The airport has one main terminal which is divided into Concourses A, B, C, and D. Concourse D is a separate terminal that is connected from the main terminal by an underground walkway. Concourse D is occupied by Continental Express (operated by ExpressJet Airlines and Chautauqua Airlines) and Continental Connection (operated by CommutAir). Concourse C is occupied with the larger Continental Aircraft serving Cleveland.
The only foreign-flag carrier to serve Cleveland Hopkins is Air Canada, which offers daily non-stop flights to Toronto via its regional affiliate, Air Canada Jazz. In February 2006, Aeromexico applied for and received approval to begin non-stop service to Mexico City, but the service never began and Aeromexico did not seek renewal of the route authority. Aeromexico operated charter flights to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico during the 2007-08 winter season.
International arrivals
International arrivals deplane at a common-use U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility located at the end of Concourse A, with the exception of passengers arriving from from Nassau, Ottawa, Toronto, and Montréal, all of which have have United States border preclearance facilities. Currently, three common-use gates can handle simultaneous international arrivals (A9, A11, A14); these gates can also be used for domestic flight operations.
As in other airports without a dedicated international arrivals terminal, after clearing inspection, both connecting and terminating passengers must place their checked luggage on a conveyor belt and then clear a standard Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint before emerging from the FIS via escalator to the departure-level of Concourse A. Terminating passengers proceed toward baggage claim and re-claim their baggage on a designated carousel; connecting passengers' may proceed to their next departure gate, as their luggage is checked-through to their final destination. Beginning in 2008, passengers terminating their flights in CLE will be shuttled directly to the baggage claim area after they clear customs, bypassing the TSA security checkpoint and speeding their arrival.
Continental Airlines began offering seasonal direct flights from Hopkins to London Gatwick Airport in 1999. Continental Airlines launched a new route between Cleveland and Paris on May 22, 2008. Continental also offers seasonal service to Cancún and Québec City, which uses the FIS facility upon arrival. On September 25, 2007, the United States Department of Transportation tentatively gave Continental Airlines authorization to fly from Cleveland to Shanghai via Newark beginning March 25, 2009. The route will be a "through flight" service, and passengers will have to switch to a larger aircraft after arriving in Newark.
Although the airport offers non-stop service to international destinations, it does not have a duty-free shop.
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Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is located in Cleveland, Ohio, but serves a much larger cross-section of northeastern Ohio, including the Akron-Canton area and surrounding environs, serving 12 million passengers each year. The terminal comprises a ticketing area, a baggage claims area, and Concourses A, B, C, and D. This is a non-smoking airport, with designated smoking areas outside the main terminal at the ticketing level.
Customer Service is open Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (EST) to assist passengers with special needs or problems. The Airport Information Desk operates 365 days a year from 6:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. (EST). Passengers can use the white courtesy phones to dial 6030 throughout the terminal to reach the Airport Information Desk, which is located between the ticketing counters for Southwest and USA3000 airlines.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport offers both short-term and long-term parking for passengers and accompanying drivers who choose not to use the drop-off and pickup passenger option. Standard Parking operates all airport parking areas; their telephone number is 1-216-267-5030. The hourly/daily garage offers 30 minutes of free parking on the first floor for drop-off and pick up convenience. Drivers who are unable to locate a first-floor parking spot should let the parking attendant know that if they leave within thirty minutes. Hourly rates are $3 per hour to a maximum of $14 daily, with 4,240 available spots.
Long Term Parking The long-term parking rates for 2,746 vehicle spots are about $3 per hour to a maximum of $10 daily. Both the long-term and short-term parking garages accept payment in cash, personal check, or most major credit cards; there is a $25 penalty for returned checks. Parking areas connect to the terminal by bridges.
The Airport has just opened 370 additional parking spaces in a new Economy Shuttle Lot at a special introductory rate of $7 per day. Shuttle services run 24 hours daily, seven days a week, and offer a free bottle of water and USA newspaper.
Parking levels are color coded to help drivers remember their spot and find their vehicles. The garages are patrolled by security 24/7, and white courtesy phones are located in the elevator lobby on floors two through five of the hourly/daily and long-term parking garages. Free emergency assistance is available by calling 1-216-267-5030. On levels 1 and 3 in the elevator lobby, smarte cartes are available for visitors at the cost of $2.
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, a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States.[1] The airport lies just within the city limits of Cleveland and it is the largest airport in the state of Ohio.
The airport was founded in 1925, making it the first municipally owned airport in the United States[2]. The airport has been the site of many airport firsts: the first air traffic control tower, ground to air radio control and the first airfield lighting system, all in 1930, and the first U.S. airport to be directly connected to a local or regional rail transit system, in 1968. The airport was named after its founder, former city manager William R. Hopkins, on his 82nd birthday in 1951.
