Less than 3 months after United’s “Hub Czar” proclaimed the KCLE hub to be “United’s best hub” in terms of operations efficiency and on time performance, UAL has pulled the plug on its hub in Cleveland. It confirmed the worst fears that many in Northeast Ohio had when United and Continental announced their merger a few years ago. Apparently, flights from Hopkins will be cut in 3 stages, beginning in April. When the dust has settled, the number of UAL flights will be cut by about 60%, and regional carriers (ExpressJet, SkyWest, etc.) will cut flights by about 70%. About 500 jobs are in danger, not counting those involved in other aspects of airport operations that will also be affected. Tough day for a city that has had more than its share of them.
There’s one problem here: It isn’t that UAL felt the need to streamline its midwest operations; just that it kept blowing sunshine Cleveland’s way, even within the company itself. They even have a 56-page article on Cleveland in the February edition of “Hemispheres.” Coupled with the previously mentioned remarks, it looks like corporate deceit strikes again. Somebody wasn’t or isn’t telling the whole truth.
The story: cleveland.com/metro/index.ss … ill_d.html
Contrast the above article with these, the earliest of which (second one; complete with intriguing quotes) was published in September 2013.