Continental Airlines’ new service into Cleveland is expected to result in more city break and flydrive product to Ohio.
The long-awaited non-stop flight will depart Gatwick daily from July 1.
The mid-west city joins Houston and Newark as Continental’s third UK-US gateway.
Flights will depart Gatwick at 10.55am, arriving Cleveland at 2.45pm local time to connect with Continental’s feeder services at its third major hub. Return is at 5.20pm, landing at Gatwick at 5.55am the next day. Journey time for the Boeing 757 service is 7hrs 30mins.
In a bid to help establish the route, Project Partnership, UK representative for the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland, is planning a series of promotions in conjunction with Continental.
Patrick Richardson, a director of PP, said: “While many operators currently feature Cleveland in their tour programmes, we aim to increase visitor numbers as Continental’s new direct service firmly plants the Greater Cleveland area on the map.”
The new Ohio link supplements the current daily Gatwick-Cincinnati service operated by Delta Airlines.
Major Cleveland attractions include SeaWorld of Ohio, the new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the museums of University Circle and the Playhouse Theatre District.
In addition, more than 1,700 new hotel rooms will open in downtown Cleveland by the end of next year, bringing the total in the city centre to 4,600 as part of a $170m investment.
These include a 250-room Hyatt Regency hotel as part of the $52m renovation of the historic Arcade area, including shops and restaurants.
Also scheduled to open are several Hilton hotels, two Inter-Continentals, the Marriott Residence Inn at the newly named Colonial Marketplace, and the Doubletree Hotel at Courthouse Towers near the Historic Warehouse District.