CVG is once again the lowest-fare airport in the region, following the release of average airfare rankings for 4th quarter 2017 by the U.S. Dept. of Transportation. Below is a summary of the results related to CVG: CVG average fare ranked #76 compared to #42 in 4Q 2016, an improvement of 34 positions CVG average fare of $324 decreased 13% compared to $375 in 4Q 2016. National average fares decreased only 2%. CVG’s percentage decrease was seven times better than national average. CVG passengers are paying on average $215 less per ticket than four years ago.Regional Comparisons CVG ranked #76 – average fare $324 Indianapolis (IND) ranked #55 — average fare $349 Columbus (CMH) ranked #49 — average fare $358 Louisville (SDF) ranked #26 — average fare $391 Dayton (DAY) ranked #25 — average fare $396 Lexington (LEX) ranked #8 — average fare $433CVG has launched seven new routes so far in 2018, including San Jose, San Antonio, Charleston, Sarasota, Austin, Jacksonville and Raleigh/Durham.CVG will will launch six new routes this spring and fall, including Cozumel, Mexico and Grand Bahama Island via Vacation Express, Denver via Southwest, Austin via Delta, and Phoenix via Delta, plus international service with WOW Air beginning May 10.

Feb. 23, 2018 — WOW air is adding a fifth weekly frequency to its scheduled service from CVG to Iceland and more than 20 destinations in Europe including London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin and more.Due to strong demand, WOW air is increasing its service frequency from four days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) to five days a week throughout the summer travel season, June 4 – Sept. 17, 2018. The new frequency will depart on Wednesdays at 12:50 AM.To celebrate the increase in seasonal flight service, WOW air is offering $99\ one-way flights from CVG to Iceland (KEF) and $149\ one-way flights from CVG to London (STN), Paris (CDG), Amsterdam (AMS), Frankfurt (FRA), Dublin (DUB), Berlin (SXF) and Copenhagen (CPH) via Iceland.WOW air begins service from CVG on May 9, 2018. All flights arrive to CVG at 11:50PM from Keflavik Airport and depart at 12:50AM. Flights will operate with new Airbus A321 aircraft with a 208 seat capacity.“The reception from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky travelers for our flight service has been phenomenal since we announced the route last summer. Because of the strong demand, we have decided to increase our service from four to five days during the summer. We look forward to bringing affordable international travel to CVG,” said Skúli Mogensen, CEO and Founder of WOW air.  “The response from local travelers for WOW air’s low-cost international service has been extremely positive, and we appreciate WOW air adding a 5th frequency this summer to accommodate the strong demand,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer, CVG.For additional information and bookings, please visit www.wowair.us.

Feb. 19, 2018 — Drone operators are now able to operate in certain areas within five miles of CVG, thanks to the Federal Aviation Administration’s new Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability program.Prior to LAANC and other recent technology enhancements, drones were prohibited within five miles of any airport.In conjunction with this effort and in order to protect the safety of the flying public, CVG partnered with several Kentucky airports as well as Kentucky State Representative Diane St. Onge to establish Kentucky HB540, the airport safety law. This law requires coordination with CVG as well as the FAA to operate drones in critical areas of the airport, primarily the ends of runways.CVG and the FAA have both independently partnered with AirMap to execute the LAANC protocols and provisions of Kentucky HB540, to provide seamless coordination and notification for drone operators.To find out more, and to download the AirMap app visit CVGairport.com/drones.“CVG would like to thank the FAA and Kentucky State Representative Diane St. Onge for moving the industry forward by helping make drone operations within five miles of the airport much safer by protecting critical areas for takeoff and landing,” said Tim Zeis, chief operating officer, CVG. “CVG, our business partners, and others who operate drones will benefit from this innovative approach.”"CVG has once again taken a proactive approach by establishing measures ensuring that the safety of its flying passengers remains paramount,” said Representative Diane St. Onge, Kentucky State House of Representatives. “It was a privilege to work with COO Tim Zeis and his team to draft and pass legislation that would accomplish this top priority for our airport."

