Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

IATA: CVG – ICAO: KCVG – FAA LID: CVG
– WMO: 72421

CVG
Location of the airport in Kentucky

Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Kenton County Airport Board
Operator Kenton County Airport Board
Serves Cincinnati, Ohio
Location Hebron, Kentucky
Hub for
Elevation AMSL 896 ft / 273 m
Coordinates 39°02′56″N 084°40′04″W / 39.04889°N 84.66778°W
Website www.cvgairport.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
9/27 12,000 3,658 Asphalt/Concrete
18C/36C 11,000 3,353 Asphalt/Concrete
18L/36R 10,000 3,048 Concrete
18R/36L 8,000 2,438 Concrete
Statistics (2014)
Total passengers 5,908,711
Aircraft operations 133,518
Sources: Airport website[1]
Runway layout at CVG

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (IATA: CVG, ICAO: KCVG), sometimes called the Greater Cincinnati Airport, is a public international airport located in Hebron, Kentucky, United States, and serves the Greater Cincinnati metropolitan area. Despite being located in Boone County, the airport operations are governed by the neighboring Kenton County Airport Board. The airport's code, CVG, comes from the nearest major city at the time of its opening, Covington, Kentucky. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport covers an area of 8,000 acres (32 km2).[2] It is the only airport serving Kentucky, Ohio or Indiana with nonstop service to Europe. International destinations include Paris, Toronto, Cancún, Montego Bay, Freeport, and Punta Cana. CVG offers non-stop service to 58 destinations with 192 daily departures.

History

President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved preliminary funds for site development of the Greater Cincinnati Airport February 11, 1942. This was part of the United States Army Air Corps program to establish training facilities during World War II. At the time, air traffic in the area centered around Lunken Airport just southeast of central Cincinnati.[3] Lunken opened in 1926 and was located in the Ohio River Valley. Due to its location, the airport frequently experienced fog, and the 1937 flood completely submerged its runways and two-story terminal building.[4] While federal officials wanted an airfield site that would not be prone to flooding, Cincinnati officials hoped to build Lunken into the premier airport of the region.[5]

A coalition of officials from Boone, Kenton and Campbell Counties in Kentucky took advantage of Cincinnati's short-sightedness and lobbied Congress to build an airfield there.[6] Boone County officials offered a suitable site on the provision that Kenton County paid the acquisition cost. In October 1942, Congress provided $2 million to construct four runways.[3]

The field officially opened August 12, 1944, with the first B-17 bombers beginning practice runs on August 15. As the tide of the war had already turned, the Air Corps only used the field until 1945 before it was declared surplus. On October 27, 1946, a small wooden terminal building opened and the airport prepared for commercial service.[3]

The first airplane, an American Airlines DC-3 from Cleveland, Ohio, landed at the airport January 10, 1947, at 9:53 am. A Delta Air Lines flight followed moments later.[7] The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 97 weekday departures: 37 American, 26 Delta, 24 TWA, 8 Piedmont and 2 Lake Central. As late as November 1959 the airport had four 5,500 ft (1,700 m) runways at 45-degree angles, the north–south runway eventually being extended into today's runway 18C/36C.

Airport diagram for December 1958

Jet age

On December 16, 1960, the jet age arrived in Cincinnati when a Delta Air Lines Convair 880 from Miami completed the first scheduled jet flight. The airport needed to expand and build more modern terminals and other facilities; the original Terminal A was expanded and renovated. The north–south runway was extended 3,100 to 8,600 ft (940 to 2,620 m). In 1964, the board approved a $12 million bond to expand the south concourse of Terminal A by 32,000 sq ft (3,000 m2) and provide nine gates for TWA, American, and Delta.[3] A new east–west runway crossing the longer north–south runway was constructed in 1971 south of the older east–west runway. In the mid-1980s, Delta created a hub in Cincinnati and constructed Terminal 3 with its three midfield concourses. This hub eventually grew to be Delta's second largest, handling over 600 Delta and Delta Connection flights in 2005.[8]

Delta hub cuts

In 2008, Delta merged with Northwest Airlines and cut flight capacity from the Cincinnati hub by 22 percent with an additional 17 percent reduction in 2009.[8] Delta announced additional cuts in February 2010 by eliminating five destination cities, which left CVG with 63 destinations between mainline and connection flights.[9]

Many businesses in Cincinnati have urged Delta to restore the service level it had in the late 1990s and early 2000s (decade) while some, such as Chiquita Banana, have already relocated to cities with more available flights.[10] Flights at CVG are scheduled in morning and afternoon blocks, in which very large numbers of flights are scheduled to depart around the same time. The only remaining intercontinental service by Delta is a daily departure to Paris in the evening. In addition to serving the heavy international travel demand of local companies such as P&G and GE Aviation, the daily Paris flight is also sustained in great part because it ferries jet engine parts between factories in Cincinnati and France due to GE Aviation's presence. Each year the flight carries 4,200,000 pounds (1,900,000 kg) of engine parts.[11] Air France operated flights into CVG for several periods for over a decade before finally terminating the service in 2007. Both Air France and KLM codeshare on Delta's international and domestic services out of CVG.[12][13]

