While we at Simple Flying are often quick to extensively examine the US airports
that are most bound to see increases in passenger traffic, a few airports in the United States have continued to experience declines in passenger numbers. One of these airports, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE), released a report in October 2024 that indicated a major decrease in passenger numbers, with the facility seeing 7.3% fewer passengers pass through its doors compared to October 2023.
According to the facility, the total number of passengers was just 848,460. The facility cites several external factors that have resulted in carriers being quick to cancel service, according to local news outlet Cleveland19. Overwhelmingly, October is a month defined by business travelers, with relatively few opportunities for leisure travel outside the weekends. Needless to say, the post-pandemic decline in business travel traffic has hurt some smaller airports like Hopkins.
Some airports in the US South and Midwest have experienced a boom in off-peak-season leisure travel, driven by post-pandemic rises in weekend leisure travel. However, Cleveland has not been one of the destinations, unlike Nashville (BNA), Austin (AUS), or Las Vegas (LAS), that has capitalized on these kinds of opportunities.
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A significant challenge facing the airport
While the consistent decline in passenger numbers at the facility might be the result of external factors outside the airport’s control, it is certainly a challenge they will have to continue to address. In a statement, the airport had the following words to share regarding the reasons why airlines have continued to drop service to the airport:
“Outside factors are impacting airports around the country, and seat capacity at CLE was reduced by several airlines during the month, with Spirit Airlines representing the largest decline.”
Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock
Considering Spirit’s latest woes (including a bankruptcy filing this week), it is unsurprising that the airline has reduced seat capacity at destinations with lower load factors than ever before. According to Bureau of Transportation statistics, Spirit was the fourth-largest carrier at the facility, with a market share of around 12% and around 1.2 million annual passengers.
Some positive points to note for a facility looking toward the future
Not everything that came out of the latest report from Hopkins Airport was bad news, with some bright spots providing a positive outlook on future growth. Despite the large reduction in passenger capacity, the airport indicated that its total load factor increased from around 77% to 80%, demonstrating the potential for carriers to operate more profitable flights from the airport.
Bryant L. Francis, the facility’s Director of Port Control, noted that the airport is still preparing for a busy holiday travel season. He indicated that the airport’s staff and partners remain prepared to offer passengers a stress-free experience. Francis expects the facility to see over 10 million passengers in 2024.
In the past, Cleveland Hopkins has been a major airline hub, with United Airlines operating a major hub there that it later closed twice. Since the airline has stopped operating this major base, passenger numbers have continued to slowly decline, all the way down from over 13 million in 1999.