Hopkins Airport Would Like to Remind You How Few Direct Flights There Are Out of Cleveland

As NCAA March Madness continues, brands across America have tipped off brackets of their own, leaning into the cultural moment to ask fans to determine a wide range of questions in tournament-style fashion.

Hopkins International Airport has likewise gotten into the game, launching a fan vote on brackets asking followers to vote for their favorite nonstop destinations offered out of Cleveland.

Perhaps channeling hopeful job candidates in a murky market, Hopkins, intentionally or not, appears to be marking its weaknesses as strengths, or at least unaware that such a bracket does little more than remind local travelers of how very few nonstop destinations are available from Cleveland. (The theme is marginally better than asking Northeast Ohioans which outdated and out-of-service airport bathrooms are their favorite.)

Hey, travelers! We’re on a quest to discover YOUR favorite nonstop destination out of CLE.
There will be multiple rounds of voting, so head over to our IG story every Wednesday and cast your votes! 🗳️https://t.co/2c5ZD0zbVn

May the best nonstop win… 🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/ZHOk3Omny7

— Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) (@goingplacesCLE) March 13, 2024

Hopkins, after all, likes to say that it offers “nearly 40” nonstop flights. Which is a slightly more positive way to frame a situation in which you don’t offer even 40 nonstop flights. In fact, Hopkins doesn’t even rank in the top 50 airports for direct flights — even Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Kansas City have at least a dozen more — a problem that has only gotten worse in the last decade following the departure of United’s hub and ongoing changes from low-budget airlines that debut and then quickly cancel routes from the shores of Lake Erie.

The numbers are stark: Pre-Covid, Cleveland had 51 direct flights. A decade ago, that number was 70. In 2023, there were 44,200 total nonstop flights at Hopkins, according to News5Cleveland. Ten years ago, that number was 83,000.

Airport officials like to say they’re adjusting to the needs of the local traveler.

“The needs of Clevelanders do come first because that’s what’s going to fill up an airplane,” John Hogan, Hopkins’ air service development manager, told the station. “What is the demand for certain destinations? And we put the two together and hopefully the airline will say, ‘Hey let’s take a chance on this and go for it.”

With planning work underway on terminal renovations and expansions at the airport, and with the launch of more international direct options, there are reasons to be tepidly optimistic that the situation will improve.

In the meantime, enjoy your connection and layover, unless you’re going to Florida.

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