In January 2010, Delta's CEO Richard Anderson anticipated that there would be 160–170 daily departures in the summer and that the number would not change through at least the fall.[14][15] Delta closed Concourse A in Terminal 3 on May 1, 2010, and consolidated all operations into Concourse B. This resulted in the layoff of more than 800 employees. Delta, however, says that it will maintain the same amount of departures from CVG.[16]

In June 2011, Delta announced that it would cut another 10% of the CVG hub capacity that summer, offering between 145–165 daily flights.

Comair ends service

In July 2012, Delta announced their wholly owned and CVG-based subsidiary, Comair, would cease all operations by October of the same year. However, it said "the discontinuation of Comair's operations will not result in any significant changes to Delta's network, which has enough flexibility to accommodate these changes".[17] Delta has transferred Comair's larger planes to other carriers and retired the 50-seat planes in Comair's fleet. Minnesota-based Endeavor Air (formerly Pinnacle Airlines) now operates a maintenance base at the airport.

Low-cost service expansion

CVG has long struggled with high fares due to Delta's dominance at the airport. Since 2013, Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines have been expanding at CVG, finally giving local travelers low fares without having to commute to Dayton, Louisville or Indianapolis. These fares are often 75% less than other airlines at CVG. In 2012 CVG had no weekly low fare flights. As of July 2015, it will have 94 weekly flights to 17 destinations. Destinations include Atlanta, Austin, Branson, Cancun, Dallas, Denver, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Meyers, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, New Orleans, Orlando, Phoenix, Punta Cana, Punta Gorda, St Petersburg/Clearwater, and Washington DC.

In October 2012, Frontier Airlines announced it would begin service from CVG with a daily flight to Denver. This was the first modern attempt at bringing a LCC into the CVG region. Shortly there after, Frontier announced it would now offer two daily flights to Denver, and limited weekly service to Trenton/Mercer. Frontier announced a large scale expansion from D.C.-earning CVG nonstop service. Frontier Airlines in August 2014 made the biggest one-time expansion of flights at CVG in nearly a decade, paving the way to make Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport a major operations center for the low-cost carrier. The airline added daily flights to Dallas/Ft Worth and started with four flights per week to Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Phoenix. During this announcement Frontier's CEO announced that the airline is not finished growing at CVG. After this expansion, CVG passengers set a sales record, selling 5,000 seats in the 6 hours after this expansion was announced. This brings Frontier's weekly flights from CVG to 41.

On February 23, 2015, Frontier announced another major expansion at CVG, adding 29 more weekly flights. The expansion included new daily nonstop service to Atlanta and Fort Myers beginning April 30, 2015. In addition to these new destinations, Frontier also added nonstop flights to existing destinations. Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas and Orlando will each have daily service, with Las Vegas having 11 times weekly. This brings Frontier's weekly flights departures from CVG to 61. Frontier also talked about future expansions. Three major cities that Frontier is building up are Chicago, Miami, and Philadelphia. Chicago is too close for a leisure flight, Ft. Lauderdale fills the South Florida void, which means that future plans would likely be to the east coast, possibly including Philadelphia.

Allegiant Air also recently announced new service from CVG to Orlando and Punta Gorda. Within 2 months of beginning operation, Allegiant announced that it was pleased with the success thus far and added limited service to Tampa and seasonal service to Myrtle Beach. Allegiant later came out with a statement saying it was adding flights to Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale, and to Phoenix. In November 2014, Allegiant announced new service to Jacksonville and New Orleans to begin in February 2015. This brings Allegiant Air total weekly flights to 22.[18]

In December 2014 Allegiant Air announced they would be adding additional flights in May 2015. The new flights are an expansion of two current routes with the addition of 4 weekly flights to Orlando and 3 more to Punta Gorda. This expansion brings the airlines total weekly flights at CVG to 29. CVG is currently Allegiant's largest originating city.[19]

On February 24, 2015, Allegiant Air announced an expansion to destinations not currently served by any other airline from CVG. On May 8, 2015, seasonal flights to Savannah/Hilton Head will begin twice weekly. On June 4, 2015, seasonal flights to Austin will begin twice weekly. Allegiant will have 33 weekly flights during the summer months. As Allegiant stated last year, they are looking at establishing a base in Cincinnati, which would add full-time jobs and more flights.

