CLEVELAND — Travelers are buckling up for better days at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, as a survey suggests the airport is long overdue for a makeover.

What You Need To Know

  • Cleveland Hopkins International Airport will soon get a makeover

  • Airport director said more parking will open within October

  • Travler talks about first time experience traveling through Hopkins

A recent airport satisfaction survey from J.D Power ranked Cleveland Hopkins International Airport near the bottom for airports of a similar size, but according to the airport, better days are just across the horizon.

Sam Jamal is a first-time traveler to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. 

"I left from San Antonio," he said. "I stopped in St. Louis. I got an hour and a half delay, but overall the flights were pretty short, so it wasn’t too bad."

Jamal wasn't overly impressed with the airport at first glance.

"Some parts of it are outdated, but I did like that they had a lot of seating areas with chargers and a lot of cool artsy and musical, I guess, murals and pictures along the wall on the way out," he said.

And he isn't alone.

J.D Power, the consumer research and data firm, released a survey that gave Cleveland’s airport a score of 794 on a 1,000 point assessment of traveler satisfaction. The survey looked at six categories: terminal facilities, airport arrivals/departures, baggage claim, security, check-in/baggage check and food, beverage and retail.

These are all issues the new airport director, Bryant Francis, said are being addressed.

"Really is a complete rebuild of the existing facility in the existing footprint," he said.

Other travelers Spectrum News 1 spoke to said parking is an inconvenience. A year's worth of construction at the smart parking garage has kept about 4,000 parking spots closed, with travelers being forced to shuttle to overflow lots.  

Francis said the end of that project is in sight and those spots will be available in the next month.

"The holidays are coming up, and so that's always a very busy travel period, so we're looking forward to having full use of that parking garage again, and again that will happen within the month of October," he said.

Francis said the traffic inside the airport is close to pre-pandemic levels, good for the airport, but another stress for travelers we spoke with, some of whom say the airport sometimes has busy days and long lines.

"But obviously as the passenger activity is on the rise again, it also puts more strain on our terminal facility," Francis said.

Francis said a new terminal is also in the works, with construction starting in 2025.

"By creating a modern and far more efficient and technology-forward facility than what we have available today," he said.

That's good news for travelers like Jamal, who said the airport feels a little outdated.

"My first impression was that it looks a little older than recent airports I’ve been in, but soon it was replaced with 'oh, for an old airport there seems to be a lot of cool stuff in here,' so I think that was my lasting impression that I’m going to take away once I leave," he said.

Jamal said the airport is just one piece of his first Cleveland experience.