's catchment area most closely resembles the figure posted by AmrapinVA of 5 million. Cincinnati's catchment area is actually likely smaller than Cleveland's, since many choose alternate airports as opposed to CVG due to the incredibly high fares. However, the corporate crowd and their deep pockets keep CVG thriving, especially those nonstop international routes. Many local companies have travel agreements with Delta, so many of those flights are constantly filled with high-paying business passengers hungry for SkyMiles. If Cleveland wishes to attain more international flights, I think more has to be done to persuade local companies to choose Continental on a very consistant basis as well as create some sort of promise of guaranteed revenue if Continental were to provide a new international nonstop destination.

^^ I understand your point, but it's not like CLE planes currently fly out empty in any class. At last check CLE has something like 80 percent of it's planes filled, hell it's been seeing passenger increases over the past 2 years while CAL continues to decrease service and with CAK aggressively trying to 'steal' passengers from Hopkins. It's not like the first-class sections on flights going to EWR and IAH are empty. And if someone going to fly first on a 737 to EWR it's almost guarneteed they're flying first or at least business on a wide-body to Europe. And CLE has a fair amount of flights going to the other hubs in order help them out. The money is there.

 

CVG has an advantage because a) they have better concourse/customs facilites than CLE b) they have Comair which they've shoved down Delta's throat in order to keep conncetion pax high and c) it's a wide-body airport. Delta seems to be changing it's tune over Comair now that they are knee-deep in debt...but it sure helps having a very large conncetion base to draw from for their three international flights to Europe. It will be interesting to see over the next 5 years whether CVG will be able to hold on to those flights with the decrease in service with Comair. Yes the Cincinnati metro has a stronger business base than Cleveland, but it's not like NYC vs. Omaha which is what Hopkins feels like vs. Cincy/N. Ky.

 

I agree with the overhubbing of airports....but I really don't think CLE would make CAL bankrupt if they actually used the asset they have here. Alot of people like the airport because it's not the monstrosities that IAH and especially EWR are. But for some damn reason CAL is hell bent on getting people to wait in ground-stop delays in the New York area then have the plane leave on time from Cleveland. Hopefully an upgrade in concourse facilites will be a first step in getting CLE in line with the other airports.

 

Alot of this is chicken and the egg stuff. If you don't provide service to CLE, why would a business want to move there. If a business dosen't want to move there, why provide service to CLE. This mentality the boys in Houston love to use has to end.

 

Again, I don't put the blame entirely on CAL. The Port Authority screwed around with the airport too long. That dumb-ass Forbes and "We don't need United" schtick, White constantly pissing off CAL and scaring off Lufthansa, even Campbell and that "Pacific Rim" talk. The talk is nice, action is better. That's why I'm high on Smith...he's more than just talk...he did a good job with BWI.

 

BTW, it's about damn time JetBlue flew to C'bus. I don't know what took so long. Hopefully CMH will get a LGB or OAK flight in the future.

 

 

Believe me, I completely agree with all of the points you mentioned. I have no doubt that Cleveland COULD be a large international connection point; the base is there, you have an established worldwide carrier, and there's already a large hub and spoke network to build off of. I truly think it's all part of the crazy game that the airlines play and, sadly, Cleveland gets the short end of the stick.

 

For example, you mentioned Continental's continued push to funnel everyone through Newark, despite the horrible delays. United does the same thing through Chicago. They have a glimmering, massive facility in Denver capable of handling thousands of flights in all sorts of weather, yet they choose to continue shoving everyone through ORD. Connections are most certainly available through Denver as they are through Cleveland, however not to the same extent as Chicago. Granted, Denver and Cleveland are very different markets, but their general purpose for United and Continental respectively is somewhat similar in that the local traffic is of much higher value than the connecting traffic.

 

As far as CVG goes, the next 5 years should definitely be interesting. There have been tons of rumors concerning what just might happen to Comair and its effect on the Cincinnati operations. The cuts put in place from last year seem to have stabalized the traffic make-up at CVG, and Delta has added new markets from the airport, including Anchorage and Cancun. But again, like you mentioned, the only reason CVG has these nonstop in the first place is because of the large amounts of feed flowed into the hub, made possible by the fact that the airport is extremely well suited for being a large transfer facility.

