Local airline passengers who were happy with Cleveland Hopkins two years ago were decidedly less so last year. In a just released J.D. Power survey, travelers rated the airport 13th -- a huge drop from its previous fourth place finish. Airport director Ricky Smith says he expected the lower rating. He attributes the drop to the constant juggle of trying to improve the airport while handling 138,000 additional passengers.
Smith: "This is the pain before the gain, if you will. You'll find it if you go to any airport when you renovating the terminal and making some of those, when you're engaged in some of those efforts to add capacity to the teminal or to introdoce new services to the passengers... Sometimes it presents at least the sense of inconvenience."
Smith says Clevelanders will be proud of their airport when construction of new retail and concession areas is finished, and Continental Airlines expands its Cleveland hub service.
Kymberli Hagelberg, 90.3