The airport handled 11,459,390 passengers in 2007, representing a 1.22% increase over 2006. There were 244,719 operations (takeoffs and landings) in 2007. The airport handles more than 325 daily nonstop flights to over 85 destinations. It is the third largest hub for Continental Airlines and its regional carriers ExpressJet and Chautauqua, which operates its second largest hub from the airport. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, along with Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport comprise the Cleveland Airport System operated by the the city of Cleveland's Department of Port Control.
In 2006, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport unveiled a new marketing and branding campaign. The slogan, "CLE Going Places", will depict the airport's pursuit of improving the passengers' experience as they upgrade the airport facility and negotiate additional air services.[citation needed] Numerous plans are underway including upgrades to the restaurant and store concessions program, taxi service, on-site parking, customer service areas, and the attraction of additional flights to new destinations with the airport's new air service development program begun in 2007.
Cleveland Hopkins has had a few noted events too. In November 1970, actress Jane Fonda was arrested at Cleveland Hopkins Airport when she had became belligerent to a Cleveland Police officer and she also charged with disturbing the peace. In 1985, a mentally disturbed man boarded a Pan-Am plane and took the plane hostage, Cleveland Police Department's SWAT team responded by arresting and subduing the man. In 1985 and 1987 the Concorde made several visits to Cleveland. In 2000, there was supposed to be another visit by the Concorde, but this never happened due to the flight 4590 which crashed in Paris and subsequent ending of the program.
Airlines and destinations
Hopkins airport is known for its fanciful giant "paper" airplane sculptures located in the underground walkway between Concourses C and D.The airport has one main terminal which is divided into Concourses A, B, C, and D. Concourse D is a separate terminal that is connected from the main terminal by an underground walkway. Concourse D is occupied by Continental Express (operated by ExpressJet Airlines and Chautauqua Airlines) and Continental Connection (operated by CommutAir). Concourse C is occupied with the larger Continental Aircraft serving Cleveland.
The only foreign-flag carrier to serve Cleveland Hopkins is Air Canada, which offers daily non-stop flights to Toronto via its regional affiliate, Air Canada Jazz. In February 2006, Aeromexico applied for and received approval to begin non-stop service to Mexico City, but the service never began and Aeromexico did not seek renewal of the route authority. Aeromexico operated charter flights to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico during the 2007-08 winter season.
[edit] International arrivals
International arrivals deplane at a common-use U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility located at the end of Concourse A, with the exception of passengers arriving from from Nassau, Ottawa, Toronto, and Montréal, all of which have have United States border preclearance facilities. Currently, three common-use gates can handle simultaneous international arrivals (A9, A11, A14); these gates can also be used for domestic flight operations.
As in other airports without a dedicated international arrivals terminal, after clearing inspection, both connecting and terminating passengers must place their checked luggage on a conveyor belt and then clear a standard Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint before emerging from the FIS via escalator to the departure-level of Concourse A. Terminating passengers proceed toward baggage claim and re-claim their baggage on a designated carousel; connecting passengers' may proceed to their next departure gate, as their luggage is checked-through to their final destination. Beginning in 2008, passengers terminating their flights in CLE will be shuttled directly to the baggage claim area after they clear customs, bypassing the TSA security checkpoint and speeding their arrival.
Continental Airlines began offering seasonal direct flights from Hopkins to London Gatwick Airport in 1999.[3] Continental Airlines launched a new route between Cleveland and Paris on May 22, 2008. Continental also offers seasonal service to Cancún and Québec City, which uses the FIS facility upon arrival. On September 25, 2007, the United States Department of Transportation tentatively gave Continental Airlines authorization to fly from Cleveland to Shanghai via Newark beginning March 25, 2009. The route will be a "through flight" service, and passengers will have to switch to a larger aircraft after arriving in Newark.[4]
Although the airport offers non-stop service to international destinations, it does not have a duty-free shop.
Concourse C, originally known as the South Concourse when it opened in 1968, is the airport's third-oldest concourse. Concourse C was, until 1985, one of the main hub operations for United Airlines. United slowly cut flights from Hopkins as it slowly built a new hub at Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C.. By 1987, United had closed its hub at Hopkins and moved its operations to the B Concourse. Continental Airlines quickly established a hub in Cleveland to fill the void left by United (Continental and sister Eastern Airlines already occupied gates in this concourse) and began a total refurbishment (and extension) of the C Concourse, which today is Continental's third-largest hub facility.
The legacy of United's once hub-status in Cleveland remained well into the 1990s, as United's check-in counters remained closest to the security checkpoint for Concourse C. (United's counter was moved closer to the security checkpoint for Concourse B in the late 1990s to allow for an expansion of Continental's counter.)
