Hopkins Can Soar Again Litigators Traffic Is Down 17% Since United Departure, but Rebound ‘Takes Time’ Are Uniting by JAY MILLER Communications Executive
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20150202-NEWS--1-NAT-CCI-CL_-- 1/30/2015 3:48 PM Page 1 $2.00/FEBRUARY 2 - 8, 2015 Longtime Shaker Heights shopping center is getting a drastic transformation in $70M project — P. 4 The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission’s 79-member board has a new leader, same mission — P. 5 Hopkins can soar again Litigators Traffic is down 17% since United departure, but rebound ‘takes time’ are uniting By JAY MILLER communications executive. “But it takes [email protected] time.” Cleveland may be recovering from its Air service from Cleveland Hopkins In- “de-hubbing” faster than some other to dispute ternational Airport hasn’t returned to the cities, said one air service consultant. level it was a year ago, before United Air- “Cleveland’s done a really good trans- lines closed its hub in Cleveland. formation from a hub downsizing to at- Between November 2013 and Novem- tracting a lot of low-cost carriers into the ber 2014, passenger traffic through market with Frontier and Spirit and jet- court’s call Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Blue,” said Mark Sixel, president of Sixel has fallen more than 17%, according to Consulting Group Inc. of Eugene, Ore. tabulations by the city of Cleveland-run ”They’ve probably been one of the Local lawyers unhappy with airport. The United flights that account- most active airports in the country at re- ed for much of that decline, which car- cruiting new service in the last couple ried many travelers flying into Cleveland years,” Sixel said. “A lot of the other dropping of commercial docket only so they could change planes for places like Cincinnati and Memphis, By JEREMY NOBILE their ultimate destination, will never re- hubs that got downsized with all the (air- [email protected] turn. line) mergers, are struggling quite a bit But since United’s announcement on more than Cleveland. I can’t even think Cleveland-area litigators are imploring Cuyahoga Feb. 2, 2014, three new airlines have be- of another non-hub market that’s done County Common Pleas Court General Division gun service out of Hopkins to a number as well as Cleveland.” judges to reconsider a decision to eliminate the of cities where United formerly offered Sixel’s firm, which has not worked county’s generally popular and effective commercial nonstop service, and more may be on the with Cleveland Hopkins, has helped docket. way. That, passengers have reason to communities from Portland, Ore., to Ft. But whether the court — dedicated to the resolu- hope, should lead to lower fares. Lauderdale, Fla., add service. tion of often complex business-to-business cases like Also, the loss of United’s hub is In 2010, Sixel helped Toledo Express liquidations, trade secret disputes, noncompete con- prompting airport planners to re-evalu- Airport map out a new air service devel- tracts and shareholder disagreements — will be re- ate the terminal configuration to make a opment plan. stored or remain on the cutting room floor in Cuya- better experience for travelers. United hoga County is unclear. was the sole airline to use the airport’s D Reaching for the skies Originally proposed in Ohio by the late Chief Jus- concourse. That concourse was designed tice Thomas Moyer and championed by litigators, for service handled by short-haul, re- Smith said he has two airlines he is the commercial docket was the result of a July 2008 gional jets that flew flights that have been hoping to attract, though he would not decision by the Ohio Supreme Court to test out the cut. divulge their names while negotiations business court in Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lu- And Europe may be easier to reach. are continuing. He also said that he’s re- cas and Montgomery counties. The commercial Cleveland Airport System director viving an effort to attract international docket was formally adopted in Cuyahoga County in Ricky Smith acknowledged in an inter- service to Cleveland Hopkins, always a 2013 following a three-year pilot program. view in his office at Cleveland Hopkins priority for the area’s major corpora- The niche docket is intended to make the region that losing a hub is a “shocking, devastat- tions. more receptive to businesses by creating a court ing experience” for any city. That effort has been dormant for sev- specifically for cases between corporations and “Losing the hub was not one of the eral years, after airport officials in 2009 heard by a dedicated bench of judges — most recent- prouder moments for this community or said they were in contact with Lufthansa ly, in Cleveland’s case, four. this airport,” he said. “But I thought the Airlines — which had a marketing rela- However, following a Jan. 21 vote by Cuyahoga loss of the United hub was more a blow tionship with United predecessor Conti- County Common Pleas Court General Division to the community’s ego than we will nental Airlines — about service to Frank- judges to disband the court, administrative and pre- learn it to be on the community’s econo- Targets include Portland, Ore., San Diego fort, Germany. siding Judge John J. Russo said commercial cases will my or our air travel in the years to come.” and Seattle. “We’re now looking at other carriers to once again be randomly assigned to the court’s 34 But he believes that in the long run los- He said he expects that by the fourth determine where we might attract service judges. ing the hub may be for the best for his quarter of 2015, the airport will begin — somewhere in Europe,” he said. “Wher- The move to end the docket followed a Jan. 6 re- airport. seeing year-over-year growth in air ser- ever we focus it will be where (our compa- port by the chairman of the Supreme Court’s Com- Smith said he is meeting with leaders vice. nies) want to go; I’m not sure that Frank- mercial Docket Subcommittee that said Judge Cas- from the Greater Cleveland Partnership “There is life after de-hubbing,” said fort is the most preferred destination.” sandra Collier-Williams was unqualified to preside and its Air Service Demand Task Force to Benét Wilson, co-editor in chief of Air- Industry observers, including Sixel, over specialized and complex commercial cases, talk about what new service to attract. waysNews.com and a former airline See HOPKINS, page 21 See COURT, page 20 05 6 ALSO INSIDE: ENTREPRENEURS NEWSPAPER What’s it take to start a business? We look at Entire contents © 2015 74470 01032 some essential qualities ■ Pages 15-17 by Crain Communications Inc. Vol. 36, No. 5 0 PLUS: NEO’S STARTUP SCENE ■ SUCCESS STORIES ■ & MORE 20150202-NEWS--2-NAT-CCI-CL_-- 1/30/2015 11:05 AM Page 1 Small Business Matters i Want more information and resources on this week's topics, ideas and events? Go to www.cose.org/smallbizmatters. 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