Tampa International Airport
Tampa International Airport or TPA is a major international airport in the southern United States and is located in Tampa, Florida. It serves the Tampa metro area which includes the cities of Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Bradenton and Tarpon Springs. Tampa International Airport is known as one of the best air facilities in the country due to its good location, amenities and functionality. Tampa International Airport has 3 runways (2 major, 1 smaller), 1 terminal with 4 airsides and facilities capable of handling aircraft as large as Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s. In terms of passenger traffic, Tampa International is the 4th busiest in the state of Florida (behind Miami, Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale).
Tampa International Airport has 1 terminal that is unique to TPA, it was the first of its type in the world. This “landside-airside” terminal consists of one main “anchor” terminal that houses checkin counters, shops, restaurants, baggage claim and pickup/dropoff. Connected to the main terminal are 4 airsides lettered A,C,E and F that contain a total of 62 gates. Within each airside are shops, restaurants, airline lounges and TSA security checkpoints. All airsides have been built later than 1987 and are well up to date by todays standards. Airside A was completed in 1995 and houses gates 1-12 and 14-18 in which Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, Silver Airways, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines and Sun Country (seasonal) operate from. Airside C was completed in 2005 and includes gates 30-45 and was exclusively used by Southwest airlines until Frontier commenced operations from C in 2015. Airside E was completed in 2002 and contains gates 62-75 in which Air Canada (seasonal), Air Canada Rouge, Delta Airlines and WestJet operate out of. Airside F was completed in 1987 and is the international airside (all international flights operate here). American Airlines, British Airways (London-Gatwick), Cayman Airways, Copa Airways, Edelweiss, Lufthansa (Frankfurt Main) and all seasonal/charter service to Central America/Cuba (JetBlue, American Airlines, Eastern Air Lines, Delta Airlines, Swift Air and Sun Country Airlines) all operate from airside F. All of Tampa’s airsides are unique and yet their simple design makes them practical and even enjoyable to navigate.
There are many facilities on the Tampa airport grounds that cater to any travelers needs. There are many parking options for travelers such as airport economy parking to local parking companies. Near the central terminal is the Tampa airport Marriott hotel that features soundproof glass and a pool overlooking the apron and taxiway Alpha. There are also many car rental facilities on the grounds, and practically all of them are affiliates of All Star Travel. These fine companies include, Dollar, Thrifty, Sixt, Hertz, Budget and many more. The airport is located 6 miles west of downtown Tampa and is around a 10-30 minute drive on interstate 275 to downtown Tampa. With countless facilities to cater to each travelers needs, getting in and out of Tampa is as easy as swimming in the nearby sea!
Tampa International airport is one of the most functional and efficient airports in America and is a wonderful gateway to Florida’s gulf coast. It truly is unique to the city of Tampa and her people are proud to have TPA as their gateway to the world, and those visiting Tampa should find their experience TPA to be unexpectedly good.
For more information, visit www.tampaairport.com
Fun Facts:
-Tampa International Airport was once known as Drew Field (US Army base)
-TPA pioneered the landside-airside terminal with their cutting edge 1960 design
-TPA had 4 original airsides that have all been demolished and rebuilt
-TPAs control tower is 227ft tall (tallest in US when completed in 1972)
-Tampa is one of the few American cities with charter flights to Cuba
-TPA serves approximately 17 million passengers a year but in 2015 the served 18 million passengers, a record for the airport.
-There is a local dilemma as to calling Tampa International Airport “TIA” over its actual code “TPA”