Cleveland Hopkins International Airport

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner City of Cleveland
Operator Cleveland Airport System
Serves Cleveland
Location Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Focus city for Frontier Airlines[1]
Elevation AMSL 791 ft / 241 m
Coordinates 41°24′42″N 081°50′59″W / 41.41167°N 81.84972°W / 41.41167; -81.84972Coordinates: 41°24′42″N 081°50′59″W / 41.41167°N 81.84972°W / 41.41167; -81.84972
Website www.clevelandairport.com
Maps

FAA airport diagram
CLE
CLE

Location of airport in Ohio / United States

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
6L/24R 9,000 2,743 Concrete
6R/24L 9,956 3,034 Concrete
10/28 6,018 1,834 Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2016)
Aircraft operations 119,268
Total passengers 8,422,676[2]
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[3] and CLE airport.[4]

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (IATA: CLE, ICAO: KCLE, FAA LID: CLE) is a public airport located nine miles (14 km) southwest of the central business district of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States.[3] It is the primary airport serving Northeast Ohio and is the largest and busiest airport in the state of Ohio. The metropolitan area is also served by Burke Lakefront Airport and by Akron-Canton Regional Airport. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport together comprise the Cleveland Airport System, operated by the City of Cleveland's Department of Port Control.

The airport is of particular importance to the history of commercial air travel due to a number of first-in-the-world innovations that would eventually become standard around the globe. Founded in 1925, it was the first municipality-owned facility of its kind in the United States.[5] It was the site of the first air traffic control tower, the first ground-to-air radio control system, and the first airfield lighting system, all in 1930; and it was the first U.S. airport to be directly connected to a local or regional rail transit system, in 1968. It was also the first airport to employ a two-level terminal design separating arrivals from departures.

The airport was named after its founder, former city manager William R. Hopkins, on his 82nd birthday in 1951.

Like many airports, Hopkins experienced a decline in passenger volume in the early years of the 21st century as a wave of airline mergers, increased fuel costs, and the Great Recession impacted commercial aviation. More recently, the airport has implemented initiatives to upgrade the airport facility and provide additional air services.[6]

Operational history

North American international service

Intercontinental service

There is no intercontinental service from Cleveland. However, there have been several past short-lived attempts to establish intercontinental service from the airport since it was first granted authority to operate such service in 1977.[7][8]

Widebody service

During the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, CLE had scheduled widebody service. However, with the airlines' trend in the 1990s of using smaller aircraft with increased frequency, all passenger wide-body services were discontinued. Scheduled service included:

For weather-related issues, United will sometimes divert EWR-bound international 767s and 777s into CLE; however, the only scheduled wide-body aircraft that serve CLE are freight carriers:

Airfield, facilities and concourses

Satellite view of the airport.
An American Eagle counter at gate A3 in concourse A.
Hopkins airport is known for its fanciful giant "paper" airplane sculptures located in the underground walkway between Concourses C and D.

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport covers 1,402 acres (567 ha)[3] and has three runways:

The older parallel runway, Runway 6C/24C, was 7,096 x 150 ft. (2163 x 46 m). Several years ago it was decommissioned as a runway, its width narrowed, and it is now designated Taxiway C. "TAXI" in large yellow letters on each end is intended to discourage approaching aircraft using it as a runway.

Recently the thresholds of Runway 10/28 were moved 330 feet to the east, thus allowing for the addition of Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) at both ends. The usable runway length was not altered. During this project, some turnouts were rebuilt and the closed sections of 24L and the former 24C that intersected 10/28 were physically removed.

In 2011 the airport had 188,286 aircraft operations, average 516 per day: 64% air taxi, 31% scheduled commercial, 4.5% general aviation and <1% military. 29 aircraft are based at this airport: 18 jet, 5 single engine, 6 multi-engine and 6 military.[3]

Since 2008, Airmall Cleveland (formerly BAA Cleveland), has developed and managed retail and dining locations at the airport. A redevelopment project will add 76,000 square feet (7,100 m2) of new locations.[17]

Cleveland Airport has two airport lounges. A United Club in Concourse C and an Airspace Lounge at the foot of Concourse B near the Main Terminal.

