Originally Posted by
RobS
I think the Cleveland Clinic hospitals and research labs in London, Abu Dhabi, and Riyahd (the latter two reachable through LHR connections) will interest someone in providing a non-stop flight within the next couple of years. This represents a good piece of new business since the CO days.
How much consistent traffic do those really generate, though? An average of a few seats a day, if that? You can also get to the ME destinations there 1-stop from CLE. While I appreciate the "prestige" of international service -- I'd much rather have a variety of timing options to choose from (and fall back on in the case of IROPS) at a hub than a semi-weekly nonstop to LHR.
Mayo Clinic has had a presence in Dubai for 2 decades now but you can't get anywhere across an ocean non-stop but RST (Rochester, MN)
[For the record, when I needed to get to last month Dubai, our client suggested the one-stop options CLE-BOS-DXB or CLE-TPA-DXB and their returns on B6/EK but I elected CLE-ORD-FRA-DUB on UA/LH for the *G benefits, IMO better equipment/seating (and trying to burn GPUs but that didn't quite work)]