Erlanger, Ky. (October 28, 2021) – Today, Alaska Airlines announced an added frequency to its existing daily nonstop service between the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). The carrier began service on May 20th of this year and is already adding a second daily roundtrip flight between the Cincinnati region and the Puget Sound region beginning June 16, 2022.“The greater Cincinnati community showed up in support of our new nonstop flight to Seattle,” said Brett Catlin, vice president of network and alliances at Alaska Airlines. “We’re thrilled to strengthen our commitment with an additional frequency next summer to give our guests more options.”_Flight schedule (flight times based on local times, new flights highlighted in yellow):_“We can’t thank Alaska Airlines enough for strengthening our region’s connectivity to the West Coast and beyond,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer, CVG. “This is a direct response to our community’s utilization of this new service, which began in May of this year.”Tickets for all flights are available for purchase now on [alaskaair.com](https://www.alaskaair.com/).About CVG AirportCVG Airport welcomed more than 9.1 million passengers in 2019, serving a record number of local passengers. As the airport recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, it still offers the most nonstop destinations and the lowest average airfares in the region. CVG is diversified in both passenger and cargo operations with an annual economic impact of $6.8 billion. It is the 7th largest cargo airport in North America – home to Amazon Air’s primary U.S. Hub and DHL Express Global Superhub. Learn more at [CVGairport.com](https://cvgairport.com/).

Cincinnati Business Courier / Chris Wetterich / October 20, 2021As recently as 2015, the average fares at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport were the highest in the nation, even as the airport had started to attract ultra low-cost carriers that would eventually solve a problem that had sent travelers to Dayton and other nearby airports.Now, with the new report from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, CVG has reached its fourth year in a row as the lowest-fare airport in the region, besting Dayton, Indianapolis, Columbus and Louisville.CVG’s average airfare during the second quarter of 2021 was $280, below the $300 national average. It had the 76th-highest (or 25th-lowest fares, depending on how you want to look at it) in the United States out of the top 100 airports by passenger count.CVG’s average fare in the same quarter in 2020 was $220, not adjusted for inflation, a number impacted by the pandemic’s decimation of air travel.Dayton now has the sixth-highest average fare in the nation at $361.In the Midwest, only the two Chicago airports and Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport had lower fares than CVG.CVG’s passenger traffic is between 75% and 80% of what it was compared with 2019. Two new air carriers, Alaska and Sun Country, began service at CVG.In other airport news: CVG reopened its east-west runway, the most used one at the airport and officially known as Runway 9/27. The $69 million project, of which three-fourths was paid for by the Federal Aviation Administration, started in March and was scheduled to last six months. It included new asphalt, concrete and lighting updates. Aircraft operations will return to its normal patterns. CVG also opened its new rental car and ground transportation center to the general public on Wednesday. The airport held a ribbon cutting for the $175 million facility last week.[FULL STORY HERE](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/10/20/cvg-s-low-fare-winning-streak-hits-a-new-milestone.html?utm_source=st&utm_medium=en&utm_campaign=ae_nonsub&utm_content=ci&ana=e_ci_ae_nonsub&j=25420392&senddate=2021-10-21)

Erlanger, Ky. (October 20, 2021) – Today, the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) opened its new rental car and ground transportation center to travelers and the general public. This is one of the first fully connected and consolidated facilities offering a seamless experience for travelers and visitors to the region. The overall project represents a more than $175 million investment to elevate the travel experience. Other elements include the direct access roadway to the Terminal, which opened in 2019, and the new entrance and exit from the Terminal Garage in 2018.In this new facility, travelers and local residents will experience a new rental car pick-up and return area as well as a new ground transportation area for parking, valet and hotel shuttle customers. Roadway and facility signage will help direct passengers and visitors for easy wayfinding. Maps of the new facility and additional resources can be found at [CVGairport.com/updates](https://www.cvgairport.com/terminal/cvg-airport-terminal-updates). “The fact that this facility is an extension of our Terminal will save travelers time, elevating the overall CVG experience for years to come,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer, CVG. “We can’t thank our project partners enough for their customer-centric focus. This is another important investment in our airport as an economic driver for our region.”“An intense amount of planning went into building this facility, and it shows CVG’s commitment to providing an outstanding customer experience,” said Greg Herrin, vice president, Messer Construction Co. “More than 1,600 skilled craft professionals from 123 different companies worked to build this project safely through the pandemic, and about 70% of the work was performed by local contractors based in the Cincinnati area.”“The project team did it right by creating a rental car facility that elevates the rental car customer experience at CVG,” said Joshua Blum, senior director, real estate, The Hertz Corporation. “Constructing a facility, which eliminates shuttle buses, where customers can now walk from the plane to their rental car quickly and completely sheltered from the elements, addresses the biggest concern by our customers when flying. This is a world class upgrade.” Fun facts: $175+ million investment 1,600 people on the job Nearly 70% of CVG’s contractors from Cincinnati region 1.57 million square-foot facility 9.2 acres 2,710 parking spaces 11 rental car companies (Alamo, AVIS, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Payless, Sixt, Thrifty, Zipcar)  About CVG AirportCVG Airport welcomed more than 9.1 million passengers in 2019, serving a record number of local passengers. As the airport recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, it still offers the most nonstop destinations and the lowest average airfares in the region. CVG is diversified in both passenger and cargo operations with an annual economic impact of $6.8 billion. It is the 7th largest cargo airport in North America – home to Amazon Air’s primary U.S. Hub and DHL Express Global Superhub. Learn more at [CVGairport.com](https://cvgairport.com/).