Cleveland Airport consists of one passenger terminal which is divided into four concourses:

Airlines and Destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Air Canada Express Toronto–Pearson [27]
Allegiant Air Austin, Jacksonville (FL), Orlando/Sanford, Punta Gorda (FL), Savannah, St. Petersburg/Clearwater
Seasonal: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Walton Beach, Myrtle Beach
[28]
American Airlines Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Philadelphia [29]
American Eagle Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Miami, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Washington–National [29]
Apple Vacations Seasonal charter: Punta Cana [30]
Delta Air Lines Atlanta
Seasonal: Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul
[31]
Delta Connection Detroit, Hartford, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia, Raleigh/Durham
Seasonal: Orlando
[31]
Frontier Airlines Cancún, Fort Myers, Las Vegas, Miami (begins October 5, 2017), Orlando, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Tampa
Seasonal: Atlanta, Charlotte, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Portland (OR), Raleigh/Durham, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma
[32]
JetBlue Airways Boston, Fort Lauderdale [33]
Southwest Airlines Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago–Midway, Denver, Las Vegas, Milwaukee (begins November 5, 2017),[34] Nashville, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, St. Louis
Seasonal: Fort Myers, Orlando
[35]
Spirit Airlines Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Orlando
Seasonal: Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Fort Myers, Myrtle Beach, Tampa
[36]
United Airlines Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Newark, Orlando, San Francisco
Seasonal: Cancún, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, San Juan
[37]
United Express Boston, Chicago–O'Hare, Houston–Intercontinental, Milwaukee, New York–LaGuardia, Newark, Washington–Dulles, Washington–National
Seasonal: Charleston
[37]
Vacation Express Seasonal charter: Montego Bay, Punta Cana [38]

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
FedEx Express Indianapolis, Memphis, Newark
FedEx Feeder
operated by Mountain Air Cargo
Erie
UPS Airlines Louisville

Statistics

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from CLE (June 2016 – May 2017)[39]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois 409,880 American, United
2 Atlanta, Georgia 370,770 Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit
3 Denver, Colorado 222,380 Frontier, Southwest, United
4 Orlando, Florida 209,300 Delta, Frontier, Spirit, United
5 Chicago–Midway, Illinois 192,410 Southwest
6 Las Vegas, Nevada 184,320 Frontier, Southwest, Spirit
7 Charlotte, North Carolina 182,800 American, Frontier
8 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 168,530 American, Spirit
9 New York–LaGuardia, New York 160,600 American, Delta, United
10 Boston, Massachusetts 148,180 JetBlue, Spirit, United
Busiest international routes from CLE (2013)[40]
RankAirportPassengersCarriers
1 Toronto (Pearson), Canada 128,700 Air Canada Express
2 Cancún, Mexico 87,480 Frontier, United
3 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic 33,240 Frontier

Annual passenger traffic

Annual passenger traffic (enplaned + deplaned) at CLE, 1999 through 2016[41]
Year Passengers
1999 13,020,285 Steady
2000 13,288,059 Increase
2001 11,864,411 Decrease
2002 10,795,270 Decrease
2003 10,555,387 Decrease
2004 11,264,937 Increase
2005 11,463,391 Increase
2006 11,321,050 Decrease
2007 11,459,390 Increase
2008 11,106,196 Decrease
2009 9,715,604 Decrease
2010 9,492,455 Decrease
2011 9,176,824 Decrease
2012 9,004,983 Decrease
2013 9,072,126 Increase
2014 7,609,404 Decrease
2015 8,100,073 Increase
2016[42] 8,422,676 Increase
2017[43] 4,338,529 (YTD)

Ground transportation

Public transit

Cleveland RTA at the airport station
Airport welcome sign

Hopkins International Airport is connected to the Cleveland Rapid Transit system. Passengers can board Red Line trains at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (RTA Rapid Transit station) airport terminal. One-way fare to any station on the line is $2.50. During late night/early morning hours, service is provided by the # 22 Lorain bus from Hopkins to Downtown Cleveland. The airport also offers a dedicated taxi service of 75 vehicles.[44]

Rental cars

In 1998, Hopkins moved rental car operations off the airport grounds to a new consolidated rental car facility. The facility has drawn mixed reviews from travelers because of its distance from the airport, inconsistent bus service and long bus rides, only partial canopy coverage for vehicles, and fees and taxes that are very high relative to those of other airports; the charges cover costs of not only operating the center but also supporting other local projects, such as the Cleveland Browns stadium.[45]

Accidents and incidents

Relationship with United and Continental

From the postwar era until the mid-1980s, United Airlines maintained its eastern-most domestic hub at CLE. Beginning in 1985, United started the process of migrating its CLE hub capacity to Washington–Dulles; this process was completed in 1987. The same year, Continental Airlines, which was then a separate carrier and lacked a Midwest hub, quickly moved into fill the void left by United. This gave the then Continental hubs in five markets: Houston–Intercontinental, Denver–Stapleton (subsequently dehubbed), Newark (per its acquisition of People Express in 1987), Guam and Cleveland.

