Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
IATA: CVG – ICAO: KCVG – FAA LID: CVG – WMO: 72421 CVG CVG Location of the airport in Northern Kentucky
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Kenton County Airport Board
Operator	Kenton County Airport Board
Serves	Cincinnati, Ohio
Location	2939 Terminal Drive Hebron, Kentucky
Hub for	Passenger Delta Air Lines[1] Ultimate Air Shuttle Cargo: DHL Aviation (ABX Air, Atlas Air, DHL Air UK, Kalitta Air, Polar Air Cargo, Southern Air) DHL Express (Ameriflight)
Focus city for	Allegiant Air[2] Frontier Airlines[3]
Elevation AMSL	896 ft / 273 m
Coordinates	39°02′56″N 084°40′04″W / 39.04889°N 84.66778°W
Website	www.cvgairport.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 9/27 12,000 3,658 Asphalt/Concrete 18C/36C 11,000 3,353 Asphalt/Concrete 18L/36R 10,000 3,048 Concrete 18R/36L 8,000 2,438 Concrete
Statistics (2015)
Total passengers 6,316,332 Aircraft operations 133,068
Sources: Airport website[4]

CVG Airfield Layout Diagram (2015 - FAA)

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (IATA: CVG, ICAO: KCVG, FAA LID: CVG), is a public international airport located in Hebron, Kentucky, United States, and serves the Greater Cincinnati metropolitan area. The airport's code, CVG, comes from the nearest major city at the time of its opening, Covington, Kentucky.^[5] Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport covers an area of 7000 acres (28.3 km²). CVG is the only airport in Kentucky, Ohio or Indiana that features nonstop service to Europe, as well as other international destinations including Cancún, Freeport, Montego Bay, Paris, Punta Cana, and Toronto. The airport is the busiest in Kentucky, along with the second busiest serving an Ohio metropolitan area. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is the second smallest domestic hub for Delta Air Lines and plays host to the headquarters and main maintenance base for Delta Private Jets. The airport is the largest base for Allegiant Air that is not a vacation destination, largest market for Vacation Express, and the 8th largest market for Frontier Airlines. In addition to a rapidly diversifying list of passenger airlines, CVG is the fastest growing cargo airport in North America. being established as one of three global hubs for DHL Aviation and DHL Express, ranking 6th in North America and 34th in the world for total cargo operations. The airport is headquarters and hub for Southern Air, which operates flights around the world for DHL Aviation.^[6] In total, the airport offers non-stop passenger service to 53 destinations with 168 average daily departures.^[7]

History

President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved preliminary funds for site development of the Greater Cincinnati Airport February 11, 1942. This was part of the United States Army Air Corps program to establish training facilities during World War II. At the time, air traffic in the area centered around Lunken Airport just southeast of central Cincinnati.^[8] Lunken opened in 1926 and was located in the Ohio River Valley. Due to its location, the airport frequently experienced fog, and the 1937 flood completely submerged its runways and two-story terminal building.^[9] While federal officials wanted an airfield site that would not be prone to flooding, Cincinnati officials hoped to build Lunken into the premier airport of the region.^[10]

A coalition of officials from Boone, Kenton and Campbell Counties in Kentucky took advantage of Cincinnati's short-sightedness and lobbied Congress to build an airfield there.^[11] Boone County officials offered a suitable site on the provision that Kenton County paid the acquisition cost. In October 1942, Congress provided $2 million to construct four runways.^[8]

The field officially opened August 12, 1944, with the first B-17 bombers beginning practice runs on August 15. As the tide of the war had already turned, the Air Corps only used the field until 1945 before it was declared surplus. On October 27, 1946, a small wooden terminal building opened and the airport prepared for commercial service.^[8]

The first commercial flight, on an American Airlines DC-3 from Cleveland, Ohio, landed at the airport January 10, 1947, at 9:53 am. A Delta Air Lines flight followed moments later.^[12] The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 97 weekday departures: 37 American, 26 Delta, 24 TWA, 8 Piedmont and 2 Lake Central. As late as November 1959 the airport had four 5,500 ft (1,700 m) runways at 45-degree angles, the north–south runway eventually being extended into today's runway 18C/36C.

In the 1950s, Cincinnati city leaders began pushing for a major expansion of a site in Blue Ash to compete with the Greater Cincinnati Airport and replace Lunken as the city's primary airport.^[13] The city purchased Hugh Watson Field in 1955, turning it into Blue Ash Airport.^[14] The city's Blue Ash development plans were hampered by community opposition, three failed Hamilton County bond measures,^[15] political infighting,^[16] and Cincinnati's decision not to participate in the federal airfield program.^[17]

Airport diagram for December 1958

Jet age

On December 16, 1960, the jet age arrived in Cincinnati when a Delta Air Lines Convair 880 from Miami completed the first scheduled jet flight. The airport needed to expand and build more modern terminals and other facilities; the original Terminal A was expanded and renovated. The north–south runway was extended 3,100 to 8,600 ft (940 to 2,620 m). In 1964, the board approved a $12 million bond to expand the south concourse of Terminal A by 32,000 sq ft (3,000 m²) and provide nine gates for TWA, American, and Delta.^[8] A new east–west runway crossing the longer north–south runway was constructed in 1971 south of the older east–west runway.

Comair hub

In 1977, before the Airine Deregulation Act was passed, CVG, like many small airports, anticipated the loss of a large numbers of flights; creating the opportunity for Patrick Sowers, Robert Tranter, David and Raymound Muller to establish Comair to fill the void. The airline initiated service to Akron/Canton, Cleveland, and Evansville.

In 1981, Comair became a public company, added 30 seat regional jets to its fleet, and began to rapidly expand its destinations. In 1984, Comair became a Delta Connection carrier with Delta's establishment of a hub at CVG. That same year, Comair introduced its first international flights from Cincinanti to Toronto. In 1992, Comair moved into Concourse C, as Delta Air Lines gradually continued to acquire more of the airlines stock. In 1993, Comair was the launch customer for the Canadair Regional Jet, which it would later operate the largest fleet in the world. By 1999, Comair was the largest regional airline in the country worth over 2 billion, transporting 6 million passengers yearly to 83 destinations on 101 aircraft. Later that year, Delta Air Lines acquired the remaining portion of Comair's stock, causing Comair to solely operate Delta Connection flights.^[18]

Enterprise Airlines

In 1989, previous founders of Comair began a new business charter company from CVG, named Enterprise Airlines, that served 13 cities at its peak. The airline used 10-seat business jets and became immensely popular with Cincinnati companies. The airline served destinations including Baltimore (BWI), Boston (BOS), Cedar Rapids (CID), Columbus (CMH), Green Bay (GRB), Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem (GSO), Greenville/Spartanburg (GSP), Hartford/Springfield (BDL), Memphis (MEM), Milwaukee (MKE), New York (JFK), and Wilmington (ILM). In 1992, the airline ceased operations due to competition with Comair and Comair Jet Express, which had partnered with Delta Air Lines to become the largest regional airline at the time.^[19]