Erlanger, Ky. (October 19, 2021) – The U.S. Department of Transportation released its average airfare ranking report for the second quarter of 2021, and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) once again has the lowest airfares in the region. CVG has held this title for four consecutive years since the second quarter of 2017. Among the top 100 U.S. domestic airports, CVG ranks #76 with an average fare of $280; seven percent below the national average of $300.   Regional comparisons: CVG ranked #76 – average fare $280 Indianapolis (IND) ranked #63 – average fare $299 Columbus (CMH) ranked #53 – average fare $308 Louisville (SDF) ranked #48 – average fare $312 Dayton (DAY) ranked #6 – average fare $361 The mix of low airfares and more travel options is fueling the return of air travel (passenger traffic is now 75-80% compared to 2019) as the economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and most recent surge of the Delta variant.  The airport is serving 75-80% of pre-pandemic passenger volumes.Two new air carriers (Alaska Air and Sun Country Airlines) began service at CVG earlier this year, along with nine new seasonal/year-round routes added and many returned routes. For a complete list of nonstop destinations served from CVG visit: [CVGairport.com/nonstopdestinations](https://www.cvgairport.com/nonstopdestinations).###About CVG Airport:CVG Airport welcomed more than 9.1 million passengers in 2019, serving a record number of local passengers. As the airport recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, it still offers the most nonstop destinations and the lowest average airfares in the region. CVG is diversified in both passenger and cargo operations with an annual economic impact of $6.8 billion. It is the 7th largest cargo airport in North America – home to Amazon Air’s primary U.S. Hub and DHL Express Global Superhub. Learn more at [CVGairport.com](https://cvgairport.com/).

Erlanger, Ky. (October 18, 2021) – The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) is reopening runway 9/27 after rehabilitation work, which included new asphalt, concrete and lighting updates. Runway 9/27 is the airport’s longest and most utilized runway which directionally runs east/west. The overall project represents a $69 million investment in airfield infrastructure. Subsequent closure of the runway for major rehabilitation began in March of this year and is now complete. The project also includes work on adjacent taxiways that will continue into 2022, but aircraft operations will be returning to usual patterns (prior to March 2021) over the next few weeks. Planning and design of this critical infrastructure project began in early 2019 and construction activities started in the fall of 2020. The project page can be found here for more information. To minimize impacts on operations and surrounding communities, CVG worked with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and cargo partners to compress the project schedule impacting the runway to one year (six to seven-month closure timeframe) versus the typical two years it would take for a project of this size.“We are grateful that the phase of the project involving runway closure is complete as this infrastructure benefits the airport and all of our airline partners,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer, CVG. “This project will position CVG well for pandemic recovery and future growth.”About CVG AirportCVG Airport welcomed more than 9.1 million passengers in 2019, serving a record number of local passengers. As the airport recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, it still offers the most nonstop destinations and the lowest average airfares in the region. CVG is diversified in both passenger and cargo operations with an annual economic impact of $6.8 billion. It is the 7th largest cargo airport in North America – home to Amazon Air’s primary U.S. Hub and DHL Express Global Superhub. Learn more at CVGairport.com.

