Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (KCLE/CLE)
Cleveland, United States
Cleveland Airline Crew Layover Guide
Reviewed by Captain AL
Crew car rental deal ↓Hotel deals ↓
The CLE crew card
| Fastest into town | RTA Red Line rapid transit from the station inside the terminal: 28 minutes to Tower City in the middle of downtown Cleveland, with trains every 15 minutes |
|---|---|
| First and last train | First train out of the airport 3:52 a.m., last one 1:22 a.m.; first train in 3:39 a.m., last one 1:09 a.m., the same clock seven days a week. The operator describes the service more loosely as roughly 4 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., so plan on the earlier finish |
| Payments | USD 2.50 one way, USD 5.00 for an all-day pass. Ticket machines at the airport station take credit and debit cards, and anyone paying cash needs the exact amount because operators carry no change |
| Tap water | Safe to drink |
| Emergency | 911 (City of Cleveland, airport, RTA, State of Ohio, and NIH numbers) · non-emergency 216-621-1234 |
| Solo & at night | Airport taxis run 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the taxi entrance at the south end of Baggage Claim by carousel 11, but the rank keeps business hours of 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and outside those you phone a company yourself. On the rapid, the transit operator tells riders to wait in well-lit central spots as near to other passengers as possible and to sit close to the operator during off-peak hours. Most rapid stations have emergency call boxes wired straight to the transit police dispatcher, and that line is staffed around the clock |
| Crew knows | Fare capping stops your charges at USD 5.00 a day, but only when you tap a Smartcard or scan an app: cash dropped in the farebox does not count toward it, and a new Smartcard costs USD 5.00 on its own, the price of a whole day of travel. On a single layover, buy the USD 5.00 all-day pass at the station machine instead, because at USD 2.50 a ride it has already paid for itself on the trip back. |
| Crew deals | Verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff: on this page, right below this guide. |
airlinecrewdiscount.net · CLE crew card · Checked Sep 2026 · Next check Oct 2026 · Screenshot this card for offline
Every number on this page comes from an official source. Where no official source gives a number, we say so instead of guessing.
Getting from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport into downtown Cleveland: the Red Line rapid, a taxi, or a hotel shuttle?
The Red Line does nearly all the work. The rapid transit station sits inside the terminal on the lower level and runs one seat to Tower City in the middle of downtown. Taxis and rideshare cover the roughly two and a half hours the train does not.
👉 Swipe sideways to see the full table
| Mode | Time | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train (RTA Red Line rapid transit) | 28 minutes from the airport to Tower City, 27 minutes coming back every 15 minutes, all day and every day |
USD 2.50 one way for an adult, USD 5.00 for an all-day pass | The station is on the lower level of the terminal complex, reached by the elevators or escalators near the center of the ticketing and baggage claim levels. First departure from the airport is 3:52 a.m. and the last is 1:22 a.m.; the last train back into the airport arrives 1:09 a.m., leaving Tower City at 12:42 a.m. The same times are printed for weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays and holidays. Late-evening trips from the airport end at Tower City rather than running the full line east. The Red Line works on proof of payment, so keep the activated ticket or pass to hand. |
| Taxi | 24 hours a day, seven days a week | on a pre-set rate structure; the airport publishes no flat rate and no estimate to downtown | Pickups are made only at the taxi entrance at the south end of the Baggage Claim level, by carousel 11. Drop-offs can be made anywhere on the airport campus. The dedicated CLE Airport Taxi fleet is white, carries GPS and in-cab cameras, and all the companies accept credit cards. Business hours for the rank are 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; outside those you call a company directly, Ace Taxi on 216-361-4700 or Americab on 216-881-1111. Ask what the fare will be before the bags go in, because no rate is published anywhere. |
| Rideshare (Uber, Lyft) | app-priced; the airport publishes no fare and no trip fee | Pick-up and drop-off can be arranged on either the upper departures roadway or the lower arrivals roadway, so read the driver’s message before you pick a door. Travelers waiting for an arrival are pointed to the cell phone lots or the Smart Garage rather than the lower kerb. | |
| Hotel shuttle | The airport publishes a list of 20 hotels that run their own vans to and from the terminal, each with a direct phone number. Most sit close in, at Brook Park, Middleburg Heights, North Olmsted, and Brooklyn, but the list also reaches as far out as Independence, Beachwood, Wadsworth, and Sandusky, so check where a hotel actually is before you count on a short ride. Shuttles are arranged with the hotel, not with the airport, so call ahead rather than waiting on the kerb. The airport’s ground transportation desk is staffed weekdays only, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., on 216-265-6794. |
Best Areas for Crew Stays in Cleveland, from downtown and Ohio City out to University Circle and the airport hotel belt
Downtown and Public Square: Where the Red Line puts you down, with Tower City, Public Square, the stadium district, and the lakefront museums all inside a walk.
Ohio City: Market halls, breweries, and old brick streets just across the river from downtown, on the same rail line as the airport.
Tremont: Hillside neighborhood of restaurants, galleries, and church spires south of downtown; a short ride rather than a walk.
University Circle: Museums, gardens, and the big hospitals clustered at the eastern end of the same rail line, best kept for a long window.
The airport hotel belt: Brook Park, Middleburg Heights, and North Olmsted: the hotels that run their own vans to the terminal, chosen for an early report time rather than for sightseeing.
What to Do on a Layover in Cleveland, from a short sit in the terminal to a full day downtown and one neighborhood beyond
Under 5 hours: Stay in the terminal. The Wi-Fi is free and the round trip downtown plus screening on the way back eats a short window without leaving much in the middle.
5 to 9 hours: One clean move: the Red Line to Tower City, downtown and the lakefront on foot, and back on the same line. Pick your return train before you leave the platform, because the trip runs 28 minutes each way.