Continental increased its hub capacity at Hopkins, becoming the airport's largest tenant and eventually accounting for upwards of 60 percent of passenger traffic. Continental and Hopkins both made substantial operational and capital investments in support of CLE; this included the construction of Concourse D in 1999 that accommodated Continental mainline and Continental Express flights.

Continental—United merger

On May 2, 2010, the Boards of Directors at Continental and United Airlines approved a stock-swap merger deal. The legal aspects of a full merger were completed on October 1, 2010.[53] The Continental-United marriage only heightened simmering concerns within the greater Cleveland area about the potential effect on Cleveland air service; Continental's previous merger talks with Star Alliance founding partner United had been viewed in some circles as a serious threat to Continental's future at Hopkins.[54][55] When the 2010 United/Continental tie-up was initially announced, it prompted Cleveland politicians to propose hearings to investigate the potential impact of the marriage on the community; these investigations ultimately had no effect on the companies' efforts to combine. There had been persistent worries that a post-merger United would reduce or eliminate direct service from Cleveland to a number of cities and instead route passengers through United's hubs in Chicago [315 miles (507 km) west by air] and Washington [217 miles (349 km) east by air].[56][57] On November 10, 2010, Continental CEO Jeff Smisek stated in a speech in Cleveland that "Cleveland needs to earn its hub status every day" and added that overall profitability would be the determining factor in whether the new United kept or shuttered the Cleveland hub operation.[58] However, after the agreement was signed, passenger volume at Cleveland continued to decline.[59]

Dehubbing

On February 1, 2014, United's then-CEO Jeff Smisek announced that the airline would shut down its Cleveland hub the following June. "Our hub in Cleveland hasn't been profitable for over a decade, and has generated tens of millions of dollars of annual losses in recent years," Smisek stated in a letter to United employees. "We simply cannot continue to bear these losses."[60] As of June 5, 2014, United Airlines effectively terminated its hub operation at CLE; United listed Cleveland as a "key airport" for the airline following the dehubbing, but that status was subsequently dropped.[61]

Aftermath

After the announcement of United Airlines's departure in 2014, Cleveland saw greatly decreased flight operations, and by June, 2014, United Airlines' had cut more than 60% of its daily departures at the airport.[62] United moved its flights to the main terminal and mothballed the almost-new Concourse D, although it continues to pay the airport rent for the new facility. In the aftermath of United Airlines' schedule reductions, Frontier Airlines significantly increased its flight options from the airport and declared Cleveland a focus city.[1] After the dehubbing of United Airlines, more low-cost airlines such as Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Airlines came to Cleveland. As of 2015, enplanements at Hopkins were 60% of their peak during the time when the airport was a hub.

Controversies

Ground Transportation Center

In May, 2015, the airport moved the pick-up and drop off location for most shuttles to the former limo lot, requiring most passengers to take two escalators underneath the former shuttle parking in the arrivals lane at the airport. Originally meant to be a temporary fix, the airport made the Ground Transportation Center a permanent fixture in May, 2017. This angered many travelers that complained on various social media platforms, as well as local media outlets, garnering negative publicity for the airport's plans.[63]

Parking

In May, 2013, the airport razed its 2,600-space garage, replacing it with a 1,000 space surface lot for $24M.[64] This in turn created a parking shortage, and daily lot closings when parking lots would become full. The airport's Twitter account became a daily update of parking closures at the airport. The airport converted the long time Short Term Garage to a so-called Smart Garage, and valet parking garage. The airport eliminated the long time free half-hour courtesy parking perk, and began to charge $3 for a half-hour.[65]

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

  1. 1 2 Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY (March 21, 2014). "Frontier Airlines tabs Cleveland as newest focus city". USA TODAY.
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  3. 1 2 3 4 FAA Airport Master Record for CLE (Form 5010 PDF), effective July 5, 2007
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