Cincinnati is currently being considered for British Airways 787-8 service to London-Heathrow after the success of London-Heathrow to Austin. Cincinnati is also talking to All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines for service from Cincinnati to Tokyo Narita.[20]

Elimination of 50 seat connection planes

A 50 Seat Delta Connection Plane on Route to CVG

Due to still higher fuel prices, small 50 seat planes are less fuel efficient and lose money for airlines. [21] This loss in revenue has Delta decide to eliminate all 50 seat planes from its service, and plans to eliminate all but 100 of these planes by the end 2015. This has temporarily affected Cincinnati greatly and leads to a reduction in non-stop destinations.

In February 2015, Delta announced the ending of flights from New Orleans, San Diego, and Jacksonville. Also, flights from Orlando and Fort Myers will be reduced in number of daily departures by the end of the 2015 summer. These cuts are a result in Delta's phasing out of 50 seat connection airplanes in favor of 150-200 seat planes. As CVG was once the headquarters and main hub of Comair, Delta's connection servicer until 2012, and still remains a Delta Connection hub, the airport has many of the 50 seat planes, and, until shuffling of planes occurs, the airport will see a temporary reduction in flights. In the end, CVG will actually have more seats leaving the airport, but with fewer daily departures. Routes such as Cincinnati to Detroit will be getting these larger planes, and serve more customers. This move, which seems match Delta's statements that Cincinnati will remain a hub, decreases the likelihood that Delta will de-hub Cincinnati like it did to Memphis. By the end of the summer, Delta will operate 89 peak flights a day, but will serve more passengers, remaining a small, but key hub in Delta's network. [22]

In March 2015, Delta announced another 14% cut at CVG. The updated flight schedule will come into effect starting this summer and will completely eliminate service to Madison. Also service to Pittsburgh, Richmond, Atlanta, Baltimore, Toronto, Orlando, Kansas City, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Hartford, Raleigh-Durham, and Minneapolis will be cut back starting this summer. However, Delta has announced that service to Chicago will be cut down in daily departures, but will have more seats going from 300 to 450 a day. Also, flights to Nashville, Detroit, Newark, and San Francisco will be increased. [23]

Facilities

Oblique air photo of the airport, facing north in 2011
Ticketing and baggage claim terminal

The airport's terminal/remote-concourse configuration, combined with simultaneous triple landing/takeoff capabilities, makes CVG a particularly efficient airport for flight operations. CVG is the smallest domestic hub of Delta Air Lines, and was the central hub of Delta's wholly owned subsidiary airline, Comair, which provided regional jet service under the Delta Connection banner. As such, the airport serves an important role in Delta's Midwest hub-and-spoke system. In recent years, Delta Air Lines has considerably pared the number of flights out of the Cincinnati hub and in August 2008 announced it would be moving all of its Comair flights to Concourses A and B and closed all operations in Concourse C in January 2009.[24] In February 2010, Delta announced it would close Concourse A in May and further consolidate operations in the remaining concourse.

The airport has three terminals, though only one in full use, and another partially used. Since January 2007, Terminal 1 houses only airport administrative offices, but, in 2013, the front part was repurposed for use by Ultimate Air Shuttle. It is the original terminal and was built in 1960 and renovated in 1974.[25] Designed by Heery & Heery, Terminals 2 and 3 were built in 1974 when additional expansion necessitated more gates.[26] Terminal 3 was expanded specifically for Delta in 1987 and has three remote concourses.[25] Concourses B and C were completed in December 1994 as part of a $500 million expansion designed by Thompson, Hancock, Witte & Associates.[25][27] Concourses A and B are connected to the main terminal by an underground train system. Concourse C was reachable only by shuttle bus. Concourse B is served by Delta and its regional affiliates. Terminal 3 houses the airport's only US Customs and Border Protection facilities in Concourse B. All international arrivals except, U.S. border preclearance are processed in the Mezzanine Level of Concourse B.

Concourse B in Terminal 3 is well known for its open spaces, high ceilings, large windows with views of the airfield, and natural lighting during the day.[28] All Delta and Delta Connection flights operate from Concourse B.

In May 2012, Terminal 2 was officially closed and all non-Delta operations were consolidated in a newly renovated Concourse A. The renovation was in response to civic and business leader's concerns about the loss of flights to and from the airport.[29] Terminal 2 will be demolished along with Terminal 1 sometime in 2015.

