US carrier Frontier Airlines is to introduce a four times weekly link to Cleveland from its Denver International Airport base early next year, but capacity reallocation means a number of its existing routes will be dropped. Frontier will introduce the Denver – Cleveland service on January 9, 2013 adding to the existing flights from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to Cancun, Mexico, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in partnership with Apple Vacations.
“We’ve seen incredible demand for low-fare, high-value nonstop service to Denver throughout the northeast Ohio region,” said Daniel Shurz, Senior Vice President, Commercial, Frontier Airlines. The airline first started flights into Cleveland in February this year and from the start of 2013 will consolidate all northeastern Ohio operations at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
The arrival of Frontier Airlines will put pressure on United Airlines which currently serves the Denver – Cleveland route through mainline flying and its regional partners, including ExpressJet Airlines and SkyWest Airlines. The airline for many years held a duopoly on the route with Continental Airlines, but since earlier this year has been the sole operator after the Continental brand was absorbed into United.
In the table below we look at estimated O&D demand on the route and how it has hardly fluctuated during the past four years since a notable decline in 2008.
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ESTIMATED O&D AIR TRAFFIC BETWEEN CLEVELAND AND DENVER (bi-directional O&D passengers) |
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|
Year |
Estimated O&D passengers |
% Change on previous Year |
|
2007 |
132,464 |
8.7 % |
|
2008 |
106,295 |
(-19.8) % |
|
2009 |
110,456 |
3.9 % |
|
2010 |
112,385 |
1.7 % |
|
2011 |
111,328 |
(-0.9) % |
At the same time as it expands at Cleveland, Frontier Airlines will cut four other routes from its Denver base, ending services to Akron/Canton, Louisville, Philadelphia and Sacramento. Frontier started serving the Denver – Akron/Canton route in June 2005 and currently competes with Southwest Airlines; it introduced Denver – Philadelphia to its network in May 2004 and shares the route with Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways; it launched the Denver – Louisville route in October 2007 and currently operates alongside United Airlines (through regional partners ExpressJet Airlines and Shuttle America; while Denver – Sacramento links began in February 2002 and the route will continue to be served by SkyWest Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines following Frontier’s departure.
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