Feb. 15, 2018 — Southwest Airlines announces new nonstop service from CVG to Denver, Colorado (DEN) beginning Aug. 7. The new route will operate daily year round with Boeing 737 aircraft using a combination of 143 and 175 seat configurations.Southwest’s flight schedule to Denver will provide one-stop service to more than 15 West Coast destinations such as Reno, San Francisco, Phoenix, Portland, Los Angeles, Ontario, Tucson and Salt Lake City. When combined with existing flights to Chicago, Midway and Baltimore/Washington D.C., CVG travelers can now access more than 65 cities on the Southwest network with nonstop or single connection service.“This new route continues our growth in the region and adds more time saving itineraries to Denver and destinations in the western half of the United States,” said Dave Harvey, Southwest Airlines’ managing director of corporate sales. “Every flight on Southwest Airlines offers travelers the ability to change flights without paying change fees\, the ability to check two bags for free and the hospitality that sets Southwest apart from other airlines.”“Over the last five years, passenger demand from CVG to Denver has grown more than 240 percent, and Denver is now the fifth most popular destination from CVG,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer, CVG. “Southwest is the second largest carrier in Denver, and we’re confident the CVG-Denver route will be a great addition to the Southwest network.”Denver becomes the third daily year round destination served by Southwest from CVG. In June 2017, Southwest began service with five daily flights to Chicago, Midway and three daily flights to Baltimore/Washington D.C. Southwest will also operate seasonal nonstop service to Phoenix, Arizona beginning March 8.

February 7, 2018 — CVG is the lowest fare airport in the region and is breaking records in local passenger and cargo growth.For two consecutive years, every airline partner experienced passenger growth, and carriers are consistently adding and/or expanding new flight options. CVG and its airline partners have already announced 12 new flight options launching this year. With all the recent news, it may be tough keeping up with the positive change. The following provides an overview of CVG airline activity as of February 2018. Air Canada continues to provide nonstop service to Toronto three times daily. Allegiant will serve 21 destinations from CVG with more than 80 weekly flights on a seasonal and/or year-round basis. New service to Charleston, South Carolina begins April 5 and new service to Sarasota, Florida begins April 13. American Airlines serves eight destinations from CVG with more than 200 weekly flights. Last year, American started operating larger mainline aircraft serving Dallas/Fort Worth. Delta will serve 36 destinations from CVG with more than 500 weekly flights. New nonstop service to Austin, Texas begins May 1, and new nonstop service to Phoenix, Arizona begins Nov. 4. Delta is also adding year-round service to Seattle, and increasing capacity in 15 other markets. Delta provides the only direct flight to Europe in Ohio and Kentucky. Frontier will serve 20 destinations from CVG with 88 weekly flights. New nonstop service to Austin, Texas; San Jose, California; and Jacksonville, Florida begins April 8. New nonstop service to San Antonio, Texas and Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina begins April 9. Southwest will serve CVG with more than 53 weekly flights and three destinations, one being seasonal service to Phoenix that operates March 8 – April 7, 2018. United serves six destinations from CVG with more than 160 weekly fights. United has increased daily flights to Washington-Dulles from three to four, and also added nonstop service to San Francisco in 2017. Vacation Express will serve five destinations from CVG after it adds new service to Cozumel, Mexico and returning service to Grand Bahama Island this spring. Other destinations include Cancun, Mexico; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; and Montego Bay, Jamaica. WOW Air will provide low-cost international service beginning May 9, 2018. WOW will offer nonstop flights to Reykjavik, Iceland and one-stop flights to Amsterdam, Paris, Copenhagen, Dublin, Frankfurt, London and Berlin.Overall, CVG serves 61 destinations on a nonstop, year-round or seasonal basis, including 179 peak-day departures and the only nonstop flight to Europe in Ohio and Kentucky with service to Paris Charles de Gaulle.

