Originally Posted by
mrmoo
I'm sure the city is continuing to make pitches to airlines without subsidies at all or very few. Personally, I'd prefer Cleveland keep its money to fix other issues in the City than to subsidize a foreign carrier.
I agree it would be good if an airline would offer transatlantic service from CLE without subsidies, but that's not how the game is played for second-tier cities. But keep in mind, no money from the City of Cleveland's general fund is used to operate CLE. From the airport's website's FAQs:
How is the airport funded?
The Cleveland Airport System is an enterprise fund of the City of Cleveland, meaning that it is a self-sustaining operation. As such, all revenues earned by the airport must be spent solely for airport purposes. No local tax dollars are used to fund any projects or operations at the airport. The airport is funded by non-aviation related revenues (i.e., concessions and parking), aviation revenues (i.e., rents and landing fees), and federal grants. The airport has an annual operating budget of approximately $129 million.