 

I understand where you're coming from as far as comparing CLE to CVG, but personally, I would much prefer the current situation in CLE as opposed to CVG. While CVG has the bragging rights of having more commercial flights than all of Ohio's other airports combined and international service to several destinations, essentially no one outside the rich or the business community can use them. Cleveland has the advantage of excellent connectivity to over 100 cities in the U.S. and Canada, service to London, and a healthy amount of low fare service that helps keep fares reasonable, especially compared to CVG. I don't doubt that more could be done, and more SHOULD be done, but the current state of air travel in greater Cleveland can be envied by many cities across the country.

^^ Fair enough CMH. CMH is in a similar situation too, all these low cost carriers expanding service into Columbus can't hurt, and it's proximity to Cincy is helping drive new pax there. DEN does get screwed quite a bit, as well.

 

I just like to blow off a little steam at times. I really think Hopkins has better times coming in the foreseeable future. It's just so slow.

^^ and don't forget direct rail to downtown Cleveland!   :wink:

I just like to blow off a little steam at times.

 

No worries at all. I just did the same in a thread in a different forum category!

 

I really think Hopkins has better times coming in the foreseeable future.

 

Most definitely. The Cleveland market and the constituents that serve it have a lot going for them; here's hoping outside sources play in their favor.

 

and don't forget direct rail to downtown Cleveland!

 

Ah yes, this is true! Believe it or not, but ground transportation has become very imperative in providing effective and successful air transportation. The Red Line is a huge asset to Hopkins and Cleveland, one that should really be marketed much better (CAK can't boast that!).

LMFAO, gets what rolls out today. Good call CMH. Courtesy of NewsNet5:

 

Flying Out Of Hopkins Cheaper Than Other Midwest Cities

 

POSTED: 1:37 pm EDT July 25, 2006

UPDATED: 1:41 pm EDT July 25, 2006

 

CLEVELAND -- According to a new study by the U.S. Department of Transportation, passengers flying out of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport are paying lower fares than those using other Midwest airports, including Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit and Pittsburgh.

 

The study compares what local airport customers pay for flights when compared to travelers at other airports with comparable demographics.

Study: Hopkins fliers pay lowest fares in Midwest

 

I've gotta go, I'm sure someone can drag up the study later.

 

 

 

 

The 25 airports with the highest "fare premiums" for the fourth quarter of 2005

1. Cincinncati/CVG (a 48% fare premium)

2. Dallas/Fort Worth/DFW (24%)

3. Memphis/MEM (22%)

4. White Plains, N.Y./HPN (22%)

5. Charlotte/CLT (21%)

6. Baton Rouge, La./BTR (20%)

7. New York LaGuardia/LGA (18%)

8. San Francsico/SFO (17%)

9. Newark, N.J./EWR (17%)

10. Minneapolis/St. Paul/MSP (17%)

11. Des Moines, Iowa/DSM (15%)

12. Grand Rapids, Mich./GRR (15%)

13. Portland, Maine/PWM (14%)

14. Atlanta/ATL (14%)

15. Richmond, Va./RIC (13%)

16. Charleston, S.C./CHS (13%)

17. Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C./GSP (13%)

18. Washington National/DCA (13%)

19. Houston Intercontinental/IAH (12%)

20. Madison, Wisc./MSN (12%)

21. Detroit/DTW (10%)

22. Denver/DEN (9%)

23. Wichita/ICT (9%)

24. Austin/AUS (8%)

25. Colorado Springs/COS (8%)

26. Chicago O'Hare/ORD (8%)

27. Boston/BOS (7%)

28. Washingfon Dulles/IAD (7%)

29. Knoxville, Tenn./TYS (7%)

30. St. Louis/STL (7%)

31. Pittsburgh/PIT (6%)

32. Palm Springs, Calif./PSP (5%)

33. Greensboro, N.C./GSO (5%)

34. Pensacola, Fla./PNS (5%)

35. Cleveland/CLE (4%)

36. Santa Ana/Orange County, Calif./SNA (4%)

37. Los Angeles/LAX (3%)

38. Columbia, S.C./CAE (2%)

39. Syracuse, N.Y./SYR (2%)

40. Burlington, Vt./BTV (2%)

 