Cincinnati Enquirer / Alexander Coolidge / October 13, 2021When Candace McGraw first landed at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in 2009, the region’s dominant hub was in freefall.Reviled for sky-high airfares that were among the highest in the nation, the airport’s traffic was plummeting after the merger of Delta and Northwest airlines as the newly combined carrier swiftly de-hubbed CVG.It was also the depths of the Great Recession, which slowed economic activity and sacked demand for business travel.“When I arrived at CVG in late 2009, we had a great team and a tremendous can-do spirit,” McGraw recalled. “We just needed direction on how to stem the decline the airport was in and to leverage our strengths.”First serving as chief administrative officer, then promoted to CEO of the airport in 2011, McGraw sought to move on from CVG’s historic reliance on one dominant carrier and pushed hard to court low-cost carriers that previously avoided the airport.[FULL STORY HERE](https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/womenoftheyear/2021/10/14/candace-mcgraw-ceo-cvg-helps-region-soar-women-year/6018054001/)

Air Cargo Week / James Graham / September 27, 2021[Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport](https://www.cvgairport.com/)’s (CVG) is undergoing a cargo make over, putting it on track to become the 6th largest cargo airport in North America.The airport’s strategic focus to leverage its location and hundreds of acres of available land, create efficiencies for the air cargo supply chain, and support air cargo partners is paying off with more than five years of record-breaking cargo growth (2016, 2017, 2018 2019 and 2020). CVG is also home to global air cargo hubs, DHL and Amazon Air.In five years CVG will be the epicenter of e-Commerce says Candace McGraw, CEO, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. “We will be a catalyst for even greater economic impact on our local economy with the development of Hangar Row. Through this, we will continue to grow and diversify our air cargo operations and passenger carriers. We plan to leverage aircraft maintenance and support services on and around our airport campus. We will also implement a regional aviation development plan.”Big stakeholdersThe airport’s central US location, its land available for development (the airport property totals 7,700 acres), ample airfield and airspace capacity and four runways, teamed with the agile, business-minded decision making of management, make CVG an attractive location for big stakeholders to take up residence.Amazon Air’s global cargo hub is currently under development and will open this year. Amazon’s cargo operations have been in full swing since May 2017 and the carrier is a big force in the overall growth of the Airport.DHL Express has also seen significant growth since it established one of its three global super hubs at CVG in 2013. The company set up home at CVG in 2009 and has made three major expansions investing $380 million and employing 4,600.Atlas Air and its subsidiaries are major contractors for DHL and Amazon. The company recently established a new 100 sq ft, $34 million operations centre adjacent to CVG’s campus to support existing business and future growth.Adding to this, an aircraft maintenance hangar developed by Lynxs for FEAM Aero opened in 2020 to service wide-body aircraft.All of this cargo activity is taking place on the south end of CVG’s campus, McGraw reports, but she notes general cargo activity is seeing an increase as well. A new general use cargo facility was built by Aeroterm in 2019 on the north end of the campus with FedEx as the anchor tenant.Transformational impact“CVG’s cargo growth is having a transformational impact on the Cincinnati region. We know there is an immediate economic impact from the expansion projects themselves, $360M by DHL since 2009 and $1.5B in progress from Amazon,” explains McGraw.“DHL and Amazon alone have hired several thousand additional employees over the last two years. We have also experienced growth on our campus with MRO operations, both construction and employment. Off campus, a number of companies have relocated to our region because of CVG’s cargo growth. Chief of those is Atlas Air who constructed and staffed a $34 million operations centre near the airport.”“We have instituted several workforce strategies including the launch of a Strategic Workforce Collaborative in 2018, which convenes airport-wide employers to share best practices and work together to provide meaningful career opportunities. A job portal was created to aggregate job openings from around campus into one online site. In partnership with the Kentucky Career Centre we opened a CVG Career Centre in our passenger Terminal for job seeker convenience,” she continues.“CVG has taken a leadership role in engaging education partners to develop a pipeline of students who are interested in a career in aviation. One programme allows juniors and seniors to take dual-credit classes in logistics management as well as encounter work-based learning experiences. Many of our cargo partners are hiring these students for full-time positions upon graduation of the programme.”Immense importanceAs it has globally, air cargo has been of utmost importance in the US throughout the pandemic.“Cargo has been immensely important to us in our bottom line throughout the pandemic. It literally helped us keep our lights on. Because we have diversified our operations throughout the last ten years, we have been able to weather the storm,” McGraw says.“During the early parts of the pandemic, cargo landed weight was around 75% while landed weight from passenger operations were at 25%. Prior to the pandemic in 2019, we saw 55% cargo and 45% passenger. For the balance of 2021, we are forecasting 65% cargo and 35% passenger.”“The toughest challenge continues to be uncertainty about the depth and duration of the pandemic. After initially losing 95% of passengers and associated revenues in March 2020, through the return of the summer leisure traveler in 2021, to the rise in variants, we have had to be acutely aware of health and safety concerns, while being operationally agile and fiscally prudent.“Changing consumer behaviours, including touchless ordering in concessions and the rise and impact of e-Commerce, create additional demands and further workforce challenges.“We have learned it is important to diversify your business model as much as possible.”[FULL STORY HERE](https://www.aircargoweek.com/cvg-ready-for-take-off/)

