Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) is a single-terminal airport: one upper-level ticketing hall, one lower-level baggage claim, and three concourses — A (north), B (central), and C (south) — branching off a central post-security area. Once you know which concourse your airline uses and which checkpoint serves it, Hopkins is one of the easier airports in the country to navigate quickly.
The Terminal Layout in 30 Seconds
The main terminal has two levels. Ticketing and all three TSA checkpoints (North, Central, South) are on the upper level, reached from the Upper Drive curbside. Baggage claim, the RTA rail station, rental car counters, and ground transportation are on the lower level, reached from the Lower Drive. Concourse A extends north, Concourse B sits in the center directly ahead of the checkpoints, and Concourse C runs south — it is the longest concourse at the airport. Concourse D is closed and vacant, so you can ignore it on older maps.
For the record: CLE is at 5300 Riverside Dr, Cleveland, OH 44135 (phone 216-265-6000), about 13 miles southwest of downtown. It serves around 10 million passengers a year on roughly 115 daily flights to 34 domestic and 5 international destinations.
Which Concourse Is Your Airline In?
Matching your airline to its concourse before you park or get dropped off is the single biggest time-saver at Hopkins:
- Concourse A (north) – Frontier, gates A1–A14. International arrivals are processed near gate A5.
- Concourse B (central) – Delta and Southwest, gates B1–B11.
- Concourse C (south) – United, American, JetBlue, Alaska, Air Canada, and Aer Lingus, gates C2–C29.
Gate assignments can shift, so confirm yours on the departure boards — but the airline-to-concourse pattern above is stable. See our full CLE airlines and gate guide for details.
Pick the Checkpoint That Matches Your Concourse
CLE has three TSA checkpoints on the upper level. Choosing the one closest to your concourse saves a long backtrack:
- North checkpoint → Concourse A. Operates on an as-needed basis, opening around 4:15 AM; not always staffed, so have a backup plan.
- Central checkpoint → Concourse B. Typically open 4:00 AM–10:00 PM and is the PreCheck-dedicated checkpoint (PreCheck lanes typically 4:00 AM–9:00 PM).
- South checkpoint → Concourse C. Closest to the C gates; typically open 3:30 AM–7:15 PM. After it closes in the evening, C-gate passengers clear at Central.
The checkpoint that is open and has the shortest line usually beats the one that is geographically closest. Full hours and wait-time tips are on our CLE TSA wait times page.
Walking Between Concourses After Security
Once you clear security, all three concourses connect through a central post-security area — you can walk freely between A, B, and C without exiting or re-screening. There is a food court in the central area, plus a second food court at the far end of Concourse C. Plan your walk: A and B are adjacent, so hopping between them takes a few minutes; going from the A gates all the way to the high C gates is an end-to-end walk of the terminal, roughly 10–15 minutes at a brisk pace. If your connection or dinner plans cross concourses, build that in. Our guide to getting between concourses has the details.
Landside Services Worth Knowing
- ATMs: near gate A1, the Concourse B retail core and gate B5, gates C5 and C14, plus the ticketing level, baggage claim, rental car facility, and the bridge to the parking garage.
- Charging: charging stations near gates A1 and A6, B2 and B7, and C3 and C17, with laptop workstations at the entrances to Concourses A and B.
- Getting downtown: the RTA Red Line station is on the lower level of the terminal; metered taxis wait outside the south end of the terminal; rideshare pickups are permitted on the curbsides. Full options are in our CLE transportation guide.
- Other services: an interfaith chapel sits near the Central checkpoint (typically open 5:00 AM–11:00 PM), a nursing room is across from gate B1, and there is a pet relief area inside the secure zone between the North and Central checkpoints.
Keep planning: CLE Concourse C map · Cleveland airport food & restaurants guide · Cleveland Airport Guides for every CLE guide in one place
Make Your CLE Journey Easier with AirportGo
AirportGo is built for the whole airport journey — before, during, and after your flight. Before you fly, use the packing checklist and trip tasks to get organized. During your trip, search the directory for gates, food, restrooms, and ATMs, get step-by-step walking navigation through the terminal, check TSA checkpoint times, and set a parking reminder so your spot is saved. After you land, the find-my-car feature uses your saved parking photo and location to walk you back to your vehicle. It even works offline, so a weak airport signal won’t slow you down. The app is available now on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
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