Continental Plans Significant Cleveland Capacity Increase

Continental Airlines today announced a major expansion at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and will use a $16 million incentive package from the state of Ohio to grow capacity at the airport by 40 percent through 2009.

Continental already has embarked on the growth plan, boosting capacity from Cleveland to Los Angeles, Orlando, San Francisco and Seattle, and by year-end expects its Cleveland capacity to be 10 percent greater than in 2006. The carrier expects to add 50 new flights, largely served by regional jets, and 20 additional nonstop destinations by next summer. By June 2008, "Continental expects to be providing 300 daily departures from Cleveland, up from the 242 daily departures in June 2007. Total nonstop destinations served from Cleveland will grow from 80 today to 100," the carrier stated today.

Continental next year plans to launch routes from the airport to more than a dozen new destinations, including Birmingham, Ala.; Charleston, S.C.; Green Bay, Wis.; Memphis, Tenn.; Omaha, Neb.; Savannah, Ga.; and Tulsa, Okla. The carrier also plans to launch service to Paris Charles de Gaulle next May. The carrier today said it expects to announce additional cities it will serve from Cleveland.

"Many of the regional jet aircraft used for the additional service will be reallocated from Newark," the carrier said. "Beginning in 2009, a number of additional mainline aircraft will also be allocated to support the growth."