Delta hub

CVG based Comair plane landing at Cincinnati with Cincinnati Jet Hub Livery

In the mid-1980s, Delta created a hub in Cincinnati and constructed Terminal C and D, with a total of 22 gates. In 1992, Delta made Cincinnati its number two hub and spent $500 million constructing Terminal 3 with Concourse A and B, in addition to adding a $50 million Concourse C for Comair. Also, another $350 million was used to expand and construct 4 much longer runways. During the 1990s, Delta operated a large number of mainline flights out of the airport, however during the late 1990s, ramped up Comair's operations, and established Delta Connection. This dramatically increased the aircraft operations from around 300 thousand to 500 thousand yearly aircraft movements. In turn, passenger volumes doubled within a decade from 10 million to 20 million. This expansion prompted the building of runway 18L/36R and the airport began making preparations to construct Concourse D, while adding an expansion to Concourse A and B. At its peak, CVG became Delta's second-largest hub, handling over 670 Delta and Delta Connection flights daily in 2005.^[20] Delta built the CVG hub in order to gain a presence in the Midwest, after it had stuck to the southern United States for so long. It was chosen because the city boasted a large number of Fortune 500 companies, and because many midwestern cities such as Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and St. Louis already had large hubs. Delta served over 130 destinations with over 450 connection and 220 mainline flights in 2005. During this time, it was the fourth largest hub in the world for a single airline, based on departures, ranking only behind Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas.^[21] The hub served everything from the 64 mile CVG-DAY, to a daily non-stop to Honolulu and Anchorage, to numerous transatlantic destinations including Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Munich, Paris–Orly, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Rome, and Zurich.^[22] Delta was also planning on launching Asia service to CVG, beginning with Beijing, and expanding to Tokyo and Shanghai eventually, however launch plans were delayed in 2002 due to slot restrictions and eventually stopped after the bankruptcy in 2005.^[23]

Full List of Cuts by Delta Air Lines and SkyTeam Partners

Food Court in Concourse B

Airlines	Destinations
Air France	Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Delta Air Lines	Albany, Albuquerque, Anchorage, Asheville, Austin, Baltimore, Baton Rouge, Birmingham, Boise, Chattanooga, Chicago–O'Hare, Cleveland, Columbus–Port Columbus, Dallas/Fort Worth, Dayton, Ft. Wayne, Grand Rapids, Greensboro, Hartford, Honolulu, Houston–Intercontinental, Indianapolis, Jackson Hole, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Lexington, Louisville, Manchester (NH), Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, New York–JFK, Newark, Norfolk, Orange County, Philadelphia, Portland (ME), Portland (OR), Providence, Richmond, San Antonio, San Diego, San Juan, Sarasota, Steamboat Springs, St. Louis, Toledo, Tucson, Vail, Washington–Dulles, Washington–National, West Palm Beach
Delta Air Lines	Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, Freeport, Grand Cayman, London–Gatwick, London (ON), Mexico City, Montego Bay, Montreal, Munich, Nassau, Paris–Orly, Puerto Vallarta, Rome–Fiumicino, San Jose del Cabo, Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver, Zürich
Delta Connection/Comair	Akron/Canton, Albany, Allentown/Bethlehem, Appleton, Asheville, Ashland, Atlantic City, Austin, Bangor, Baton Rouge, Binghamton, Birmingham, Buffalo, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Champaign, Cape Girardeau, Charleston (SC), Charleston (WV), Charlottesville, Chattanooga, Chicago–Midway, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Columbia (SC), Columbus–Port Columbus, Dayton, Daytona Beach, Des Moines, Erie, Evansville, Flint, Ft. Walton Beach, Ft. Wayne, Grand Rapids, Green Bay, Greenbrier, Greensboro, Greenville, Harrisburg, Houston–Hobby, Huntington, Huntsville, Indianapolis, Jackson AL, Jackson (TN), Jacksonville, Kalamazoo, Knoxville, Lansing, Lexington, Little Rock, London (ON), Long Island/Islip, Louisville, Madison, Manchester (NH), Melbourne, Miami, Midland, Milwaukee, Moline, Montreal, Myrtle Beach, Nassau, Newburgh, New Haven, New Orleans, Newport News, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Owensboro, Panama City Beach, Pittsburgh, Portland (ME), Providence, Richmond, Roanoke, Rochester, San Antonio, Sarasota, Savannah, Shreveport, Sioux Falls, South Bend, Springfield (MO), State College, Syracuse, Tallahassee, Toledo, Traverse City, Tri Cities, Tulsa, Vail, Washington–Dulles, West Palm Beach, White Plains, Wichita, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Wilmington (NC)
Sabena Airlines	Brussels

Sources^{[24][25][26][27]}

Delta hub cuts

Delta 757-200 at CVG bound for London–Gatwick, which Delta cut in 2009.

Comair CRJ-700 taxiing from Concourse A, bound for Philadelphia

When Delta went into bankruptcy in September 2005, a large reduction at CVG eliminated most early-morning and night flights.^[22] These initial cuts caused additional routes to become unprofitable, causing the frequency of low-volume routes to be further cut from 2006-2007. Planning for the new east/west runway stopped, along with all expansions to current terminals and Terminal 1 was closed due to lack of need. In 2008, Delta merged with Northwest Airlines and cut flight capacity from the Cincinnati hub by 22 percent with an additional 17 percent reduction in 2009.^[20] Once Delta acquired Northwest, Comair's older fleet, which was costly as a result of rising oil prices, was cut and replaced with other Delta Connection carriers. In 2010, Delta stabilized CVG operations with 63 destinations between mainline and connection flights.^[28]

Many businesses in Cincinnati have urged Delta to restore the service level it had in the late 1990s and early 2000s while some, such as Chiquita Banana, Toyota, and Veritiv have already relocated to cities with more available flights.^[29] Flights at CVG are scheduled in morning and afternoon blocks, in which many flights depart around the same time. The only remaining intercontinental service by Delta is a daily evening departure to Paris. In addition to serving the heavy international travel demand of local companies such as P&G and GE Aviation, the daily Paris flight is also sustained in great part because it ferries jet-engine parts between factories in Cincinnati and France due to GE Aviation's presence. Each year the flight carries 4,200,000 pounds (1,900,000 kg) of engine parts.^[30] Air France operated flights into CVG for several periods for over a decade before finally terminating the service in 2007. Aeroméxico, Air France and KLM codeshare on Delta's international services out of CVG to Cancun and Paris.^[31][32]

In January 2010, Delta's CEO Richard Anderson anticipated that there would be 160–170 daily departures in the summer and that the number would not change through at least the fall.^[33][34] Delta closed Concourse A in Terminal 3 on May 1, 2010, and consolidated all operations into Concourse B. This resulted in the layoff of more than 800 employees. Delta, however, says that it will maintain the same amount of departures from CVG.^[35]

In June 2011, Delta announced that it would cut another 10% of the CVG hub capacity that summer, offering between 145–165 daily flights.