Best December in CVG’s HistoryJan. 17, 2018 — CVG served 7.8 million passengers in 2017, its largest volume since 2010. This represents a 16 percent year-over-year increase (compared to North American average of 3 percent) and approximately 1.1 million new passengers compared to 2016. For the second consecutive year, every airline partner experienced passenger growth, and carriers added 11 new flight options.CVG grew local passenger volume by more than 21 percent, and in December set a new record in its 70-year history. This is the fifth consecutive year CVG has achieved year-over-year local passenger growth.CVG also set a new record for cargo traffic in December. A total of 109,380 tons was handled, representing a 34 percent increase over December 2016. For the first time in its history, CVG experienced annual cargo tonnage of more than 1 million tons (2 billion pounds) a 27 percent year-over-year increase; nearly four times the North American average of 7 percent.CVG achieved its best ranking in the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) airfare report in 2017 making it the lowest fare airport in the region. Airfares at CVG declined for the fourth consecutive year, and passengers are paying on average $250 less per ticket.“The growth we’re experiencing at CVG is because the community continues to embrace additional air-service options and lower fares,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer, CVG. “We’ve been successful in adding new air carriers and destinations for increased competition, as well as working with air cargo partners to establish and grow their operations, all of which grow the airport community and positively impact the local economy.”“We’re in year two of our 5-year strategic plan, and already seeing record-breaking results,” said J. Michael Schlotman, CVG Board Chairman. “I congratulate the entire CVG team on the tremendous successes in 2017. Our mission statement says, ‘we want CVG to be the airport of choice to work for, fly from, and to do business with,’ and these results clearly indicate we are making great strides.”Passenger & Cargo Metrics Served 7.8 million passengers in 2017 Total enplanements increased 16%, more than five times the North American average Cargo grew 27% to a record 2 billion pounds Eighth largest cargo airport in North America and 34th in the worldAir Service Development Amazon announces the development of its global air cargo hub at CVG. American Airlines started operating mainline aircraft serving Dallas/Fort Worth. Allegiant launched new service to Providence/Boston, Raleigh/Durham, Los Angeles, New York City and Denver. Allegiant recently announced new service to Charleston and Sarasota, increasing their total destinations to 21. Delta expanded service to its most popular destinations from CVG. Celebrated 20th anniversary of direct service to Paris. Frontier launched new service to San Diego, New York City, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and will begin service to San Jose, Austin, San Antonio, Jacksonville and Raleigh/Durham this spring. Frontier now serves 20 markets from CVG. Southwest Airlines began serving CVG to Chicago and Baltimore/Washington. Southwest announced seasonal service to Phoenix to align with Cincinnati Reds spring training. United Airlines launched new daily nonstop service to San Francisco.  WOW Air announced it will begin service to Iceland and Europe beginning May 2018. Largest origin airport on the Vacation Express network with five destinations.

Passengers Paying $250 Less Per Ticket than Four Years AgoJan. 16, 2018 — CVG is again the lowest-fare airport in the region, after the U.S. Dept. of Transportation released its average airfare ranking for third quarter 2017.CVG ranked #83 among the top 100 domestic airports, the best ranking achieved since the report was first published in 1995.Overall, airfares at CVG have dropped 46 percent in the last five years.“CVG has the lowest fares in the Tri-State because of the incredible positive response from the community,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer, CVG. “As our passenger traffic increases, and airline competition increases, airfares go down. CVG passengers are paying on average $250 less per ticket than they were four years ago.”Below is a summary of the DOT report as it relates to CVG: CVG average fare ranked #83 compared to #44 in 3Q 2016, an improvement of 39 positions CVG average fare of $301 decreased 19% compared to $371 in 3Q 2016. National average fares decreased only 4%. CVG’s percentage decrease was nearly five times better than the national average.Regional Comparisons CVG ranked #83 – average fare $301 Indianapolis (IND) ranked #61 – average fare $335 Columbus (CMH) ranked #45 – average fare $353 Louisville (SDF) ranked #21 – average fare $395 Dayton (DAY) ranked #20 – average fare $400 Lexington (LEX) ranked #10 – average fare $419In 2017, and so far in 2018, CVG has launched 11 new routes (Providence/Boston, Raleigh/Durham, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, New York City, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Denver, Chicago, Baltimore/Washington), and announced an additional eight domestic routes (Charleston, Sarasota, Phoenix,, San Jose, Austin, San Antonio, Jacksonville, Raleigh/Durham), and new international service with WOW Air. All ill start in spring 2018.

