entropy

right. that's fine, and you're right: I want to get in and out - and the biggest limit (for me) @ CLE is the Rental car center - and, if i were a taxpayer I'd say its not worth however many gazillion dollars to move it. Airside, they have 2 lounges (the president's club and the priority club one)and a chik fil a, amongst other food outlets ... what more do you need? Certainly nothing worth spending $2bn on. Its not going to increase the airfield/gate capacity (they have an excess today, relative to reasonably forseable demand). People aren't going to not travel to CLE because they don't have an integrated mall at the airport. IAD C/D is also a dump (dumpier, IMHO)- one much more heavily utilized than CLE (and of course CLE with the RTA has a direct rail to downtown, unlike IAD.. was the first in fact) .

Cleveland would do better to invest in their substandard schools than blow that kind of money on a showpiece that will result in a marginal improvement.

BasedinCLE

Isn't the airport self-funded through landing fees, rent, concessions, etc.? I don't think the airport construction takes away money from schools and social programs that are funded with property taxes, grants, and appropriations from the city's general fund. I've always viewed the funding issue is how can the airport raise the $2 billion (likely more, let's be honest) without making the resulting cost structure so high that airlines won't add flights due to high landing fees, a sandwich at Chick-fil-a costs $15, and parking fees of $40/day for the brown lot.

lincolnjkc

More or less correct; revenue generated from airport operations is ringfenced and can only be used for maintenance, etc. of the airport (this is a provision of federal grants and intended to keep cities from milking passengers (and the related impacts on interstate commerce) to fund things like schools that aren't relevant to the passenger -- imagine, for example, if the City of Chicago could export surplus revenue from O'Hare when many passengers never step foot outside of the airport. Also the whole fairness things if federal funds for airports indirectly funded something else)

Cities can and often, particularly for smaller markets, do bring additional funds into airport operations but in the City of Cleveland's case I would be more than a bit surprised if anything general fund was brought to this project -- more likely than not it will be a combination of state and federal transit grants with airport revenue (/bonds secured by future airport revenue)

entropy

well, in that case bring it on
As long as they do it out of grants and PFC's and not raise landing fees (presumably they understand this reduces their desirability), then go for it.

guy44134

CLE is hoping for transatlantic service by 2023. It will likely need a commitment from local businesses as well as grant funding through JobsOhio (certainly a better investment than Breeze service to leisure destinations from CAK and CMH!). Key will be which carrier to which hub (LHR, DUB, FRA, AMS, CDG). I wish LH would use the aircraft it will be flying to/from STL the other 4 days/week to CLE.

https://www.cleveland.com/business/2...cial-help.html

Almost 7.3 million passengers used CLE last year. It continued to outperform national averages for a 2nd pandemic year in terms of traffic rebound.

https://www.cleveland.com/business/2...-rebounds.html

RNE

I could see DUB happening (or KEF again), but not the others (though I wish so). Quite frankly, Clevelanders don't (and never have) seem to "get" that nonstop service to EU matters. That's a pity.

ewoo

I probably fly out of Cleveland about a dozen times a years and the last time I went through (about a month ago), I noticed for the first time that a handful of homeless people had set up shop in the baggage claim area. Also very notable in the men's restaurant. There was also a very mentally unwell woman who was having voices in her head and yelling nonsensically.

This is something that I've noticed at other airports (Los Angeles comes to mind), but this was the first time in Cleveland. Perhaps the cold weather.

cptlflyer

U.S. airports are entirely self-sustaining, so the money won't come from other City priorities.

It's not just the structures. There comes a point when the building systems (MEP/HVAC/Life Safety, etc.) get so old it costs more to service them than to replace them.

navi_jen

I love it. I'm in the inner ring and avoiding driving down Lee Road in the pitch dark or go 'round 271 to 480...it's a winner. Pop down Shaker Boulevard to Buckeye to the Corridor. It's great. Though the pavement condition of the first 2 miles of 490(?) are horrendous.

lincolnjkc

I've been using it exclusively since it opened (from where I am in Cleveland Heights it used to be Cedar -> Carnegie -> Prospect -> 90... My only complaint is the speed limit on the OC artificially low (should be at least 45, IMO) but that's a trend common in Northeast Ohio. The pavement condition of 490 is more of what you should expect in CLE sadly.

Back to actual CLE news... Several UA CLE people have celebrated 30, 35, and even 45 year anniversaries with United this week -- including Bobbie (35) Lisa (30) and David-who-I-don't-recoginze-but-I'm-guessing-he's-team-Below-The-Wing (45) -- congrats!

buckeyefanflyer

Looks like most United and other airlines cancelled early morning flights despite very little snow fell I guess cancellations based on the forecast.

lincolnjkc

I posted in the UA form but UA canceled 100% of arrivals and departures for today sometime on Tuesday -- from what I understand the snow wasn't the biggest concern but the amount of ice in the forecast.

JimInOhio

Delta is operating close to 100% of their CLE schedule. All the others canceled everything they have for today.

lincolnjkc

Yowza, I hadn't looked at anyone else but the airports checking out the flight status is brutal.

I don't pay much attention to DL because I won't fly them but I feel for the pax on 3971 -- I'm confused by Delta's website about what that flight number was supposed to do (https://www.delta.com/flight-status/1/3971/2022-02-03/w) but from the track on FlightAware (https://flightaware.com/live/flight/...342Z/KMSP/KCLE) and flightstats.com it appears it was scheduled MSP-CLE, did a few loops within spitting distance of CLE (Final posted ETRA=1045/ETGA=1053) before giving up @ 1041, diverting to DTW and ultimately CXLing the DTW-CLE recovery and original CLE-MSP return....

dergon darkhelm

Cleveland Hopkins officials making push for nonstop flight to Europe, but route will need financial help


A girl can dream