The airport currently operates four paved runways:

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 is in the location of the original terminal and served non-Delta flights mainly consisting of American Airlines flights. Before the expansion adding more concourses, this terminal was referred to as Concourse A. The terminal was closed in 2007 due to its outdated design and limited gate space. The front part of the terminal, now used as the administrative building, was renovated in 2013 and started serving Ultimate Air Shuttle on September 9. However the majority of the concourse still is left abandoned and is planned to be torn down sometime soon. It is currently used by Ultimate Air Shuttle and houses some FedEx cargo operations.[30]

Concourse D

Concourse D, which would have been an island concourse connecting to Terminal 1, was planned in order to deal with an increasing number of flights. However, due to a decrease in air travel, was never built. It would have been located northwest from Terminal 1 and have about 80-90 gates and would have served all Delta Connection Flights, then all non-Delta Carriers would go out of Concourse A, and Delta Domestic/International Flights would be in Concourse B. If expansion was needed, a new Concourse C would have been added.[31]

2025 Master Plan, Outlines Terminal D Plan

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 was an expansion to terminal 1 to allow for the increasing number of flights and served the smaller airlines and United Airlines. Before the expansion adding more concourses, this terminal was referred to as Concourse B. It was built at the same time as Terminal 3 and they both shared similar designs. The terminal is currently closed and expected to be removed sometime in the next few years and make way for a larger Concourse A.

Terminal 3 (Main Terminal)

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Terminal B

The original Terminal 3 was very similar to Terminal 2, and featured the same spike-like design. Before the expansion adding more concourses, this terminal was referred to as Concourse C and the extension, which is now present day Concourse A, named Concourse D. As the number of flights increased and Delta needed more gates, the terminal was added onto to make Concourse B and C were later built and the terminals connected by an underground tunnel. This terminal is currently the main terminal for most flights, and houses all airlines except Ultimate Air Shuttle.

Security checkpoint

The main terminal security checkpoint is on the ticketing level. This new, expandable checkpoint opened in November 2009. After clearing security, passengers can take escalators or elevators down to the Cincinnati Airport People Mover that departs to all gates. Arriving passengers exit the terminal by elevator or escalator up to the baggage claim level and ground transportation.

Concourse A

View of Concourse C and Delta Connection Planes

Operated by Delta Air Lines until 2010, Concourse A underwent an extensive renovation before re-opening on May 15, 2012, to serve passengers on Air Canada, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, and US Airways, most of which formerly used Terminal 2, which is now closed. As such, ticketing, security screening and baggage claim for all airlines now take place in the newly renamed Main Terminal (Terminal 3).[32]

Concourse B

Concourse B is, like all concourses of Terminal 3, designed and originally purposed for Delta and its affiliates, including Cincinnati based Delta subsidiary, Comair. The terminal houses the Delta Sky Club, and main concessions are for the airport. The concourse now houses all Delta and Delta Connection flights with a total of 39 gates along with some seasonal charters that fly internationally. Also, U.S. Customs and Border Protection are contained in Concourse B.

Concourse C

Concourse C, which once housed all Delta Connection flights, opened in September 1994[33] and closed in 2009 due to Delta Air Lines cutting flights from the hub. Concourse C is an island and was only accessible by passengers from other terminals and ticketing facilities via buses. Delta has a lease on the concourse until 2025, and is currently open for other carriers if they wanted the space, but most likely will never be reactivated. Currently, the terminal is used to train dogs that are able to detect any illegal substances such as bombs and drugs from luggage.

Airlines and destinations

Delta's Paris flight is the only nonstop flight to Europe from Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio.
Current domestic routes from CVG.
Current international routes from CVG.


Airlines Destinations Concourse
Air Canada Express Toronto–Pearson A
Allegiant Air Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Orlando/Sanford, Phoenix/Mesa, Punta Gorda/Fort Myers, St. Petersburg/Clearwater
Seasonal: Austin (begins June 4, 2015), Myrtle Beach, New Orleans, Savannah (begins May 8, 2015) 		A
American Eagle Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, New York–JFK A
Branson Air Express
operated by Orange Air 		Branson (begins May 6, 2015) A
Delta Air Lines Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York–LaGuardia, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Orlando, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Tampa
Seasonal: Cancun, Denver, Phoenix, Punta Cana, Seattle/Tacoma 		B
Delta Connection Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Fayetteville/Bentonville, Fort Myers, Grand Rapids, Hartford, Houston–Intercontinental, Kansas City, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia, Newark, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, St. Louis, Toronto–Pearson, Washington–National
Seasonal: Fort Lauderdale 		B
Frontier Airlines Atlanta, Cancun, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Las Vegas, Orlando
Seasonal: Phoenix, Punta Cana, Washington-Dulles 		A
Ultimate Air Shuttle Chicago-Midway, Morristown (NJ) Terminal 1
United Express Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark, Washington–Dulles A
US Airways Express Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington–National A

Air charters

Airlines Destinations Concourse
Apple Vacations
operated by Frontier Airlines		Seasonal Charter: Cancun, Punta Cana B
Vacation Express operated by Bahamasair Seasonal Charter: Freeport, Montego Bay (begins May 17, 2015) [34] B
Vacation Express operated by Miami Air International Seasonal Charter: Punta Cana B

