CLE Smartfares
November 2009 Newsletter




Director's Message 

I am pleased to introduce our newest non-stop connection: the CLE E-Newsletter. It provides information about changes in the airline industry, updates on the ongoing improvements at CLE and BKL, and highlights on trends in travel. Northeast Ohioans are frequent flyers, making regular departures from Cleveland. At BKL, this translates into 88,000 takeoffs and landings annually. For CLE, it’s servicing more than 11 million passengers every year. Combined, the airports bring $3.5 billion to the regional economy. And they also help good ideas take flight, connecting entrepreneurs with investors, developers with planners, and architects with builders. This is why now, more than ever, it’s time to start
going places!


Reaching for the stars (by way of CLE). 

On October 27, Continental Airlines will officially enter the Star Alliance – a network of 25 airlines from around the world. For CLE’s HUB airline this means first class upgrades, including greater efficiencies, expanded route offerings, and access into new markets. For travelers out of CLE it means enhanced worldwide travel options and greater competition, leading to better pricing options (which means more takeoffs despite the economic downturn). 

So, what’s the buzz? Most industry experts see the Star Alliance as an ideal fit for Continental. First and foremost, it offers the airline a relationship with United. The two airlines will be able to boost passenger traffic while reducing costs by coordinating domestic and international flights. In addition, frequent flyer customers in each airline will be able to take advantage of the extra miles on connected routes - leading to what we hope will be extra customer satisfaction. 

For Airport Director Ricky Smith, Continental’s entrance into Star Alliance isn’t just great news for Northeast Ohio air travelers, but for the industry itself, “It’s the building of something, not a merger. It’s a move towards joint vision, rather than acquisition.” 

What Continental brings to the Star Alliance table is its strength in Latin America. The airline flies to every city of importance in Mexico, and has service to Columbia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Venezuela and most of the Caribbean. Conversely, the Star Alliance offers Continental new streamlined connections to Europe and the Asia Pacific due to the large number of airline routes in these areas serviced by Star Alliance airlines.

To get more information about what’s on the horizon, check out alliance updates at: www.continental.com/alliancenews..


Business travelers should return their seats to a reclining position and relax.
(It appears your business travel can give your company a competitive edge.)

In a new study conducted by Oxford Economics, researchers learned that business travel typically resulted in a positive return on investment for businesses. For every dollar invested in business travel, businesses experienced an average $12.50 in increased revenue and $3.80 in new profits.

Obviously, this could change how smart businesses make budgeting decisions for 2010. Rather than focusing on short-term savings in a tough economy, companies who want to keep a competitive edge may begin traveling more frequently for client and sales meetings.

Both executives and business travelers estimate that 28 percent of current business would be lost without in-person meetings. What’s more, roughly 40 percent of prospective customers are converted to new customers with an in-person meeting, compared to 16 percent without such a meeting. Executives cited customer meetings as having the greatest returns, approximately $15-$19.99 per dollar invested, with conference and trade show participation returns ranging from $4-$5.99 per dollar invested.

This is good news for everyone. “Business travel IS economic stimulus,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, which commissioned the study. “In order to grow, businesses have to invest. This research shows that face-to-face meetings and incentive awards to top performers are among the smartest investments companies can make.”

Find out more about the study and what it means for your business (and for your travel itinerary).


Now curbside check-in includes your car.

Running late for a flight? Need to reduce your steps to the ticketing counter? Want a little pampering? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then CLE’s valet parking service is the perfect option for you. The service is available seven days a week for hourly and daily drop offs, at a cost that is a mere $4 above the daily short-term parking rate (a small price to pay for not having to sprint through the terminal. Right?).

And we make it simple. All you have to do is pull up to the curbside valet area on the ticketing/departure ramp. There, you will receive a complimentary USA Today newspaper and a claim ticket. Upon arrival back in town, just call and your car will be waiting for you on the baggage claim/arrival ramp. It’s that easy.

So, with the busy holiday travel season right around the corner, you might want to consider checking your flight time, rather than your blood pressure and
make an advance parking reservation, which will make you and your family’s travel, stress-free. Because we’ll do all the work (except for the packing. That’s still your job, sorry).


Things are percolating (thanks, Dunkin’ Donuts).

Good news for coffee connoisseurs (not to mention glazed donut groupies), a high-quality coffee alternative and sweet treat establishment is coming soon – with the planned opening of Dunkin’ Donuts in November. Just one in a long list of exciting (and that’s not the sugar talking) developments at CLE’s new AIRMALL. 

What is AIRMALL? It’s a fresh approach to airport concessions that brings well-known national brands and high-quality local concepts together to provide the best retail, food, and beverage offerings. Equally as important, the merchants operating in the AIRMALL must sell at or below regular mall prices found elsewhere. 

In Cleveland, the AIRMALL is being developed by BAA Cleveland Inc., which entered into a ten-year contract with CLE. The organization’s parent company, BAA USA, has launched and managed successful mall concepts at airports in Boston, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh. 

When our AIRMALL is finished in 2010, it will have nearly double the number of food and retail offerings, occupying 76,000 square feet. It will also double the current participation rate of local and minority-owned companies, double the number of concession jobs, and double retail sales figures over the next decade. Like we said, that’s business percolating alright. 

Plus, since July, more than a half dozen new stores have opened at the AIRMALL. Among them are Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen and Green Leaf’s, Hudson News, Taxco Sterling, Zoom Systems, and a new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Store.

Click here for Cleveland City News
 
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