Michael Goldberg

Michael Goldberg remembers life back when Cleveland was a hub for Continental Airlines.

He's a professor in the School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.

But then in 2010, after the Cleveland Browns placed last in their division again, Continental merged with United Airlines.

That meant United now had hubs in D.C.

and Chicago and Newark and Cleveland.

It didn't really need all of those.

So four years later, Cleveland got axed.

The airport lost dozens of nonstop flights.

It shut down its fourth and shiniest and newest concourse.

Twelve years later, it's still empty.

And Clevelanders still talk about how air travel was better back before United bailed.

The Fort Lauderdale Hollywood area could be facing a similar fate.

Dan Linblade runs the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce.

The airline employed 4,000 people in the area.

It's too early to say what will happen to the number of flights or direct connections long term.

A similar thing happened to Cleveland, which led to one shiny silver lining.

Beju Shah leads the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the regional chamber of commerce.

Now, Cleveland's story and Fort Lauderdale's aren't apples to apples.

And for another, Fort Lauderdale Hollywood Airport has competition 30 miles away, the much larger Miami International.

Cleveland doesn't have that kind of competition.