Tampa Airport Named Among Country's Best

TAMPA, FL — Tampa International Airport has been named the best airport in its size category in North America for 2019 by Airports Council International, a leading industry organization.

The prestigious 2019 Airport Service Quality Award, which is based off of thousands of passenger surveys throughout the year, is considered one of the industry’s highest accolades, with nearly 499 airports participating across 95 different countries.

“Tampa Airport’s goal is to provide our guests with the highest level of customer service each and every day,” said airport CEO Joe Lopano. “As the gateway to the west coast of Florida, we want our guests’ first and last impression of our region to be a memorable one. I am incredibly proud of the team who made this impressive accomplishment possible, and I am grateful for their tireless hard work in making this airport run smoothly.”

TPA won the award Monday along with Dallas Love Field Airport for North American airports serving between 15 and 25 million passengers per year

The award recognizes those airports around the world that deliver the best customer experience in the opinion of their own passengers.

This is the second major customer service accolade for Tampa International Airport in recent months.

Late last year, The Wall Street Journal ranked Tampa International Airport No. 1 among medium-sized airports in the U.S. The ranking, in particular, recognized TPA’s world-class convenience, recent renovations, re-imagined concessions program and the overall cleanliness of the facility.

Additionally, TPA was named the second best airport in USA Today's "10 Best Reader's Choice 2020," behind Orlando International Airport.

Readers lauded TPA for its compact size, generally short security lines and well-rated restaurants including Cigar City Brewing, Goody Goody and Columbia Cafe.

Changes Underway

Tampa Airport has maintained top customer service marks while serving a growing number of guests and flights. For Fiscal Year 2019, TPA served a record 22.2 million guests.

To accommodate this growth, the airport is in the midst of a three-phase master plan expansion that will ultimately allow for up to 34 million annual passengers. Phase 2, which includes new express curbs and a commercial development area, is underway. Phase 3 includes a new 16-gate airside, which will accommodate domestic and international passengers.

Visitors are already noticing differences.

TPA recently opened a pair of larger and more modern restrooms featuring deeper stalls – and more of them – with modern finishes and improved amenities. These include floor-to-ceiling tile, backlit mirrors, touchless sink faucets and Dyson hand dryers.

TPA

Tampa International Airport is in the process of modernizing the airport bathrooms.

As part of the project to modernize and update TPA’s airside restrooms, guests can expect to see periodic restroom closures during construction.

The airport is also enhancing several other airside amenities, including:

• Two new water bottle filling stations on each airside
• New nursing rooms on each airside and in the Main Terminal
• New service animal relief areas.

First Bicycle-Friendly Airport

In January, TPA was named the first bicycle-friendly Airport in the United States by the League of American Bicyclists – a designation that recognizes TPA’s support of cycling in the Tampa Bay region.

TPA’s efforts include the construction of a new bike and pedestrian path that will later connect into a regional trail network, as well as new covered bike parking and repair stations.

“We are tremendously honored to be named the first bike-friendly airport in the country,” said airport CEO Joe Lopano. “We’re big believers in transportation options that offer an alternative to cars and improve connectivity, reduce transportation costs and promote wellness and sustainability. Cycling can achieve all of those goals – and that’s why it is so important to support it for the 10,000 people who work at the airport as well as travelers.”

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, who also serves on the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority Board, agreed.

“Make no mistake — the Tampa International Airport is the absolute best airport in the country and this designation by the League of American Bicyclists just further proves that,” said Castor. “Providing transit options to and from the airport not only for their passengers but for their world class staff is paramount for an airport of this caliber.”

The airport received the bronze Bicycle-Friendly Business award from the league – an honor given to organizations contributing to building a more bike-friendly America through engineering and education.

Tampa International Airport is doing just that, and more is planned.

The Airport is in the midst of building a bicycle and pedestrian trail that will loop around the Airport’s new SkyCenter development and Cell Phone Waiting Lot, eventually connecting Tampa Airport into a wider regional trail network.

The airport’s new office building, SkyCenter One, will also have indoor bicycle commuter facilities and amenities that support employees who want to bike to work. TPA is in the process of installing eight new bike racks and a bike repair fix-it station at the Rental Car Center/Transit curb, and people who use TPA’s North Employee Parking Lot near Hillsborough Avenue will have improved and covered bike parking, along with a bike repair station.

The fix-it repair stations were funded by the Westshore Alliance through a Florida Department of Transportation grant.

The airport also supports cycling in other ways, including building bikes in support of the Tampa-based nonprofit, onbikes, providing bicycle-safety and bike path development updates at lunch-and-learn sessions for airport employees, and branding its own bike lights.

The emphasis on cycling ties into TPA’s growing emphasis on sustainability.

Tampa International Airport, and its three General Aviation airports, are the only airports in the Southeast United States with an Airport Carbon Accreditation certification from the Airports Council International’s Airport Carbon Accreditation program. TPA, in part, has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 10.7 percent per passenger, according to the latest data.

In addition, TPA offers nearly two dozen electric vehicle charging stations, recently added solar panels in partnership with Tampa Electric, operates a fleet of natural gas vehicles and uses reclaimed water for all irrigation and cooling towers.