Top destinations

Top Ten Busiest Domestic Routes Out of CVG
(Feb 2014 – Jan 2015)[35]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Atlanta, GA 295,000 Delta, Frontier
2 Chicago, IL (ORD) 259,000 American, Delta, United
3 Charlotte, NC 157,000 Delta, US Airways
4 Dallas/Fort Worth, TX 130,000 American, Delta, Frontier
5 Denver, CO 121,000 Delta, Frontier, United
6 Philadelphia, PA 113,000 Delta, US Airways
7 Orlando, FL 106,000 Delta, Frontier
8 Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN 103,000 Delta
9 Washington, DC (DCA) 95,000 Delta, US Airways
10 Detroit, MI 91,000 Delta
Busiest International Routes from Cincinnati (Jan. 2013 - Oct. 2014 )[36] and [37]
Rank Airport Passengers Carriers
1 Paris, France 129,733 Delta
2 Toronto, Canada 75,583 Air Canada, Delta
3 Cancún, Mexico 36,400 Delta, Frontier, Vacation Express
4 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic 15,910 Delta, Frontier, Vacation Express

Commercial charters and private aircraft

CVG, dominated by cargo and commercial flights, has a very minimal, but still existing amount of private aircraft movements. Most businesses and local pilots choose Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport over CVG due to its location and convenience. However, charters have grown rapidly in the past 5 years and has grew to over 50,000 passengers per year. The airport is the hub and headquarters for Delta Private Jets, and is also a hub for Ultimate Air Shuttle, which is headquartered at nearby Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport.

Ultimate Air Shuttle

Ultimate Air Shuttle is a charter passenger service which serves flight service to New York and Chicago. Ultimate Air recently announced they plan to add service to Memphis from CVG, sometime in March 2015. The airline is advertised for business use, but many local travelers use it due to its convenience, as it avoids TSA Security Checks, and the ability to arrive 15 minutes before flight.

Branson Air Express

Branson Air Express is a charter passenger service that is planned to begin operations at CVG on May 7, 2015 to Branson Airport. The airlines headquarters and hub is at Branson Airport and offers numerous flights to destinations in the Caribbean and United States.

Delta Private Jets

Delta Private Jets is a private aircraft service, which is at aimed at businesses needing service to destinations on a private aircraft, or that the airport does not supply on a regular basis. This service serves the many business of Cincinnati, including many Fortune 500 companies such as Kroger and Procter & Gamble.[38] Delta Private Jets is currently located at 82 Comair Boulevard building, which was previously was the Comair headquarters and had the name Comair General Office Building.[39]

Cargo carriers and destinations

DHL Cargo Plane at CVG

CVG also serves as one of DHL's three global hubs. DHL has recently completed a $105 million expansion and employs approximately 2,500 at CVG. Because of this growth, CVG now stands as the 9th busiest airport in North America based on cargo tonnage and 40th in the world. Currently, DHL has over 40 aircraft arrivals each night at CVG.[40]

Airlines Destinations
Castle Aviation Akron-Canton
DHL Aviation
operated by ABX Air		 Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Greensboro, Guadalajara, Harlingen, Houston-Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, Newark, New York-JFK, Orlando, San Juan, San Francisco
DHL Aviation
operated by Air Transport International		 Denver, El Paso, Nashville
DHL Aviation
operated by Atlas Air		 Anchorage, Bahrain, Boston, Brussels, Frankfurt, Hamilton (ON), Hong Kong, Leipzig/Halle, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Phoenix, Seattle-Boeing Field, Tokyo-Narita, Toledo
DHL Aviation
operated by DHL Air UK		 Brussels, East Midlands (UK), Leipzig/Halle, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle
DHL Aviation
operated by Kalitta Air		 Anchorage, Bahrain, Brussels, East Midlands (UK), Hong Kong, Leipzig/Halle, Liège, Nagoya, Seoul-Incheon
DHL Aviation
operated by Polar Air Cargo		 Anchorage, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Leipzig/Halle, Los Angeles, Seoul-Incheon, Tokyo-Narita
DHL Aviation
operated by Southern Air		 Anchorage, Bahrain, Calgary,[41] Hong Kong, Leipzig/Halle, Philadelphia, Rochester
DHL Express
operated by Air Cargo Carriers		 Harrisburg, Richmond
DHL Express
operated by Ameriflight		 Albany, Cedar Rapids, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
DHL Express
operated by Cargojet Airways		 Montréal-Mirabel
DHL Express
operated by Northern Air Cargo		 St. Louis
DHL Express
operated by Suburban Air Freight		 Omaha
FedEx Express Indianapolis, Memphis, Washington-National

