The latest comes from Crain's CLeveland Business:
Landing fees at Hopkins up in the air
By DAVID BENNETT
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport's 7,000-foot runway that opened for business last week is seen as critical to improving air service in Northeast Ohio. But observers say Hopkins' high landing fees for airlines may negate some of the promise the runway holds for increasing the number of flights at the airport.
Hopkins officials are negotiating with air service providers to set the landing fee rate that all air carriers will pay next year. The fee, which is the amount an airline pays per 1,000 pounds of landing weight at the airport, was $3.10 at Hopkins in 2002, according to Hopkins spokeswoman Pat Smith. That figure is significantly higher than many competing airports, including Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky International Airport, Pittsburgh International Airport and Port Columbus International Airport, where the rates are 98 cents, $1.28 and $2.51, respectively.
Observers say high landing fees likely will continue to be an obstacle to bolstering air service at the Cleveland airport - especially if Hopkins follows the route of some other major airports in raising landing fees in an attempt to recoup other revenue lost following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Cleveland City Councilman Michael Dolan, former chair of council's Aviation and Transportation Committee, said even if landing fees decrease for carriers at Hopkins in 2003, a sizable gap will remain between Hopkins and other competing airports.
If they go down, they will go down very little, Mr. Dolan said.
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The current $3.10 was increased from $2.93 in 1999/2000. My recollection was that the rate was to decline when the runway was finished. It sounds as if Mr. Dolan has forgotten that part.