In February 2015, Delta announced the ending of flights from New Orleans, San Diego, and Jacksonville. These cuts result from Delta's replacement of 50-seat connection airplanes with 150–200-seat planes. As CVG was once the headquarters and main hub of Comair, Delta's feeder airline until 2012, and still remains a Delta Connection hub, the airport has many of the 50-seat planes, and, until shuffling of planes occurs, the airport will see a temporary reduction in flights. In the end, more seats, but fewer planes, will serve the airport. Routes such as Cincinnati to Detroit will get these larger planes, and serve more customers. This move, which seems to match Delta's statements that Cincinnati will remain a hub, decreases the likelihood that it will be de-hubbed like Memphis. By the end of the summer, Delta will operate 89 peak flights a day, but will serve more passengers, remaining a small, but key hub in Delta's network.^[36]

In March 2015, Delta announced another 14% cut at CVG, effective in summer 2015. Service to Madison will be eliminated and to Pittsburgh, Richmond, Baltimore, Toronto, Orlando, Kansas City, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, Raleigh-Durham and Minneapolis will be reduced. In August 2015, Delta announced that there will be fewer daily departures to Chicago, but that the number of seats will rise from 300 to 450 a day. Also, flights to Atlanta, Detroit, Nashville, Newark and San Francisco will be increased.^[37]

Despite the many cuts in 2015 by Delta Air Lines in daily departures and destinations, 2015 was the first year Delta had increased passenger numbers since it began cuts in late 2004. This was mostly due to the retirement of smaller regional aircraft for mainline service in addition to increases in daily departures to leisure routes such as Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, and Tampa. In addition, numerous business routes were expanded by seats including Atlanta, Detroit, Kansas City, Nashville, New York–LaGuardia, Newark, San Francisco, and St. Louis. Many of these routes saw larger aircraft being used including the Boeing 737 and 757 along with Airbus A320, while half of the CRJ-200 aircraft at CVG were replaced with larger the CRJ-700/900. Overall, seats available increased at the airport by 4% and Delta carried 1.9% more passengers. Despite this, Delta still has pared the number of daily flights down from 109 to 86 and reduced its aircraft operations by 1.2%.^[38][39]

Comair ends service

A Comair CRJ-100ER in Concourse B at CVG, bound for Baltimore

In July 2012, Delta announced their wholly owned and CVG-based subsidiary, Comair, would cease all operations by October of the same year. However, it said, "the discontinuation of Comair's operations will not result in any significant changes to Delta's network, which has enough flexibility to accommodate these changes".^[40] Delta transferred Comair's larger planes to other carriers and retired its 50-seat planes. Endeavor Air (formerly Pinnacle Airlines) now has a maintenance base at the airport and is one of the main third party operators for Delta Air Lines at CVG.

Low-cost service expansion

Frontier A320 taxiing from Concourse A in front of the Delta hangar

CVG has long struggled with high fares due to Delta's dominance at the airport. Since 2013, Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines have been expanding at CVG, finally giving local travelers low fares without having to commute to Dayton, Louisville or Indianapolis. These fares are often 75% less than other airlines at CVG. In 2012 CVG had no weekly low fare flights. As of July 2015, it had 108 weekly flights (about 15 daily) to 17 destinations.^[41]

In October 2012, Frontier Airlines announced it would begin service from CVG with a daily flight to Denver. This was the first modern attempt at bringing a low-cost carrier into the CVG region. Shortly there after, Frontier announced it would now offer two daily flights to Denver, and limited weekly service to Trenton/Mercer. Frontier Airlines in August 2014 made the biggest one-time expansion of flights at CVG in nearly a decade, paving the way to make Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport a major operations center for the low-cost carrier. The airline added daily flights to Dallas/Ft Worth and started with four flights per week to Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Orlando–International, and Phoenix–Sky Harbor. During this announcement Frontier's CEO announced that the airline is not finished growing at CVG. After this expansion, CVG passengers set a sales record, selling 5,000 seats in the 6 hours after this expansion was announced.^[41]

Allegiant Air began service from CVG in 2014 to Orlando/Sanford and Punta Gorda. Within 2 months of beginning operation, Allegiant announced that it was pleased with the success thus far and added limited service to Tampa and seasonal service to Myrtle Beach. Allegiant later came out with a statement saying it was adding flights to Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale, and to Phoenix. In November 2014, Allegiant announced new service to Jacksonville and New Orleans to begin in February 2015. This brings Allegiant Air's total weekly departures to 22.^[42]

On February 23, 2015, Frontier Airlines announced another major expansion at CVG, adding 29 more weekly flights. The expansion included new daily nonstop service to Atlanta and Fort Myers beginning April 30, 2015. In addition to these new destinations, Frontier also added nonstop flights to existing destinations. Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Orlando–International will each have daily service, with Las Vegas having 11 times weekly.^[41]

On February 24, 2015, Allegiant Air announced an expansion to destinations not currently served by any other airline from CVG. On May 8, 2015, seasonal flights to Savannah/Hilton Head will begin twice weekly. On June 4, 2015, year round flights to Austin will begin twice weekly. Allegiant will have 51 weekly departures during the summer months of 2016. CVG is currently Allegiant's largest non vacation origination city and 7th overall by operations, with 11 destinations.^[41]

On July 23, 2015, Allegiant Air announced plans to make CVG its midwestern base of operations with based aircraft and crew. Allegiant will establish the operation by January 6, 2016, with three based Airbus A319s and 90 new jobs for pilots, flight attendants, and service workers. In Summer 2016, Allegiant will peak at 51 weekly departures, the most from any Allegiant origination city, and will be its 5th largest market overall behind Sanford, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and St. Petersburg.^[43]

On January 7, 2016, after a series of cuts to Las Vegas and Fort Lauderdale, Frontier Airlines announced new service to Houston Intercontinental, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, along with resuming seasonal service to Atlanta, Dallas/Ft Worth and Phoenix. This announcement brings Frontier's destinations from CVG to 13, about 52 flights weekly. In addition to the new destinations, Frontier is also using larger planes on many routes. Flights to Denver and Orlando use Frontier's new Airbus A321 seating 230 passengers.

On January 12, 2016, Allegiant Air announced new service to Baltimore and Destin/Ft Walton Beach (Florida). They also announced plans to add charter service to Montego Bay which could not have happened without the base operations. This new expansion brings Allegiant's destinations from CVG to 14. Additionally, Allegiant announced plans to continue expanding local flight options. Because of the new base, longer flights are now possible. Allegiant is looking to add more charter service to the Caribbean in collaboration with Vacation Express and Apple Vacations, as well as longer domestic flights. San Diego is rumored to be the next city Allegiant is looking to add.

As of February 11, 2016, Allegiant Air is now basing a second A319 at CVG. The two CVG based-aircraft are used for flights to Austin, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Punta Gorda, and Savannah. Later in April 2016, with the launch of service to Baltimore, Allegiant Air based a third A319 at CVG, with a possibility that more aircraft could be added in the near future.