Other facilities

Delta Private Jets is headquartered on the grounds of the airport.[38] The 82 Comair Boulevard building, which houses the Delta Private Jets headquarters, previously was the Comair headquarters and had the name Comair General Office Building.[42] The airport also houses a hangar and line maintenance facility for Delta Air Lines' primary maintenance, repair and overhaul arm, Delta TechOps.[43]

77 Comair Boulevard, former headquarters of Comair

77 Comair Boulevard formerly served as the corporate headquarters of Comair.[44] The building, with 187,000 square feet (17,400 m2) of space,[45] is on South Airfield Road. In 2010, after the airline began downsizing, it considered leaving the building and moving to another location near the airport. A spokesperson did not disclose how much office space the airline occupied; she said it was planning to reduce its space by 20 to 25 percent.[46] In 2011 Delta Air Lines, parent company of Comair, suggested that Delta could help assist the airport in obtaining a Transportation Security Administration training center, with it being located in 77 Comair Boulevard.[47] In early 2011, Comair vacated the building.[45] In 2012 the Kenton County Airport Board approved a five-year lease, with two five-year options, for Southern Air for about 33,100 square feet (3,080 m2) of space in 77 Comair Boulevard. For the first period, the rent would be $9.95 per square foot. This would increase to $12 per square foot for the second period and $15 per square foot for the third period. The airport plans to spend $500,000 in capital improvements on 77 Comair Boulevard.[44]

Ground transportation

TANK provides bus service from the airport to Downtown Cincinnati via Route 2X. Car rental services are provided by Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Thrifty. The Main Terminal has Short Term Parking Garages. The Short Term Parking areas are designated by fruit names: Level 1- Orange, Level 2- Lemon, Level 3- Lime, Level 4- Cherry, and Level 5- Grape. Long Term Parking is remote from the terminal, so passengers must use a shuttle bus between the terminals and Long Term Parking lot.

Other

Statistics

The apron as seen from Terminal 2. In the foreground is an American Eagle Embraer E-135
Overal Statistics for Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
Year Total Passengers % change Aircraft Movements % change
2002[48] 20,812,642 Steady 486,501 Steady
2003[49] 21,197,447 Increase 1.8% 505,557 Increase 3.9%
2004[50] 22,062,557 Increase 4.1% 517,520 Increase 2.4%
2005[51] 22,778,785 Increase 3.2% 496,366 Decrease 4.1%
2006[52] 16,244,962 Decrease 28.7% 345,754 Decrease 30.3%
2007[53] 15,736,220 Decrease 3.1% 328,059 Decrease 5.1%
2008[54] 13,630,443 Decrease 13.4% 285,484 Decrease 13.0%
2009[55] 10,621,655 Decrease 22.1% 222,677 Decrease 22.0%
2010[56] 7,977,588 Decrease 24.9% 177,597 Decrease 20.2%
2011[57] 7,034,263 Decrease 11.8% 161,912 Decrease 8.8%
2012[58] 6,038,817 Decrease 14.2% 143,447 Decrease 11.4%
2013[59] 5,718,255 Decrease 5.31% 137,671 Decrease 4.03%
2014[60] 5,908,711 Increase 3.33% 133,518 Decrease 3.02%
2015[61] 1,337,023 (YTD) Increase 2.42% 30,954 (YTD) Decrease 0.07%
Individual Terminal Statistics for Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport[60]
Year Total Passengers Terminal 1 % Change Terminal 2 % Change Terminal 3 % Change Charter Flights % Change
2009 9,086,152 0 Steady 707,008 Steady 8,345,718 Steady 33,426 Steady
2010 6,800,749 0 Steady 977,866 Increase 1.38% 5,797,122 Decrease 43.96% 25,761 Decrease 22.93%
2011 7,034,263 0 Steady 1,237,545 Increase 1.27% 5,777,194 Decrease 0.35% 19,524 Decrease 25.2%
2012 6,038,817 0 Steady 378,298 Decrease 69.43% 5,620,940 Decrease 2.78% 39,579 Increase 49.33%
2013 5,718,255 1,690 Steady 0 Steady 5,659,879 Increase 0.07% 56,686 Increase 69.82%
2014 5,908,711 9,056 Increase 435.86% 0 Steady 5,847,032 Increase 3.31% 52,623 Decrease 7.17%
2015 1,337,023 (YTD) 2,472 (YTD) Increase 118.37% 0 (YTD) Steady 1,337,023 (YTD) Increase 2.37% 10,352 (YTD) Decrease 2.89%

Pricing

CVG consistently ranks among the most expensive major airports in the United States.[62] Delta operates over 75% of flights at CVG, a fact often cited as a reason for relatively high domestic ticket prices.[63] Airline officials have suggested that Delta practices predatory pricing to drive away discount airlines.[62][64] From 1990 to 2003, ten discount airlines began service at CVG, only to later pull out,[65] including Vanguard Airlines, which pulled out of CVG twice.[66] Delta maintains that its pricing is reasonable, considering the increased connectivity and non-stop flights that a hub airport offers a market the size of Cincinnati.[65]

