Passengers are returning to Hopkins despite poor customer satisfaction
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Cleveland Hopkins International Airport isn't exactly anyone's favorite place to fly from.
Driving the news: CLE ranked 13th out of 16 mid-size airports in J.D. Power's customer satisfaction survey released last month.
What they're saying: Even the airport's director, Bryant Francis, has acknowledged the wide-ranging deficiencies.
- "We're operating within facilities that are aging, that need extensive attention, that need modernization, that need to be improved, enhanced for not only the traveling public, but for those who work here," he told Cleveland.com in a recent interview.
Yes, but: Construction on a new terminal, paid for largely by the airlines, is expected to begin in 2025.
- Per Francis, a design firm will probably be selected in 2024.
By the numbers: Hopkins continues to add new routes — including the ballyhooed nonstop service to Dublin that launched in May — and has seen a steady increase in passengers over the past two years.
- In 2022, some 8.7 million travelers departed from Hopkins; 2023 should come close to 2019's pre-pandemic numbers that exceeded 10 million.
- "If we don't hit 10 million, we will be incredibly close," Francis said. "It's going to come down to December."
Meanwhile, the low-cost carrier Frontier has added leisure-travel routes to Florida and the Caribbean and has become Hopkins' top tenant, with 17 total destinations.
- Southwest and United, tied in second place, fly to 12 cities each.
The latest: In May, Frontier announced that Cleveland was on the short list for a new crew base, which would include a physical presence at Hopkins, increased service, and as many as 400 local pilots and airline staff living in the region.
- This week, a Frontier spokesperson told Axios that there were no developments to report on the airline's decision.