As of Spring 2016, CVG offers low-cost service to 23 destinations: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Destin, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Houston, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Myrtle Beach, New Orleans, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Phoenix Mesa, Punta Gorda, San Francisco, Sanford, Savannah, and St. Petersburg.

Legacy Carrier Expansion

In Fall 2015, PSA Airlines opened a maintenance base at CVG in the old PIMCO hangar as well as a crew base beginning in January 2016. The new bases have led to additional American Airlines flight at CVG, operated by PSA Airlines including Charlotte and Philadelphia before the merger with U.S. Airways, in addition to New York–LaGuardia. According to Will Smith, General Manager of Envoy, further American expansion at CVG is planned.^[44]

Facilities

Interior view of the atrium

The People Mover at CVG, which connects Terminal 3 to Concourse A and B

The airport's terminal/remote-concourse configuration, combined with simultaneous triple landing/takeoff capabilities, makes CVG a particularly efficient airport for flight operations. The numerous runways can officially handle all aircraft up to the 747-8F, which sees daily service by cargo carriers. The runways have also handled the occasional A380, and after runway 9-27 and 18R-36L are widened to 200 ft., could be regularly used by any cargo carriers. CVG is a hub of Delta Air Lines, and was the central hub of Delta's wholly owned subsidiary airline, Comair, which provided regional jet service under the Delta Connection banner. As such, the airport serves a role in Delta's Midwest hub-and-spoke system, and is also a preferred diversion point for Detroit bound aircraft due to connection options. In recent years, Delta Air Lines has considerably pared the number of flights out of the Cincinnati hub and in August 2008 announced it would be moving all of its Comair flights to Concourses A and B and closed all operations in Concourse C in January 2009.^[45] In February 2010, Delta announced it would close Concourse A in May and further consolidate operations in the remaining concourse. Terminal 1 was the original terminal and was built in 1960 and renovated in 1974.^[46] Designed by Heery & Heery, Terminals 2 and 3 were built in 1974 when additional expansion necessitated more gates.^[47] Terminal 3 was expanded specifically for Delta in 1987 and has three remote concourses.^[46] Concourses B and C were completed in December 1994 as part of a $500 million expansion designed by Thompson, Hancock, Witte & Associates.^[46][48] Concourses A and B are connected to the main terminal by an underground train system. Concourse C was reachable only by shuttle bus. Concourse B is served by Delta and its regional affiliates. Terminal 3 houses one of two US Customs and Border Protection facilities, located in Concourse B, with the other in DHL's cargo complex. All international arrivals except, U.S. border preclearance are processed in the Mezzanine Level of Concourse B.

In May 2012, Terminal 2 was officially closed and all non-Delta operations were consolidated in a newly renovated Concourse A. The renovation was in response to civic and business leader's concerns about the loss of flights to and from the airport.^[49] Terminal 2 will be demolished along with Terminal 1 in 2016.

In October 2015, Terminal 1 was officially closed as Ultimate Air Shuttle vacated the building and the airport administrative offices were moved to the old Comair headquarters. Terminal 1 had originally closed in 2007, but re-opened in 2013 to serve Ultimate Air Shuttle. Terminal 1 was torn down in March 2016 and Terminal 2 was torn down in April 2016 in order to make room for a consolidated rental car facility and larger Concourse A.

The airport currently operates four paved runways:

• Runway 9/27: 12,000 ft × 150 ft (3,658 m × 46 m), Asphalt/Concrete
• Runway 18C/36C: 11,000 ft × 150 ft (3,353 m × 46 m), Surface: Asphalt/Concrete
• Runway 18L/36R: 10,000 ft × 150 ft (3,048 m × 46 m), Surface: Concrete
• Runway 18R/36L: 8,000 ft × 150 ft (2,438 m × 46 m), Surface: Concrete

Main Terminal (Terminal 3)

Inside Concourse A at CVG in the American Airlines gates

Short end of Concourse B

Long end of Concourse B with many Delta planes

View of Concourse C and Delta Connection Planes

The original Terminal 3 was very similar to Terminal 2, and featured the same spike-like design. Before the expansion adding more concourses, this terminal was referred to as Terminal C and renamed Terminal D with the construction of present-day Concourse A. As the number of flights increased and Delta needed more gates, the terminal was added onto to make Concourse B and C were later built and the terminals connected by an underground tunnel. This terminal is currently the main terminal for most flights, and houses all airlines except Ultimate Air Shuttle.

Security checkpoint/baggage claim

The main terminal security checkpoint is on the ticketing level. This new, expandable checkpoint opened in November 2009. After clearing security, passengers can take escalators or elevators down to the Cincinnati Airport People Mover that departs to all gates. Arriving passengers exit the terminal by elevator or escalator up to the baggage claim level and all ground transportation on ground level.

Concourse A

Concourse A originally was an extension of Terminal C, named Terminal D, built when Delta Air Lines made Cincinnati its second largest hub. The concourse served all Delta Connection carriers except Comair and other short range mainline flights. In 2010, Delta Air Lines closed the concourse and it underwent an extensive renovation before re-opening on May 15, 2012. Currently Air Canada Express, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Apple Vacations, Bahamasair, Frontier Airlines, and United Airlines use Concourse A, most of which formerly used Terminal 2, which is now closed. As such, ticketing, security screening and baggage claim for all airlines now take place in the newly renamed Main Terminal (Terminal 3). Recently, three additional gates have been activated at the end of the concourse due to the expansion of Allegiant and Frontier.^[50]

Concourse B

Concourse B is, like all concourses of Terminal 3, designed and originally purposed for Delta and its affiliates, including Cincinnati based Delta subsidiary, Comair. The concourse houses the Delta Sky Club and most of the concessions located at the airport due to the many connecting passengers. Concourse B is an island and is only reachable by an underground moving walkway or people mover. The concourse now houses all Delta and Delta Connection flights with a total of 39 gates along with some seasonal charters that fly internationally. Currently Delta Air Lines and Vacation Express use the concourse, as well as all international arrivals without preclearance. Also, U.S. Customs and Border Protection are contained in Concourse B, and exit into the tunnel, letting passengers continue to baggage claim, or to another connecting flight. Due to recent reductions in flights throughout 2015, lowering the amount of needed gates, Delta Air Lines has eliminated all regional jet gates. These walkout gates were replaced with full jetways, allowing larger aircraft to use the bigger gates, which also allowed Vacation Express to move operations into Concourse B. Due to the large size of the councourse, it has moving walkways running down the entire length of the concourse and a central food court on the imdetiate exit from the tunnel to Terminal 3.^[51]

