Cleveland Hopkins expecting summer travel surge after busy Memorial Day weekend

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - With one of the busiest travel weekends of the year in the rear-view mirror, officials at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport are bracing for a steady summer season.

According to AAA, nearly 3.4 million Americans were planning a flight over Memorial Day weekend.

But this is likely just the beginning.

In a news release last week, Cleveland airport officials said they were “anticipating this summer travel season to be one of the busiest travel periods, post-pandemic.”

According to airport records, passenger traffic is at 97% of what it was in 2019 and it’s estimated more than 3.2 million people will travel to and from Hopkins during the summer months.

That’s about 500,000 more people over the same timeframe last year.

While those numbers signify a strong rebound for the airline industry, customers are paying the price.

“We’re seeing high demand in travel and with that we’re seeing high prices,” NerdWallet travel expert Sally French told CBS News. “People should expect to pay more for their travel than they have even in the past couple years.”

In the same CBS News report, citing NerdWallet, airfare went up 2.7% from March to April, but is down from the same period last year. However, overall costs have risen about 10% since before the pandemic.

There’s no sign of a slowdown either across the country or in Cleveland.

Aer Lingus just launched its new non-stop route from Hopkins to Dublin, Ireland.

Even the budget airlines are expanding, which could potentially signal financial relief for travelers still hoping to get away.

In March, Frontier Airlines announced a massive Cleveland expansion. The airline already previously added a direct route to Puerto Rico, with San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Diego and Charlotte on the way.

In all, Frontier will have 17 nonstop destinations in their services from Cleveland, the most of any airline out of Hopkins.

“Cleveland-area consumers now have even more affordable options to visit some of the most popular travel destinations in America,” said Daniel Shurz, senior vice president of commercial, Frontier Airlines. “We’re thrilled this substantial growth at CLE means even more ‘Low Fares Done Right’ for those in northeast Ohio.”

As part of their “100 Days of Summer,” Cleveland Hopkins International Airport released some tips for travelers, available by clicking here.

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