The 25 airports with the lowest "fare premiums" for the fourth quarter of 2005

1. Atlantic City/ACY (a minus-27% fare premium)

2. Long Beach, Calif./LGB (-24%)

3. St. Petersburg, Fla./PIE (-22%)

4. Chicago Midway/MDW (-22%)

5. Islip/Long Island/ISP (-22%)

6. Akron/Canton/CAK (-19%)

7. Harlingen, Texas/HRL (-18%)

8. Newport News, Va./PHF (-18%)

9. Orlando/MCO (-18%)

10. Reno/RNO (-18%)

11. Midland/Odessa, Texas/MAF (-17%)

12. Dallas Love Field/DAL (-17%)

13. Lubbock, Texas/LBB (-16%)

14. Flint, Mich./FNT (-15%)

15. Amarillo, Texas/AMA (-15%)

16. Fort Lauderdale/FLL (-15%)

17. Buffalo/BUF (-15%)

18. Spokane, Wash./GEG (-15%)

19. Boise/BOI (-14%)

20. Tampa/TPA (-14%)

21. Daytona Beach, Fla./DAB (-13%)

22. Oakland, Calif./OAK (-13%)

23. Manchester, N.H./MHT (-13%)

24. Baltimore/BWI (-13%)

25. Myrtle Beach, S.C. (-12%)

26. Las Vegas/LAS (-12%)

27. Sarasota/Bradenton, Fla./SRQ (-12%)

28. Fort Myers, Fla./RSW (-12%)

29. Sacramento, Calif./SMF (-11%)

30. Providence, R.I./PVD (-11%)

MTS, isn't that a great improvement from just a few years ago for Hopkins?

"Fare premiums" is this the fee that the airport charges airlines or is this the average ticket sale? If it is the avg ticket sale then that could be a result of other trends such as number of international flights, tickets bought only a few days before departure etc.

MTS, isn't that a great improvement from just a few years ago for Hopkins?

 

I'm not an authority, but I would think so.  Mok worked hard for Hopkins.  Lets see what Ricky can do.  I'm in the process of drafting a letter to him, but is a slow piece of work.

 

I'm not sure how many of you use the airport (or your local airport) but Hopkins in my eyes seems busier than ever especially on the continental concourse.  since most of america is with in a 90 min flight of cleveland, continental uses RJ for many routes but i've noticed that there appears to be additional flights added, however after 7PM, the flight choices are still horrible FROM Cleveland.  However, the planes are PACKED to the gills.  the last few flights i've taken the GA were asking for volunteers.

 

I just don't understand how Clevelands Continental Operations can say they need more flights and services as O&D traffic has increased, people say they prefer to connect via Cleveland instead of Newark because its a nightmare and only getting worse but Continental always makes it appear that Cleveland is a "marginal" hub.  The airport is operating at ~75-80% of capacity.  They have plenty of room to grow.

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Adds TSA-Certified Canine Team

Tuesday August 8, 10:00 am ET 

Latest in Bomb Detection Technology Comes to CLE on Four Legs

 

 

CLEVELAND, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the City of Cleveland and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) introduced a new canine team certified to begin patrolling and screening at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The new team, Sara, a beautiful German Shepherd and her handler, Cleveland Police Officer Michael Moher join the ranks of two other teams assigned to the airport since 2002. Both Sara and Officer Moher are recent graduates of TSA's ten-week National Explosives Detection Canine Training Program (NEDCTP) in San Antonio, Texas.

Each canine is selected for keen sensory capabilities and gentle temperament. Individual dogs selected for the program must undergo exacting pre-acceptance screening to demonstrate they are healthy, intelligent, highly motivated, and trainable. Selected dogs are then paired with volunteer officers who, together with their new partner, undergo months of initial training. After certification, each team undergoes several hours of ongoing proficiency training in their operational environment.