Concourse C

Concourse C opened in September 1994^[52] in order to serve all Comair flights and closed in 2009 due to Delta Air Lines cutting flights from the hub. Concourse C is an island and was only accessible by passengers from other terminals and ticketing facilities via buses. When it was built in 1994, it was the first dedicated regional jet concourse, and remains the largest in the world with a total of 53 gates. It was expanded twice to increase gate capacity to the south in 1997, and again in 2001 to the north.^[53] The concourse has a unique "x" shape and passengers waited in the center, filled with seats and shops, then proceed down 4 branching hallways to their plane. Delta has a lease on the concourse until 2025, and is currently open for other carriers if they wanted the space, but most likely will never be reactivated. Currently, the terminal is used to train detection dogs and other airport security positions for other airports. On March 2, 2016, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that an agreement had been struck between Delta and CVG to terminate the lease of Concourse C, as Delta had already paid for the construction value of the concourse, and was only paying for renting out the closed gates. Demolition of the concourse is slated to begin in August 2016 and could take up to a year to finish.^[54]

Concourse D

Concourse D, which would have been an island concourse connecting to Terminal 3, was in the planning stages before Delta's bankruptcy, in order to deal with an increasing number of flights, however, due to a decrease in air travel, was never built. It would have been located northwest from Terminal 1 and have about 60-70 gates and would have served all Delta Connection flights including Comair. Then all non-Delta carriers would use Concourse A and all Delta mainline flights would be located in Concourse B, which was to be expanded into the closed Concourse C.^[55]

2025 Master Plan, Outlines Terminal D Plan

Former Terminals

International Terminal

The original international terminal at CVG was located west of Terminal 1, in the present day cell phone parking lot. The terminal served both Delta Air Lines and various charter airlines from the 1970s until 1984 when Delta Air Lines moved its operations to Terminal D, and closed in 1994 when charter airlines were moved to the newly constructed Concourse B. The Terminal only had one gate, named Gate 1.^[56]

Comair Terminal

The original location of all Comair flights was on the apron west of Terminal B with passengers boarding aircraft directly from the tarmac. The aircraft hardstands were aligned diagonally, with buses shuttling passengers to Terminal D, where all Delta Air Lines flights were located. The terminal closed in 1994, when all Comair fligthts were moved to Concourse C. The apron where the planes were parked is still intact, but all passenger facilities have been removed.^[57]

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 as seen from Terminal 2. In the foreground is an American Eagle Embraer E-135

Terminal 1 was in the location of the original terminal and served non-Delta flights mainly consisting of US Airways flights. Before the expansion adding more concourses, this terminal was referred to as Terminal A with a regional corridor added for regional jets in the 1960s. When Terminal D was built in 1974, the building was renamed Terminal B, and its name was changed again to Terminal 1 with the construction of Concourse B and C. The check-in and security area of Terminal 1 is very compact, and mostly served US Airways. The baggage claim was part of the check-in area, and provided access to Terminal 1 and 3 through a corridor.^[58] Terminal 1 has 9 gates, which were numbered 1-9, and served the multiple US Airways flights, but remained very empty throughout the day. The Terminal originally had multiple concessions, but after the reduction in flights, most of the vendors left or relocated to other terminals. Through the years, the terminal also was used by Skyway Airlines, Midwest Express, and Northwest Airlines. The terminal was closed in 2007 due to its outdated design and limited gate space. The front part of the terminal was renovated in 2013 and started serving Ultimate Air Shuttle on September 9 of that year. However the majority of the concourse still was left abandoned on October 19, 2015 whenUltimate Air Shuttle relocated to the Delta Jet Center, closing Terminal 1 until its demolition.^[59] Terminal 1 was demolished in March 2016 in order to make room for a new consolidated rental car facility.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 was an expansion to Terminal 1 to allow for the increasing number of flights and served American Airlines and United Airlines. Before the expansion adding more concourses, this terminal was referred to as Terminal B. In 1974, with the construction of Terminal D, it was renamed Terminal C, and later Terminal 2 following the construction of Concourse B and C. It was built at the same time as Terminal 3 and they both shared similar designs. The check-in and security areas of Terminal 2 are located in the front of there terminal, and allow movement to Terminal 1 and 3 by use of a corridor. The baggage claim is located in a separate building across the street, immediately adjacent to the P2 parking garage, which provided short-term parking for the terminal. The actual terminal are consisted of eight gates, numbered 1-8, and originally served most airlines not US Airways or Delta. After the closure of Terminal 1, added US Airways, and ceased operations after the remodel of Concourse A. The Terminal only had two food vendors, and lacked any sort of larger restaurant due to its outdated design and layout. The Terminal was frequently viewed as outdated and in 2012, the airport finally decided to shut it down and move the remaining airlines into Terminal 3. The terminal was removed in April 2016 to make way for a larger Concourse A and rental car facility.^[60]

Master Plan and expansion

The 2035 Master Plan, This is an Overview Map of Planned Changes

In 2013, the CVG 2035 Master Plan was released, and outlines the future of CVG, which predicts that Delta will keep about 50-70 daily departures, low-cost carriers will increase dramatically, and passenger service will steadily increase with charter airlines such as Ultimate Air Shuttle. Also, the plan is designed to accommodate an increase in cargo traffic from DHL as it continues to expand, in addition to new businesses and other companies on the airport grounds.^[61]

Terminal area

Terminal Area of Master Plan Layout

The master plans outlines a gradual transition of facilities, transferring from a Delta hub, to multiple carrier airport with high local passenger use. All gates in Concourse A will be reopened by summer of 2016, including A20-22, while regional gates A1-3 will remain closed due to the lack of space. In the plan, Concourse C will be torn down by 2020 to construct an overnight parking and deicing area, while a new consolidated rental car facility and parking garage will be constructed by 2021 to deal with an influx of local passengers. A new west wing of Concourse A will be constructed soon thereafter, and based on current demand growth, Concourse B will be extensively renovated and kept due to need of gates. However it will be removed if Delta Air Lines significantly reduces its operations at CVG. Most of this construction would be completed by 2025, and would be financed by the airport.^[62]

Cargo areas

The master plan includes an expansion to the DHL facility, with space for up to 16 additional aircraft hardstands spread over 50 acres, as well as an expansion to the warehouse. While upgrading their facilities, DHL will be adding additional equipment to increase sorting capacity. A multicarrier cargo facility is currently being constructed at the old DHL Cargo Area, north of Terminal 1, to be used by FedEx but the airport hopes to gain more international carriers. Also, the Airline Surveillance Radar (ASR) will be moved west of the airport to accomadate DHL expansion.^[62] The work on DHL's $108 million expansion began in the fall of 2015 and be completed during 2016.^[63]

Runways and taxiways

The plan call for the addition of parallel taxiways on runway 9-27, and 18C-36C, in addition to a widening of runway 09-27 and 18L-36R to accommodate larger aircraft from DHL including the 747-800F currently in daily use and A380 if DHL ever decides to operate the aircraft. Numerous other taxiways will be widened for access to the DHL complex. In the far future, plans for another East to West Runway are included for nightime DHL landings, but would only be needed if more expansion occurred.^[64] As of April 2016, widening of taxiways surrounding the cargo and private hangars area, south of runway 09-27, has been finished.^[65]

Airlines and destinations

Delta Air Lines operates a nonstop flight from CVG to Paris using a Boeing 767-300. The route is the only nonstop transatlantic passenger flight to Europe from Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.