9 hours plus: Downtown plus one neighborhood beyond it, Ohio City or Tremont or University Circle, and a proper sit-down meal, with the last train back at 12:42 a.m. from Tower City as your hard edge.
Crew Tips for Cleveland and CLE Airport: the fare and the day pass, the last train back, and where each pickup actually is
Paying for the train: One adult ride is USD 2.50 and an all-day pass is USD 5.00, so the pass pays for itself on the second trip. Buy at the ticket vending machines at the airport station, which take credit and debit cards. If you pay cash you need the exact amount, because operators carry no change, and a cash fare buys one vehicle only with no transfer. A 5-trip card at USD 12.50, a 7-day pass at USD 25.00, and the monthly at USD 95.00 all include transfers. The operator also runs automatic fare capping: tap a GCRTA Smartcard or scan the Transit or EZfare app every time you board and the charge stops at USD 5.00 for the day, the same price as the all-day pass. Cash dropped straight into the farebox does not count toward that cap and a new Smartcard costs USD 5.00, so for a single layover the all-day pass is the simpler buy. Since May 7, 2026 mobile ticket holders must scan the validator when boarding rather than just showing the phone.
Catching the last train: The last departure from the airport is 1:22 a.m. and the last train back into the airport leaves Tower City at 12:42 a.m. and arrives at 1:09 a.m. The operator’s own summary of the service is looser, roughly 4 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., so treat 12:30 a.m. as the safe cut-off for getting back and the printed times as the outside edge. After that it is a taxi or a rideshare, and the airport taxi rank is only in business hours until 11:00 p.m., which means phoning Ace Taxi or Americab yourself.
Where the pickups actually are: Taxis and rideshare do not share a door. Taxi pickups happen only at the taxi entrance at the south end of the Baggage Claim level, by carousel 11. Rideshare pick-up and drop-off is coordinated on either the upper departures roadway or the lower arrivals roadway, so check which one your driver has chosen before you walk. The rapid transit station is a third place again, on the lower level by the elevators and escalators in the center of ticketing and baggage claim.
Connectivity: The airport states that its Wi-Fi is free. It publishes no network name, no session limit, and no terms page, so do not plan a crew call or a big upload around it before you have tested the signal at the gate. It lists Connection Stations at the entrance to Concourse A and at the entrance to Concourse B, but says nothing anywhere about what they provide, so do not count on finding a power outlet there.
Bags and the information desk: The airport publishes no baggage storage and no lockers, so a bag you cannot carry into town has to stay with your crew or your airline. The central information desk on the ticketing level is staffed every day between 4 a.m. and 8 p.m. and is where a person can help you in the terminal. Lost and found is 216-265-0777, listed as Sunday to Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., holding items for 30 days only, with recovery outside those hours by appointment. The footer of the same airport site prints different hours for that desk, Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., so call the number before you make a special trip for a bag.
Safety on the rapid: The transit system runs its own police force with a 24/7 number, 216-566-5163, and you can send a text, photo, or video to 216-575-3937. The Red Line works on proof of payment, so officers do check tickets on board. Cleveland takes emergency reports by text as well as by call to 911.
Emergency Numbers for Cleveland, CLE Airport, and the United States
👉 Swipe sideways if the numbers do not fit
| Emergency (police, fire, medical). Cleveland takes calls and texts | 911 |
| Cleveland police non-emergency (no immediate danger, questions about safety) | 216-621-1234 |
| Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Security (airport, police, and TSA) | 216-623-5662 |
| Airport Police at the terminal, or dial 6055 on any white courtesy phone | 216-265-6055 |
| RTA Transit Police, on the trains and at the stations, 24/7 | 216-566-5163 |
| Poison Emergency Hotline, 24 hours | 800-222-1222 |
| 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 24/7, free and confidential | 988 |
| United States country code (calling from abroad) | +1 |
Save these before you fly; numbers work from any phone.
How do I get from Cleveland airport to downtown Cleveland?
Take the RTA Red Line from the station inside the terminal. It is 28 minutes to Tower City in the middle of downtown, with trains every 15 minutes all day. The adult fare is USD 2.50 one way. The station is on the lower level of the terminal complex, reached by the elevators or escalators near the center of the ticketing and baggage claim levels.
How much is the train from Cleveland Hopkins Airport to downtown?
USD 2.50 for one adult ride, or USD 5.00 for an all-day pass that pays for itself on the second trip. Buy at the ticket vending machines at the airport station, which take credit and debit cards. Paying cash needs the exact amount, because operators carry no change, and a cash fare covers one vehicle with no transfer.
What time does the last train leave Cleveland airport?
The last departure from the airport is 1:22 a.m. and the last train back into the airport leaves Tower City at 12:42 a.m., arriving at 1:09 a.m. The same times are printed for weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays and holidays. The operator describes the service more loosely as roughly 4 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., so treat 12:30 a.m. as the safe cut-off for getting back.
Is tap water safe to drink in Cleveland?
Yes. Cleveland Water reports that in 2025, as in previous years, it met or surpassed all applicable federal and state drinking water standards. The water comes from Lake Erie and is tested nearly 200,000 times a year for more than 200 regulated and unregulated contaminants.
Can I store luggage at Cleveland Hopkins Airport on a layover?
The airport publishes no baggage storage and no lockers, so plan on a bag you can carry or leave it with your crew or your airline. The central information desk on the ticketing level is staffed every day between 4 a.m. and 8 p.m. if you need a person in the terminal, and lost and found is 216-265-0777.
Spotted a change? Tell us and we fix it for the next crew.
Crew Discounts in Cleveland: verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff sit right below this guide. Bookmark this page before you head down to the rapid transit station on the lower level. Next Cleveland rotation you start on the rates instead of from scratch.