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.7px Calibri; color: #212121} span.s1 {font-kerning: none}Dec. 21, 2017 — Vacation Express, a tour operator known for their exclusive, non-stop flights and affordable all-inclusive vacation packages, is bringing non-stop service to Cozumel and returning non-stop service to Grand Bahama Island from CVG.The Swift Air flights are four-night rotations departing various days of the week throughout the spring and summer of 2018. The departure dates include: Cozumel: 5/24-8/23 Grand Bahama Island: 5/30-8/18“The addition of Cozumel, Mexico and return of Grand Bahama Island to Vacation Express’ existing service to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Montego Bay, Jamaica and Cancun, Mexico provides CVG passengers the most nonstop flight options in the Vacation Express network,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer, CVG. “We’re pleased that local travelers now have the opportunity to travel with Vacation Express to five different exotic destinations.”Kevin Hernandez, VP Marketing and Sales at Vacation Express said, "We are excited about adding these additional flights from CVG and to return with our Grand Bahama Island program, and we know Cozumel will become a popular destination for us this summer. We have had requests from many passengers and travel agents looking for great deals on quick and easy 4-night packages with non-stop flights to exciting destinations and we are here to deliver.”The flights to Grand Bahama Island and Cozumel will be operated by Swift Air, LLC. on a Boeing 737-300 aircraft with early departures and late returns for an optimal vacation experience. Plus, travelers returning from Grand Bahama Island will be pre-cleared eliminating the need to navigate Customs and Immigration upon arrival in the U.S. For additional information, please visit [VacationExpress.com](http://VacationExpress.com) or speak with a local travel agent.

Dec. 19, 2017 — CVG is celebrating the holidays this week by offering entertainment and travel tips to enhance passengers’ experience.Upcoming Holiday EventsWednesday, 12/20 10 - 11 AM: Campbell County Brass Quintet 2 - 3 PM: Christmas carolersThursday, 12/21 6 AM - 6 PM: Complimentary gift wrapping by volunteers from Honor Flight Tri-State in Concourse A and USO volunteers in Concourse B 10 - 11 AM: Christmas carolers 10 AM - Noon: Meet and greet photo opportunity with Santa in Concourse A; and hot chocolate bar for passengers 2-3 PM: ArtsWave Presents performance by 16 StringsFriday, 12/22 6 AM - 6 PM: Complimentary gift wrapping by volunteers from Honor Flight Tri-State in Concourse A and USO volunteers in Concourse B 10 AM - Noon: Meet and greet photo opportunity with Santa on ticketing level in Terminal 1 - 2 PM: Campbell County Brass Quintet“Our vision is to make travel through CVG an unforgettably positive experience, and what better time to deliver on that vision than the holiday season,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer, CVG. “With increased flight options and more capacity, we expect passenger volumes to increase approximately 15 percent compared to 2016’s Christmas holiday travel period. We’re excited to welcome more folks in our Terminal and Concourses.”If you’re traveling in the coming weeks, CVG offers the following tips to help book, pack and prepare for your trip.Booking a FlightBook your trip as early as possible for lower-priced airfares and holiday deals. You can look for fare deals at CVGairport.com/deals or nonstop cities served by which airline from CVG at CVGairport.com/cities.ParkingCVG parking options include curbside valet service, pre-pay reserved premium parking, garage parking adjacent to the Terminal, and surface parking with shuttle service in CVG’s ValuPark lot. For details, visit: cvgairport.com/park/options. For more information on how you pre-pay and reserve a parking space in the garage, visit: cvgreservedparking.com. To check out the quickest parking options and available spaces when on your way to the airport, visit: cvgairport.com.Packing LuggageFamiliarize yourself with TSA (Transportation Security Administration) procedures at www.tsa.gov to ensure what you pack in your carry-on is compliant with TSA standards. Weapons may not be carried aboard aircraft. This includes replicas, toy weapons