 

Together Sara and Officer Moher specialize in the detection of explosive devices. The teams combine excellent mobility with reliable detection rates. Their day-to-day time focuses on searches involving threats against aircraft, all airport property, cargo areas, and the routine searching of vehicles and luggage.

 

There are approximately 400 TSA-Certified Canine teams at seventy-seven airports nationwide providing first responders with the right tools, technical assistance, and funding to ensure the nation's security.

 

Good God, Cleveland is No. 78! I wonder how many airports that don't even have any international service got TSA dogs before Hopkins. I don't know if this says alot about the Port Authority or the TSA!

 

 

Port authority? You mean the Division of Port Control.

Good God, Cleveland is No. 78! I wonder how many airports that don't even have any international service got TSA dogs before Hopkins. I don't know if this says alot about the Port Authority or the TSA!

 

I read this to say that Cleveland has had 2 other canine teams assigned to hopkins since 2002 (presumably certified as well), and this is the 3d team. 

 

but, what i don't think says much is 400 dogs at 77 airports = ~5 per airport average.  now, the larger airports have many more dogs for sure, but cleveland is something like 33rd largest airport by traffic.  i would hope that we have as many teams as the 44 airports below us.

Man, I'm having a bad day. I just glanced at the bottom. I'm at work so I can't spend quality time with the articles today.

 

Port Authority...Port Control...Port somethin'. :)

Portland, Portable, Porter, Port-A-Potty... I hear ya!   :-D

This reporter didn't do a good job fact checking as 757s can't fly to china (or asia).

 

Cleveland rejects runway extension bids as too high

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Susan Vinella

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

A project to extend a runway at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport will not begin as planned next month because the city rejected all bids for the work, saying they were too high.

 

Airport director Ricky D. Smith said the lowest bid, by the Allega Co., came in $24 million above the cost that city engineers projected.

 

The city estimated the price for extending the 8,000-foot runway to about 11,000 feet at $54 million, Smith said. Allega's bid was $78 million.

 

The runway extension is needed so 747 and 757 jets that fly to international destinations, such as China, can land at Hopkins during certain weather conditions, Smith said. It's important for the airport to accommodate these large planes so Hopkins can try to attract airlines that offer international service.

 

 

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

 

[email protected], 216-999-5010

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/115519905469400.xml&coll=2

 

26 million is a pretty large gap.  It doesn't look too good.

A 757 can fly to China....as long as it stops in Anchorage. :)

 

Anyway, how do you lowball like that. It's not surprising they got 2 bids, I bet rumors got around about how cheap the city wanted to be on this project.  I would have rather have this project go over-budget, then not be started altogether. We need a county/regional entity to run Hopkins. BTW, if they aren't gonna spend the $54 million, might as well use whatever funds that tied specifically on the project on some concourse/customs improvements. Adding 500/1000 ft. isn't gonna improve performance enough to matter.

 

Does anyone in Cleveland gov't see what Columbus is planning on doing? Or what Akron/Canton is currently doing? Or the current lack of service at Hopkins? Embarassing.

A 757 can fly to China....as long as it stops in Anchorage. :)

 

Anyway, how do you lowball like that. It's not surprising they got 2 bids, I bet rumors got around about how cheap the city wanted to be on this project.  I would have rather have this project go over-budget, then not be started altogether. We need a county/regional entity to run Hopkins. BTW, if they aren't gonna spend the $54 million, might as well use whatever funds that tied specifically on the project on some concourse/customs improvements. Adding 500/1000 ft. isn't gonna improve performance enough to matter.

 

Does anyone in Cleveland gov't see what Columbus is planning on doing? Or what Akron/Canton is currently doing? Or the current lack of service at Hopkins? Embarassing.

 

Personally, I like the fact they are sticking to a budget, god knows, we don't want a contractor to install the wrong type or runway then have to rip it out, doubling the cost of the project!