According to a study commissioned by CVG, 18% of Cincinnati-area residents use one of five nearby airports – Dayton, Louisville, Port Columbus, Indianapolis, or Blue Grass (Lexington) – instead of CVG because passengers can find fares up to 50% lower at these nearby airports.[65]

In a bid to boost local ridership and make CVG more competitive with surrounding airports, Delta Air Lines announced a large-scale fare reduction on February 6, 2009.[67]

In the 4th Quarter of 2014, CVG dropped from being the most expensive airport at $514 to $485, making the airport now the third highest. This is the lowest the airport has been since 2011, and is a result of Allegiant and Frontier increasing flights, along with Delta trying to attract local customers rather than connect passengers. CVG had the 5th largest drop in airfare prices in the country, and with more expansion of LCCs at the airport, will likely drop even more.[68]

Industrial murals

The airport is home to 14 large Art Deco murals created for the train concourse building at Cincinnati Union Terminal during the station's construction in 1932. Mosaic murals depicting people at work in local Cincinnati workplaces were incorporated into the interior design of the railroad station by Winold Reiss, a German-born artist with a reputation in interior design.

When the train concourse building was designated for demolition in 1972, a "Save the Terminal Committee" raised funds to remove and transport the 14 murals in the concourse to new locations in the Airport. They were placed in Terminal 1, and in Terminals 2 and 3, which were then being constructed as part of a major airport expansion and renovation.

The murals were also featured in a scene in the film Rain Man starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. In addition, a walkway to one of the terminals at CVG was featured in the scene in the film when Hoffman's character, Raymond, refused to fly on a plane.