Current domestic routes from CVG.

Scheduled

Current international routes from CVG.

Airlines	Destinations	Concourse
Air Canada Express	Toronto–Pearson	A
Allegiant Air	Austin, Baltimore, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Orlando/Sanford, Phoenix/Mesa, Punta Gorda/Fort Myers, Savannah, St. Petersburg/Clearwater Seasonal: Fort Walton Beach (begins May 20, 2016),[66] Myrtle Beach	A
Apple Vacations operated by Allegiant Air	Seasonal Charter: Montego Bay (begins May 21, 2016)[67]	A^1
Apple Vacations operated by Swift Air	Seasonal Charter: Punta Cana	A^1
Apple Vacations operated by Volaris	Charter: Cancún	A^1
Apple Vacations operated by Xtra Airways	Charter: Punta Cana	A^1
American Eagle	Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Washington–National	A
Bahamasair	Seasonal Charter: Freeport	A^1
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando–International, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Tampa Seasonal: Cancún, Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–LaGuardia, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Punta Cana, Seattle/Tacoma	B
Delta Connection	Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Fayetteville/Bentonville, Fort Lauderdale, Hartford, Houston–Intercontinental, Kansas City, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia, Newark, Philadelphia, Raleigh/Durham, St. Louis, Toronto–Pearson, Washington–National Seasonal: Fort Myers, Orlando–International, Tampa	B
Frontier Airlines	Denver, Fort Myers, Houston–Intercontinental, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando–International, Philadelphia (begins May 13, 2016),[68] Phoenix–Sky Harbor, San Francisco Seasonal: Atlanta, Cancún, Dallas/Fort Worth, Punta Cana	A^1
Ultimate Air Shuttle	Chicago–Midway (ends May 31, 2016), Morristown (NJ) (ends May 31, 2016)	FBO
United Express	Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark, Washington–Dulles	A
Vacation Express operated by Sunwing Airlines	Charter: Cancún, Punta Cana Seasonal Charter: Freeport, Montego Bay	B
Vacation Express operated by Xtra Airways	Seasonal Charter: Montego Bay, Punta Cana	B

^1 All international arrivals are processed at Concourse B.

Cargo carriers and destinations

A DHL Boeing 767-200 at CVG

A 747-8F lines up on Runway 27 at CVG as a 747-400F lands on 18C

DHL Hub

In 1984, DHL opened its CVG hub and began operations throughout the U.S. and world. However, in 2004, DHL decided to move its hub to Wilmington, OH in order to compete in the United States shipment business. The plan ended up failing, and moved back to CVG in 2009 to resume its original operations. CVG now serves as one of DHL's three global hubs with over 80 flights each day to destinations across North America, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific. DHL has recently completed a $105 million expansion and employs approximately 2,500 at CVG. Because of this growth, CVG now stands as the 6th busiest airport in North America based on cargo tonnage and 34th in the world.^[69] On May 28, 2015 DHL announced a $108 million expansion to their current facility, which will double the current cargo operations. The money will be used to double the gate capacity for transferring cargo, an expansion to the sorting facility, and various technical improvements, which is all scheduled to be complete by 2016. In addition, this will provide many more jobs for the Cincinnati area, and will dramatically increase the airports operations.^[70]

Other carriers

Besides DHL's very large operation, there is not a large amount of other cargo traffic at the airport. FedEx recently moved to a new facility north of the passenger area and has recently expanded operations by adding service to Los Angles and Louisville. Delta Cargo, United Cargo, and American Cargo also have operations at the airport and have areas at their dedicated passenger gates.^[71]

Cargo carrier destinations

CVG Cargo Continental U.S. Routes

CVG Cargo International Routes (Includes Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico)

Airlines	Destinations	Cargo Complex
AirNet Express	Columbus–Rickenbacker	North
Castle Aviation	Akron/Canton, Hamilton	DHL
DHL Aviation operated by ABX Air	Atlanta, Baltimore, Calgary, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, El Paso, Greensboro, Guadalajara, Harlingen, Harrisburg, Houston–Intercontinental, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Milwaukee, Monterrey, Newark, New York–JFK, Orlando–International, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San Juan, Seattle–Boeing, Seattle/Tacoma, Vancouver, Wilmington (OH) Seasonal: Hartford	DHL
DHL Aviation operated by Air Transport International	Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Denver, Detroit, El Paso, Memphis, Nashville, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City	DHL
DHL Aviation operated by Atlas Air	Anchorage, Atlanta, Bahrain, Brussels, Cedar Rapids, Charleston (SC), Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Detroit, Frankfurt, Frankfurt–Hahn, Hamilton, Harlingen, Harrisburg, Hartford, Hong Kong, Houston–Intercontinental, Kansas City, Leipzig/Halle, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nagoya–Centrair, Nashville, New York–JFK, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Quito, Rome (NY), San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle–Boeing, Tokyo–Narita, Vancouver Seasonal: Grottaglie, McConnell AFB, Paine Field	DHL
DHL Aviation operated by Cargojet Airways	Calgary, Montréal–Mirabel	DHL
DHL Aviation operated by DHL Air UK	Brussels, Chicago–O'Hare, East Midlands (UK), Leipzig/Halle, New York–JFK, Paris–Charles de Gaulle	DHL
DHL Aviation operated by Kalitta Air	Anchorage, Austin, Bahrain, Brussels, East Midlands, Hong Kong, Leipzig/Halle, Liège, Nagoya–Centrair, Seoul–Incheon Seasonal: Detroit–Ypsilanti, Kuwait City, Seattle/Tacoma	DHL
DHL Aviation operated by Southern Air	Anchorage, Austin, Bahrain, Calgary, Charlotte, Denver, Harlingen, Hartford, Hong Kong, New York–JFK, Leipzig/Halle, Orlando–International, Philadelphia, Reno, Rochester, Salt Lake City, Seoul–Incheon, St. Louis, Tucson	DHL
DHL Aviation operated by Polar Air Cargo	Atlanta, Anchorage, Bahrain, Brussels, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Leipzig/Halle, Los Angeles, Miami, Nagoya–Centrair, Seoul–Incheon, Singapore, Tokyo–Narita	DHL
DHL Express operated by Air Cargo Carriers	Harrisburg, Richmond Seasonal: Louisville	DHL
DHL Express operated by Ameriflight	Albany, Bedford, Boston, Buffalo, Cedar Rapids, Cleveland–Cuyahoga, Dallas/Fort Worth, Jacksonville, Lansing, Lexington, Louisville, Morristown (NJ), Richmond (VA), Salt Lake City, Smyrna, Springfield, St. Louis–Spirit, Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Seasonal: Dayton, Philadelphia–Northeast, Richmond (OH)	DHL
DHL Express operated by Castle Aviation	Akron/Canton, Asheville, Columbia (SC), Columbus–Rickenbacker, Hamilton, St. Louis–Spirit	DHL
DHL Express operated by Suburban Air Freight	Albany, Cedar Rapids, Charlotte, Omaha, Richmond (VA)	DHL
FedEx Express	Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Washington–National	North

Commercial charters and private aircraft

CVG, dominated by cargo and commercial flights, has a very minimal, but still existing amount of private aircraft movements. Most businesses and local pilots choose Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport over CVG due to its location and convenience. However, charters have grown rapidly in the past 5 years and has grew to over 50,000 passengers per year. The airport is the hub and headquarters for Delta Private Jets, and is also a hub for Ultimate Air Shuttle, which is headquartered at nearby Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport.