 

I like the fact that cleveland (not the county or in conjunction with the county) runs the airport.  Why do we need another level of government??!!

 

1000 feet makes a bit of difference from a airline stand point as planes aren't idling or circling  BURNING fuel.

 

AmrapinVA , What exact are the airports you mentioned doing???  What do you expect ricky smith to do right away?? the man has been on the job approximately six weeks.  He can't change things overnight, or would you prefer him to make "knee jerk reactionary" changes or impliment changes/programs that benefit Cleveland, NE Ohio, Ohio and the Midwest?  What would YOU LIKE DONE?

The runway extension is needed so 747 and 757 jets that fly to international destinations, such as China, can land at Hopkins during certain weather conditions, Smith said.

 

This is a generalized sentence only to get a point across as to why the runway extension is being sought. It's not so much about specific aircraft or destinations. Reporters have to do this all the time in order to keep articles short.

A 757 can fly to China....as long as it stops in Anchorage. :)

 

Anyway, how do you lowball like that. It's not surprising they got 2 bids, I bet rumors got around about how cheap the city wanted to be on this project.  I would have rather have this project go over-budget, then not be started altogether. We need a county/regional entity to run Hopkins. BTW, if they aren't gonna spend the $54 million, might as well use whatever funds that tied specifically on the project on some concourse/customs improvements. Adding 500/1000 ft. isn't gonna improve performance enough to matter.

 

Does anyone in Cleveland gov't see what Columbus is planning on doing? Or what Akron/Canton is currently doing? Or the current lack of service at Hopkins? Embarassing.

 

Personally, I like the fact they are sticking to a budget, god knows, we don't want a contractor to install the wrong type or runway then have to rip it out, doubling the cost of the project!

 

I like the fact that cleveland (not the county or in conjunction with the county) runs the airport.  Why do we need another level of government??!!

 

1000 feet makes a bit of difference from a airline stand point as planes aren't idling or circling  BURNING fuel.

 

AmrapinVA , What exact are the airports you mentioned doing???  What do you expect ricky smith to do right away?? the man has been on the job approximately six weeks.  He can't change things overnight, or would you prefer him to make "knee jerk reactionary" changes or impliment changes/programs that benefit Cleveland, NE Ohio, Ohio and the Midwest?  What would YOU LIKE DONE?

 

I don't think I've been shy in what I'd like seen done with Hopkins...roll back a few pages on this thread and you'll see.

 

I like Mr. Smith....again I've said so in previous posts...and I don't blame this situation on him at all. This failure of getting a decent RFP had more to do with Campbell/Mok.

 

The runway length issue has nothing to with landings and holdings...the additional 6/24 runway built earlier this decade has actually solved this problem by allowing simultaneous ILS/VA approaches. CLE, through runway facility upgrades, is also now a CAT-III airport allowing planes to land with practically no visibility. All great things. But...

 

The runway extention has to do with takeoff performance...you need length in order to get fully-fueled larger aircraft off the ground. An extra 500 or 1000 feet will help...but not enough to convince CAL to bring wide-body aircraft to Cleveland. And without that...don't plan on additional service to Europe..or a serious expansion of the CLE hub. Which in turn will drive businesses away from the area. So the extra $24 million seems like a no-brainer. We want Cleveland to be a 'world-class' city, but having Europeans fly through Newark to get here sure seems more 'continental' to me. :)

Rumor has it that Continental will announce nonstop service from Cleveland to Paris (De Gaulle) sometime in October. Aircraft type, departure/arrival times, and frequency have not been revealed. Rumors are also circulating that Continental will embark in a large expansion of the CLE hub, mostly with new, advanced turboprop aircraft to current and possibly new markets. I'll post here if/when official word becomes available.

Tease.

 

Thanks for the info. I wonder what the large expansion could mean for the terminals.  I really would like to see terminals A and B redone, but I know that Continental has no interest in those two.

very exciting news, though i would prefer ams. 

 

i hope they do something with d and c as well.  flying through last night, there wasn't a single tv in either concourse and it was kind of dumpy - lights burned out, dirty windows, etc.