and anything that can be mistaken for a weapon.For protection against lost luggage, label your bags inside and out with your contact information. Be sure to include the address and phone number of your destination or even a copy of your travel itinerary.Do not wrap gifts that you plan to carry onboard. If a security officer needs to inspect a package they may have to unwrap your gift. Free gift wrapping is available in the Concourses.Before Leaving HomeFirst-time guests can watch videos with closed captioning prior to arriving at CVG. The videos offer a visual tour of the facilities to help plan. Step-by-step navigation scripts are available on CVG’s website, suitable for smart phone text-to-voice accessibility function. cvgairport.com/terminal/videos.New this season is a Google 360° Virtual Tour accessible from any PC, Mac or mobile smart device. cvgairport.com/terminal/360CVG recommends passengers arrive to the airport two hours before your flight to ensure adequate time to park, check baggage, go through security and make it to your gate in time for boarding. To save time and avoid lines, select your seat, check your bag, and print or download your boarding pass prior to arriving at the airport. Real-time updates such as flight status, weather and security times for TSA Pre-Check and general screening are available at cvgairport.com.Be sure to familiarize yourself with your specific airline’s time requirements. Passenger check-in, baggage tagging, and boarding times vary by airline. Generally, airlines will restrict checking in baggage 30 to 45 minutes prior to scheduled departure to allow ample time to tag, screen, and load baggage on board your aircraft. Boarding times are often included on your boarding pass indicating the boarding time beginning 30 to 40 minutes prior to scheduled departure. Most airlines end the boarding process 10 minutes prior to scheduled departure to ensure an on-time departure from the gate.Follow CVG on Twitter: @CVGairport, for travel tips, weather information and promotions for future trips.Navigating the AirportLook for public safety assistants wearing yellow jackets/vests located from the moment you arrive at curbside to security to help get you to your gate faster. Volunteer airport ambassadors are available throughout the Terminal and Concourses (everyday 8am-8pm) to also help answer questions. Information booth volunteers and public safety personnel have access to iPad language interpretation service including American Sign Language.Passengers in a wheelchair, using a stroller or service animal can utilize a designated lane in security.When using general screening, be prepared to remove blazers, coats and bulky sweaters and activate any electronic or battery-powered equipment as part of the security inspection. This includes laptops, music players, games and phones. PreCheck customers may leave jackets and shoes on and electronic devices may remain packed in carry-on luggage. You can find more information about Pre-Check online via tsa.gov/tsa-precheck. All airlines at CVG are now TSA Pre-Check compatible. If not already a PreCheck member, passengers can apply for future travel at CVG’s Pre-Check Enrollment Center located on the baggage claim level which is open from Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 12:30 pm and 1:00 pm – 5 pm.CVG offers more than 20 unique and diverse food and service options. The Club at CVG, an all-inclusive departure lounge, does not require a membership, and is accessible no matter what class of airline ticket. Kids play areas are located at Concourses A and B. The Garra Fish Spa, Natalie’s Candy Jar and a second Vino Volo location opened in Concourse A earlier this year. Passengers can also check out artifacts on loan from the Cincinnati Museum Center throughout the terminal and concourses with some locations hosting activity tables by CMC staff and volunteers. Also, new this year is a CPR-training kiosk in Concourse A where you can learn this life-saving skill in five minutes.CVG also supports service dogs, emotional support animals, and the family pet in a travel-safe carry-on bag. Animal Relief Areas are located near Gate A18 (interior) and Ground Transportation Center (exterior). Free Wi-Fi is available including plenty of outlets to recharge all your electronics before the flight.