Incidents and accidents

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

  1. ↑ http://www.cvgairport.com/docs/default-source/stats/cvg_stats_13.pdf?sfvrsn=2
  2. ↑ "The Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport". nkyviews.com. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Detailed History". cvgairport.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  4. ↑ Stulz, Larry (February 14, 2008). "Lunken Airport". Cincinnati-Transit.net.
  5. ↑ Steve Kemme (December 28, 2010). "Flood sank Lunken plans". Cincinnati Enquirer-Our History (Cincinnati.com). Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  6. ↑ http://eviljwinter.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/mtm-cincinnati-why-is-cincinnati-airport-in-kentucky/
  7. ↑ Donna M. DeBlasio; John Johnston (July 31, 1999). "Cincinnati's Century of Change: Timeline". The Cincinnati Enquirer (enquirer.com). p. S3. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Kelly Yamanouchi (August 2, 2009). "Cincinnati hub is shrinking". Atlanta Journal-Constitution (ajc.com). Retrieved August 2, 2009.
  9. ↑ James Pilcher (May 23, 2010). "Why CVG lost half of all flights". Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati.com). Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  10. ↑ http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/05/23/4057117/protesters-expected-at-chiquitas.html
  11. ↑ Nicas, Jack and Susan Carey. "The World's Oddest Air Routes." The Wall Street Journal. October 16, 2012. Retrieved on October 22, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Air France Suspends Paris Flight". THe Cincinnati Post (Highbeam.com). June 8, 2001. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Air France Starts New Daily Service in Cincinnati". Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Delta CEO: Expect fewer flights from CVG". Cincinnati Enquirer (Enquirer.com). January 22, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2010.
  15. ↑ Doug Bolton (January 19, 2010). "Airport CEO: Name your price, Delta". Cincinnati Business Courier (bizjournals.com). Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  16. ↑ Associated Press (March 16, 2010). "Delta further reduces operations at Cincinnati hub; 840 face layoffs". Cleveland Plain Dealer (cleveland.com). Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Comair to Cease Operations". July 27, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  18. ↑ Pile, Julie (November 15, 2014). "Low-cost and major airlines see growth at CVG; Florence Rotary hears details about airport's future outlook". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  19. ↑ Williams, Jason (December 19, 2014). "Allegiant Air adding more Florida flights at CVG". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Exec: CVG's lack of international flights a 'negative'". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  21. ↑ Citation Needed
  22. ↑ Wiliams, Jason. "Here's the latest round of Delta cuts". Cincinnati.com. Gannett Companies. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  23. ↑ Cincinnati.com http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/03/10/delta-cincinnati-airline-cuts-kentucky/24701445/. Retrieved 10 March 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  24. ↑ Biank Fasig, Lisa (August 26, 2008). "Delta to close concourse in Cincinnati". Dayton Business Journal (bizjournals.com). Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 CVG Detailed History
  26. ↑ Cincinnati Airport to Open Its New Terminal Complex
  27. ↑ THW Design – Architecture
  28. ↑ Naylor, Brian (September 2, 2013). "Cincinnati's Airport: Best In The U.S.?". NPR News. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  29. ↑ "Renovated Concourse Opens at Cincinnati Airport". CBS News. May 15, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  30. ↑ "CVG - search results for ultimate air shuttle". CVG. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  31. ↑ "2025 Master Plan" (PDF). Airport Sites. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  32. ↑ http://www.cvgairport.com/terminals/future.html
  33. ↑ http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Comair-Holdings-Inc-Company-History.html
  34. ↑ http://finance.yahoo.com/news/vacation-express-expands-fourth-nonstop-190000859.html;_ylt=A2KJ3CdZRt9SpTQAOB7QtDMD
  35. ↑ "Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky International (CVG)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. July 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  36. ↑ "U.S. International Air Passenger and Freight Statistics Report". Office of Aviation Analysis, U.S. Department of Transportation. 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  37. ↑ "U.S.-International Passenger Data for Year To Date/Calendar Year 2014 *". U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 "Delta Private Jets". Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  39. ↑ "Recruiting Events:" Comair. Retrieved on July 30, 2012.
  40. ↑ http://www.cvgairport.com/docs/default-source/leadership/cvg-2014.pdf?sfvrsn=0
  41. ↑ http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1412278/dhl-express-launches-new-calgary-edmonton-route-to-meet-increased-customer-demand-in-western-canada
  42. ↑ "Recruiting Events:" Comair. Retrieved on July 30, 2012. "Most career events are conducted at the Comair General Office Building (82 Comair Boulevard, Erlanger, Ky.) [...]"
  43. ↑ Jensen, David. "Delta TechOps Rejuvenated". Aviation Today. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 "CVG board approves lease deal for Southern Air." Business Courier. Tuesday July 17, 2012. Retrieved on July 30, 2012.
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Monk, Dan. "Cincinnati could land Southern Air." Business Courier. Friday March 30, 2012. 2 of 3. Retrieved on July 30, 2012.
  46. ↑ "Comair to shrink fleet, staffing." Business Courier. Wednesday September 1, 2010. 2 of 2. Retrieved on July 30, 2012.
  47. ↑ Monk, Dan. "TSA training center rumored for former Comair HQ." Business Courier. Friday June 17, 2011. Retrieved on July 30, 2012.
  48. ↑ "Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport Air Traffic Statistics 2002" (PDF). cvgairport.com. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  49. ↑ "Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport Air Traffic Statistics 2003" (PDF). cvgairport.com. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  50. ↑ "Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport Air Traffic Statistics 2004" (PDF). cvgairport.com. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  51. ↑ "Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport Air Traffic Statistics 2005" (PDF). cvgairport.com. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  52. ↑ "Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport Air Traffic Statistics 2006" (PDF). cvgairport.com. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  53. ↑ "Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport Air Traffic Statistics 2007" (PDF). cvgairport.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 5, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  54. ↑ "Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport Air Traffic Statistics 2008" (PDF). cvgairport.com. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  55. ↑ "Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport Air Traffic Statistics 2009" (PDF). cvgairport.com. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  56. ↑ "Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport Air Traffic Statistics 2010" (PDF). cvgairport.com. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  57. ↑ "Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport Air Traffic Statistics 2011" (PDF). cvgairport.com. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  58. ↑ "Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport Air Traffic Statistics 2012" (PDF). cvgairport.com. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  59. ↑ "Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport Air Traffic Statistics 2013" (PDF). cvgairport.com. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  60. ↑ 60.0 60.1 "Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport Air Traffic Statistics 2014" (PDF). cvgairport.com. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  61. ↑ "Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport Air Traffic Statistics 2015" (PDF). cvgairport.com. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  62. ↑ 62.0 62.1 Coolidge, Alexander (January 3, 2007). "Cincinnati's sky-high airfares are tops in the USA". The Cincinnati Enquirer (Gannett Company). p. A8. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  63. ↑ Rose, Marla Matzer (January 27, 2008). "Governors push to keep Delta hub". The Columbus Dispatch (Dispatch Printing Company). Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  64. ↑ Paul Barton (December 20, 1999). "High air fares getting attention". The Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati.com). Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  65. ↑ 65.0 65.1 65.2 Pilcher, James (November 23, 2003). "Curse of high fares has economic upside". The Cincinnati Enquirer (Gannett Company). Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  66. ↑ Duke, Kerry (November 30, 2006). "Discount Airline Passes on CVG". The Kentucky Post (E. W. Scripps Company). p. A1. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  67. ↑ Matt Phillips (April 21, 2009). "Delta Fare Cuts at Cincinnati: Traffic Up on Price Reductions". The Wall Street Journal (wsj.com). Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  68. ↑ "CVG drops in airfare rankings". Cincinnati Business Courier. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  69. ↑

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