Ultimate Air Shuttle

Ultimate Air Shuttle is a charter passenger airline which operates flights from CVG to New York and Chicago. Also, Ultimate Air Shuttle services Charlotte and Cleveland from nearby Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport, which can be accessed by a free shuttle. In addition, connection flights from New York can be taken to two leisure destinations including Nantucket Memorial Airport and Martha's Vineyard Airport. Ultimate Air announced last year they had planned to add service to Memphis from CVG, sometime in March 2015, and again confirmed in 2015 that it was looking into Atlanta, Memphis, and Nashville as possible future destinations.^[72] The airline is advertised for business use, but many local travelers are starting to use it due to its convenience, as it avoids TSA Security Checks, and the ability to arrive 15 minutes before flight.^[73]

Delta Private Jets

Delta Private Jets is a private aircraft service, which is at aimed at businesses needing service to destinations on a private aircraft, or that the airport does not supply on a regular basis. This service serves the many business of Cincinnati, including many Fortune 500. Delta Private Jet is also available to Elite SkyMile members for an upgrade purchase price of $300–800 on select routes from Delta's Cincinnati, Atlanta, and New York hubs. In addition, this service allows travelers to avoid flying hassles such as security.^[74] Delta Private Jets is currently located at 82 Comair Boulevard building, which was previously was the Comair headquarters and had the name Comair General Office Building.^[75][76]

Statistics

Comair CRJ-200 at Concourse C

Delta DC-9-50 taxiing, with FedEx Cargo operation in the background

Middle of Concourse B

American Eagle ERJ-145 at gate A9 with United Express at A13 in distance at Concourse A

Empty Concourse C from the side with Concourse B in background

Intersection of runway 18C-36C and 09-27

Landing runway 18C with 18R in background

Overall statistics

Year	Total Passengers	% Change	Aircraft Movements	% Change
1992[77]	11,545,682		305,544
1993[77]	12,213,874	5.79%	312,204	2.18%
1994[77]	13,593,522	11.30%	339,839	8.85%
1995[77]	15,181,728	11.68%	365,114	7.44%
1996[77]	18,795,766	23.81%	401,367	9.93%
1997[77]	19,866,308	5.70%	417,391	3.99%
1998[77]	21,124,216	6.33%	442,276	5.96%
1999[77]	21,753,512	2.98%	476,128	7.65%
2000[77]	22,406,384	3.00%	461,454	3.08%
2001[78]	17,270,475	22.92%	387,462	16.03%
2002[78]	20,812,642	20.51%	486,501	25.56%
2003[79]	21,197,447	1.8%	505,557	3.9%
2004[80]	22,062,557	4.1%	517,520	2.4%
2005[81]	22,778,785	3.2%	496,366	4.1%
2006[82]	16,244,962	28.7%	345,754	30.3%
2007[83]	15,736,220	3.1%	328,059	5.1%
2008[84]	13,630,443	13.4%	285,484	13.0%
2009[85]	10,621,655	22.1%	222,677	22.0%
2010[86]	7,977,588	24.9%	177,597	20.2%
2011[87]	7,034,263	11.8%	161,912	8.8%
2012[88]	6,038,817	14.2%	143,447	11.4%
2013[89]	5,718,255	5.31%	137,671	4.03%
2014[90]	5,908,711	3.33%	133,518	3.02%
2015[91]	6,316,332	6.90%	133,068	0.34%
2016[92]	1,448,781 (YTD)	8.36%	32,391 (YTD)	4.72%

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from CVG (Feb 2015 – Jan 2016)^[93]

Rank	City	Passengers	Carriers
1	Atlanta, Georgia	332,000	Delta, Frontier
2	Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois	269,000	American, Delta, United
3	Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas	178,000	American, Delta, Frontier
4	Charlotte, North Carolina	169,000	American, Delta
5	Orlando, Florida^1	126,000	Delta, Frontier
6	Las Vegas, Nevada	116,000	Allegiant, Delta, Frontier
7	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	108,000	American, Delta
8	Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota	105,000	Delta
9	Denver, Colorado	100,000	Delta, Frontier, United
10	Detroit, Michigan	99,000	Delta

^1 Allegiant Air serves Orlando (SFB) with 53,000 additional passengers a year, not included in this total.

Busiest international routes from CVG (Jan. 2014 – Dec. 2014 )^[94]

Rank	Airport	Passengers	Carriers
1	Paris, France (Charles de Gaulle)	108,776	Delta
2	Toronto, Canada (Pearson)	65,048	Air Canada, Delta
3	Cancún, Mexico	26,873	Delta, Frontier, Sunwing
4	Punta Cana, Dominican Republic	23,058	Delta, Frontier, Sunwing
5	Freeport, Bahamas	4,867	Bahamasair, Sunwing
6	Montego Bay, Jamaica	3,484	Sunwing, Xtra

Airline market share

Largest Airlines at CVG
(March 2016)^[95]

Rank	Carrier	Percentage
1	Delta Air Lines	55.6%
2	American Airlines	18.3%
3	United Airlines	10.3%
4	Allegiant Air	8.7%
5	Frontier Airlines	5.1%
6	Air Canada	1.4%
7	Ultimate Air Shuttle	0.5%

Airport buildings and facilities

Office buildings

Delta Private Jets is headquartered on the grounds of the airport.^[74] The 82 Comair Boulevard building, which houses the Delta Private Jets headquarters, previously was the Comair headquarters and had the name Comair General Office Building.^[96]

77 Comair Boulevard, former headquarters of Comair

77 Comair Boulevard formerly served as the corporate headquarters of Comair.^[97] The building, with 187,000 square feet (17,400 m²) of space,^[98] is on South Airfield Road. In 2010, after the airline began downsizing, it considered leaving the building and moving to another location near the airport. A spokesperson did not disclose how much office space the airline occupied; she said it was planning to reduce its space by 20 to 25 percent.^[99] In 2011 Delta Air Lines, parent company of Comair, suggested that Delta could help assist the airport in obtaining a Transportation Security Administration training center, with it being located in 77 Comair Boulevard.^[100] In early 2011, Comair vacated the building.^[98] In 2012 the Kenton County Airport Board (KCAB) approved a five-year lease, with two five-year options, for Southern Air for about 33,100 square feet (3,080 m²) of space in 77 Comair Boulevard. For the first period, the rent would be $9.95 per square foot. This would increase to $12 per square foot for the second period and $15 per square foot for the third period. The airport plans to spend $500,000 in capital improvements on 77 Comair Boulevard.^[97] After Terminal 1 is demolished in December 2015, the KCAB will relocate their offices into the building.

