Why is Cincinatti such an international airport?

[MattDell]

Granted this route is a good money maker for me, I don't understand why in this simulation CVG has such an international presence.  Looking at the destinations offered at present, I'm far pressed to find any nonstop routes outside N. America (save one route to Paris), yet I count 11 in RMA #1.


Just wondering if there is an explanation for this.

-Matt

[DHillMSP]

I'd wager it has something to do with its (some would argue former) status as a hub for Delta.  They've reduced capacity there recently, which would explain why you cannot find current flights - only the Paris service remains (and what I've read, that might go away soon - Delta could just route passengers to their nearby hubs in either Detroit or Minneapolis and keep the load factors on those flights up).

[swiftus27]

I live near KCLE  (Cleveland Hopkins)   If we are going international, we go to the following airports here:

1.  Newark (Continental)
2.  Los Angeles (Many)
3.  New York (Many)
4.  Houston (Continental)
5.  Chicago (United)
6.  Detroit  (Northwest)
7.  On a lesser extent, Atlanta

I don't know any airline that flies major international lines out of Cincy.

[Yb]

Most of the routes here are generated by a code to make it more easier and simplier. It's not possible to generaly MODEL every route for every airport as the number of them is near unlimited.

[Sigma]

To further expound on what Yb has said, an airport is given a relative size based on reality.  That size is then used to generate a rough demand to other airports based on their size (i.e. high traffic between 2 large airports, low traffic between 2 small airports, and many variations in-between).  That's why when you look through the demand between destinations when opening a route, so many are the same.

Since Cincinnati is classified as a fairly large airport it's given somewhat of an international demand.  Though that can be altered fairly easy by Sami if he so desired.

One must also consider that this is not a "simulation" per se.  AWS is not out to mimic reality, only present a possible reality based on realistic parameters.  Just because no international airline offers routes to Cincinatti in real-life doesn't mean no one in Cincinatti wants to fly internationally.  It simply means that, in real-life, it's more cost-effective to move them to JFK (or wherever) and then fly them internationally from there to get superior economies of scale.  Even in reality there is international demand in/around CVG, it's just that the circumstances of reality mean that they have to do so from some other airport.

[LemonButt]

I'm from Cincinnati and grew up minutes from CVG with parents working for American/Delta.  Cincinnati was the second largest hub for Delta back in the day, but now it's the fifth largest after downsizing and merging with Northwest.  It was also home to the largest regional carrier in the country (ComAir).  There are 3 terminals and 1 was dedicated to Delta exclusively with 3 concourses there--A, B, and C.  Comair was the entire C concourse with 80 gates, Delta domestic was the entire B concourse, and the A concourse was all international flights.  Comair has moved most of its jets to JFK now and Terminal 1 has been closed as well as Concourse C for Delta, which means CVG is roughly half as busy as it used to be.  Delta still has an 88% market share there

[MattDell]

To further expound on what Yb has said, an airport is given a relative size based on reality.  That size is then used to generate a rough demand to other airports based on their size (i.e. high traffic between 2 large airports, low traffic between 2 small airports, and many variations in-between).  That's why when you look through the demand between destinations when opening a route, so many are the same.

Since Cincinnati is classified as a fairly large airport it's given somewhat of an international demand.  Though that can be altered fairly easy by Sami if he so desired.

One must also consider that this is not a "simulation" per se.  AWS is not out to mimic reality, only present a possible reality based on realistic parameters.  Just because no international airline offers routes to Cincinatti in real-life doesn't mean no one in Cincinatti wants to fly internationally.  It simply means that, in real-life, it's more cost-effective to move them to JFK (or wherever) and then fly them internationally from there to get superior economies of scale.  Even in reality there is international demand in/around CVG, it's just that the circumstances of reality mean that they have to do so from some other airport.

Exactly what I wanted to hear.  Thanks for the explanation of how route demand is calculated.

-Matt