How long does it really take to fly from Columbus to Cleveland? Here's a sample itinerary for a commercial flight plan. If you want to know the total travel time to reach Cleveland, you need to include time at the airports. Eventually, you'll be able to customize this itinerary to select other nearby airports and choose your preferred airline.
Tuesday, 11:40 am: start in Columbus
drive for about 19 minutes
most airlines recommend you get to the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight, so arrive by 12:54 pm at the latest
11:59 am: Port Columbus International (CMH)
if you need to check luggage, make sure you do it at least 30-60 minutes before departure, or in this case, by 1:24 pm
12:29 pm: get your boarding pass and go through TSA security
allow enough time for long security lines during busy travel seasons or holidays, and prepare for the wait time
1:29 pm: arrive at the gate
once you're ready to board, you can get something to eat in the airport or just relax near the gate
1:59 pm: prepare for boarding
check your boarding pass for your group number or listen to the gate agent as they announce boarding, some airlines require you to be in the boarding area 10-15 minutes before departure or risk losing your seat
2:14 pm: board Delta Air Lines Inc. flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
2:24 pm: this is your scheduled departure time
but this flight is usually delayed by an average of 25 minutes
2:49 pm: so this is your actual departure time
it takes the plane an average of 10 minutes to taxi to the runway
2:59 pm: wheels up! take-off from CMH
fly for about 1 hour in the air
4:10 pm: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
Atlanta, GA is the same time as Columbus, OH
land at the connecting airport
taxi on the runway for an average of 6 minutes to the gate
4:16 pm: arrive at the connecting airport
make sure you schedule enough time for your layover
there may be a minimum connection time for your flight
4:45 pm: get to your connection gate
with the average delay, you have about 29 minutes
if your incoming flight was delayed, you may need to run
5:00 pm: board Delta Air Lines Inc. connecting flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
5:10 pm: scheduled departure time for connecting flight
but this flight is usually delayed by an average of 5 minutes
5:15 pm: actual departure time for connecting flight
it takes the plane an average of 12 minutes to taxi to the runway
5:27 pm: wheels up again! take-off from DEN
fly for about 1.5 hours in the air
6:48 pm (local time): Cleveland-Hopkins International (CLE)
Cleveland is the same time as Columbus
taxi on the runway for an average of 7 minutes to the gate
6:55 pm (local time): arrive at the gate at CLE
deboard the plane, and claim any baggage
if you're renting a car, check if you need to take a shuttle to car rental agency, otherwise you can ride in a cab, limo, or Uber for about 31 minutes to your destination
7:26 pm (local time): arrive in Cleveland
Total travel time: 8 hours
How far is Cleveland from Columbus? Here's the quick answer if you have a private jet and you can fly in the fastest possible straight line.
Flight distance: 126 miles or 203 km
Flight time: 31 minutes
Compare this to a whole day of commercial travel with the airports and waiting in line for security, which ends up taking a total of 7 hours, 46 minutes.
Flying private is roughly 9.8x faster, and saves you about 7 hours in your total travel time.
Because of the curvature of the Earth, the shortest distance is actually the "great circle" distance, or "as the crow flies" which is calculated using an iterative Vincenty formula.
This is a relatively short flight in a private plane, but you might be planning to book a commercial flight. In that case, your travel time would really need to include how many minutes to get to your local airport, wait for security, board and taxi on the runway, land at the other airport, and get to your destination. The flight itinerary at the top of the page takes into account all these factors to get a more accurate estimate of your actual flight time.
Looking at flights on Delta Air Lines Inc. from CMH to ATL, and connecting flights on Delta Air Lines Inc. from ATL to CLE, here's a breakdown of the number of flights available each day:
Based on these statistical results, we chose Tuesday for the flight itinerary above.
The most common route is CMH to ATL, then connecting to CLE, so that's what we used in the sample itinerary. However, you may want to explore travel alternatives, you could try one of these routes:
We picked Delta Air Lines Inc. for your main flight, and Delta Air Lines Inc. for your connecting flight, but there are other airlines that you should check if you're looking for the cheapest flight, or you need a different schedule. Check the websites of these airlines:
Trippy has a ton of information that can help you plan your trip to Cleveland, Ohio. Start by reading the Trippy page on where to stay in Cleveland. If you're looking for a place to stay, you might want to check out The Cleveland Hostel. A great place to eat might be Lola. Trippy members can suggest things to do in Cleveland like Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Check out some of the questions people have asked about Cleveland like Good restaurants for business dinner? Click the button below to explore Cleveland in detail.
The distance is the same either way if you're flying a straight line. But for a real trip, there can be plenty of differences so go ahead and check the reverse flight itinerary to fly from Cleveland to Columbus, or go to the main page to calculate other flight times.
You can also compare the travel time if you were to drive instead. Get the full itinerary for a Columbus to Cleveland road trip. Or if you're more interested in the distance, How far is it from Columbus to Cleveland?
If you happen to know Columbus, don't forget to help other travelers and answer some questions about Columbus!