Maintenance bases

Endeavor Air maintenance hangars

The airport is home to many maintenance bases due to the substantial operations of several carriers at the airport. Delta Air Lines has hangar and line maintenance facility for its primary maintenance, repair and overhaul arm, Delta TechOps.^[101] Also, Allegiant Air will have a crew and maintenance base located at CVG by January 2016. On August 5, 2015, PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Eagle, announced plans to build a maintenance base at CVG due to the growing demand at CVG.^[102]

Ground transportation

TANK provides bus service from the airport to Downtown Cincinnati via Route 2X. Car rental services are provided by Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National and Thrifty. The airport has three Short Term Parking Garages, 1-3, which were originally used for each terminal respectively. Garage 1 is now used for complementary parking for passengers on Ultimate Air Shuttle, while Garage 2 and 3 are used for all other passengers in the Main Terminal (Terminal 3). The Short Term Parking areas are designated by fruit names: Level 1- Orange, Level 2- Lemon, Level 3- Lime, Level 4- Cherry, and Level 5- Grape. Long Term Parking is remote from the terminal, so passengers must use a shuttle bus between the terminals and Long Term Parking lot.

Other

Pricing

Delta B767-300ER Landing at CVG

Until 2015, CVG consistently ranked among the most expensive major airports in the United States.^[103] Delta operated over 75% of flights at CVG, a fact often cited as a reason for relatively high domestic ticket prices.^[104] Airline officials have suggested that Delta practices predatory pricing to drive away discount airlines.^[103][105] From 1990 to 2003, ten discount airlines began service at CVG, only to later pull out,^[106] including Vanguard Airlines, which pulled out of CVG twice.^[107] Delta maintains that its pricing is reasonable, considering the increased connectivity and non-stop flights that a hub airport offers a market the size of Cincinnati.^[106]

In 2003, a study commissioned by CVG found that 18% of Cincinnati-area residents use one of five nearby airports – Dayton, Louisville, Port Columbus, Indianapolis, or Blue Grass (Lexington) – instead of CVG because passengers can find fares up to 50% lower at these nearby airports.^[106] However, due to Delta downsizing its hub operations and Allegiant and Frontier increasing flights, many more residents are choosing CVG, and have helped sustain low cost carriers at CVG for the first time.^[108]

In the 4th Quarter of 2014, CVG dropped from being the most expensive airport at $514 to $485, making the airport now the third highest. This is the lowest the airport has been since 2011, and is a result of Allegiant and Frontier increasing flights, along with Delta trying to attract local customers rather than connect passengers. CVG had the 5th largest drop in airfare prices in the country, and with more expansion of LCCs at the airport, will likely drop even more.^[109]

In June 2015, CheapFligths.com released their list of the cheapest U.S. airports based on average price to the 101 most popular destinations in the U.S., and ranked CVG as number one, with an average price of $199. CVG was ranked 77th last year, and the dramatic change is due to Frontier and Allegiant rapidly increasing flights.^[110]

In the 2nd Quarter of 2015, CVG dropped from an average price of $528 to $436, putting CVG at number 20 of the 100 busiest airports in the U.S. This is due mostly to expansion by Allegiant Air along with increased competition between Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. This quarter ended a 5-year streak of placing in the top 3 highest priced airports in the country. Although Frontier has recently expanded, they had just reduced their schedule during the second quarter, so CVG is expected to drop down even more once Frontier's new routes begin.^[111]

Industrial murals

CUT Ink Making Mural at CVG

The airport is home to 14 large Art Deco murals created for the train concourse building at Cincinnati Union Terminal during the station's construction in 1932. Mosaic murals depicting people at work in local Cincinnati workplaces were incorporated into the interior design of the railroad station by Winold Reiss, a German-born artist with a reputation in interior design.

When the train concourse building was designated for demolition in 1972, a "Save the Terminal Committee" raised funds to remove and transport the 14 murals in the concourse to new locations in the Airport. They were placed in Terminal 1, as well as Terminals 2 and 3, which were then being constructed as part of a major airport expansion and renovation.

The murals were also featured in a scene in the film Rain Man starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. In addition, a walkway to one of the terminals at CVG was featured in the scene in the film when Hoffman's character, Raymond, refused to fly on a plane.

On May 19, 2015, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the 9 murals located in the old Terminals 1 & 2 will be relocated to the Duke Energy Convention Center in downtown Cincinnati.^[112]

Accidents and incidents

• On January 12, 1955, 1955 Cincinnati mid-air collision, a Martin 2-0-2 was in the take off phase of departure from the airport when it collided with a privately owned Castleton Farm's DC-3. The mid-air collision killed 13 people on the commercial airliner and 2 on the privately owned planes.
• On November 14, 1961, Zantop cargo flight, a DC-4, crashed near runway 18 into an apple orchard. The crew survived.
• On November 8, 1965, American Airlines Flight 383, a Boeing 727, crashed on approach to runway 18, killing 58 (53 passengers and 5 crew) of the 62 (56 passengers and 6 crew) on board.
• On November 6, 1967, TWA Flight 159, a Boeing 707, overran the runway during an aborted takeoff, injuring 11 of the 29 passengers. One of the injured passengers died four days later. The seven crew members were unhurt.
• On November 20, 1967, TWA Flight 128, a Convair 880, crashed on approach to runway 18, killing 70 (65 passengers and 5 crew) of the 82 persons aboard (75 passengers and 7 crew).
• On October 8, 1979, Comair Flight 444, a Piper Navajo, crashed shortly after takeoff. Seven passengers and the pilot were killed.
• On October 19, 1979, Burlington Airways, a Twin Beech twin prop crashed landed on KY 237 @ I-275 bridge overpass. Tail # N24K. No one was injured.^[113]
• On June 2, 1983, Air Canada Flight 797, a DC-9 flying on Dallas-Toronto-Montreal route, made an emergency landing at Cincinnati due to a cabin fire. Twenty-three of the 41 passengers died of smoke inhalation or fire injuries, including legendary Canadian folk singer Stan Rogers. All five crew members survived.
• On August 13, 2004, Air Tahoma Flight 185, a Convair 580, was en route to Cincinnati from Memphis, Tennessee, carrying freight under contract for DHL Worldwide Express. The aircraft crashed on a golf course just south of the Cincinnati airport due to fuel starvation and dual engine failure, killing the first officer and injuring the captain.

See also

• Ohio World War II Army Airfields
• Kentucky World War II Army Airfields
• Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport
• Cincinnati–Blue Ash Airport

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

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External links

• Historical Images of Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Airport
• History of the Industrial Murals
• Mural images and location map
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective April 28, 2016
• FAA Terminal Procedures for CVG, effective April 28, 2016
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KCVG
  • ASN accident history for CVG
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KCVG
  • FAA current CVG delay information