91.7 WVXU Cincinnati Public Radio / Ann Thompson / October 12, 2021The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport's new $175 million rental car center opens Oct. 20.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Picking up a rental car at the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport just got a lot easier. All eleven companies are just steps away from the baggage claim and their cars are right outside. No shuttles.In the airline industry this configuration is known as a CONRAC-consolidated rental car center. “The rental car companies are over the moon happy to have this connected walkable solution," CVG CEO Candace McGraw says. "It’s very unique. I don’t know how many are out, there but very few.”Customers check in at the counter and then take an elevator to their car, all in a building that’s on the site of the old terminals 1 and 2.There are two new rental car companies at CVG: Sixt and Zipcar.Ground transportation is also differentThere are also changes for ground transportation. Down a ramp, travelers can take a bus to ValuPark, the Economy Lot and catch a shuttle to off-airport sites and hotels. By the beginning of next year, McGraw says the airport will be back to full parking options.On the other side of baggage claim will be rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft.The airport will pay for this $175 million, 9.2-acre facility and 2,710 parking spaces with a car rental tax.While you wait, there is cool art to look atCVG and Artworks commissioned geometric abstractionist [Adrienne Gaither](http://www.adriennegaither.com/) to design the art above the rental car counter.Gaither is from Cincinnati and now lives in Washington, D.C. She says travel can be stressful. “So, I wanted it to be meditative and also just bright in case you have to wait. You know, something you can just get lost in.”Another mural on a different floor of the five-story building is underway. It’s designed by Northern Kentuckian [Christian Dallas](https://www.christiandallas.com/about).The rental car facility opens Oct. 20.[FULL STORY WITH PICTURE AND AUDIO HERE](https://www.wvxu.org/local-news/2021-10-12/11-rental-car-companies-cvg)

Cincinnati Business Courier / Chris Wetterich / October 12, 2021Decades ago, thousands of people flew out of Terminals 1 and 2 at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in its former life as a Delta Air Lines hub.Now, those facilities have been demolished and replaced by a massive, five-story, $175 million consolidated rental car facility that will allow passengers to walk from the terminal to their rental car without taking a bus. The facility will open to customers on Oct. 20.“It’s hugely important for the airport for a couple of reasons,” said CVG CEO [Candace McGraw](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/search/results?q=Candace%20McGraw). “It provides a new front-door entry into the airport. It provides a connected, walkable solution for all of the rental car companies. Not only did we change the roadway infrastructure, we built this ground transportation center that will take all of our commercial traffic off the roadways. That will ease roadway congestion coming in.”The facility also has room for an expanded ticketing area to ease congestion in the existing check-in area. Existing airlines could move there and/or new airlines could come in. CVG hopes to add more airlines and nonstop flights.“It gives us a lot of space for future growth,” McGraw said. “We didn’t build it to be an empty space.”CVG has a $6.8 billion economic impact on the region.“We’ve positioned this airport to be the economic engine of this community,” said CVG’s board chair, [J. Michael Schlotman](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/search/results?q=J.%20Michael%20Schlotman).The airport also is moving the shuttles to its economy and value parking lots and hotels to west side of the facility.CVG also has added a new rental car company, Sixt, which rents luxury cars, as well as the standard fare offered by Alamo, National, Enterprise, Avis, Budget, Payless, Dollar, Thrifty and Hertz. The companies will be able to clean and refuel their vehicles onsite at the facility. Zipcar, whose customers check out cars via an app without any counters, also will have a presence at the airport.The facility features murals spearheaded by ArtWorks, including by local artists [Adrienne Gaither](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/search/results?q=Adrienne%20Gaither) and [Christian Dallas](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/search/results?q=Christian%20Dallas).“We gave each artist the same brief. We wanted to talk about connectivity and travel and our region,” McGraw said.The project’s funding sources include customer facility fees paid by rental car customers, McGraw said. The roadways were paid for in part by passenger facility fees paid for by passengers as well as some general airport revenue bonds CVG sold. Such dollars must be spent within the airport’s footprint, under federal law, so that money cannot be used to fund the operations for additional transit service.Customers can walk directly from the baggage claim to the rental car counters. From there, they can take an elevator or stairs to the level where their rental car is located.How CVG will use the existing parking lots where the rental cars had been located is to be determined, but it’s likely to be utilized for aviation purposes perhaps related to cargo, including freight forwarders, McGraw said.[FULL STORY HERE](https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/10/12/cvg-unveils-new-175-million-facility.html)