Tampa International Ranks High with Travelers as Construction Continues
Tampa International Airport ranked #3 best airport in the nation! Part of the appeal is the wide range of dining options, both local and nationally branded. BDG Architects was awarded eight of the food & beverage concepts, including Four Green Fields, Auntie Anne’s, RumFish Grill, Cafe by Mise en Place, Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, New York New York Pizza and PDQ.
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Despite all the construction going on at Tampa International Airport, it continues to grow in popularity among airport users.
TIA was ranked as the third best airport in the nation, according to Condé Nast Traveler’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards.
“Tampa’s airport feels like a vision of the future from 50 years ago (because it was), but think of this more as the timelessness” of TIA, the magazine said as it announced the 10 best airports in the U.S. for 2016. “The shuttles taking people from the central terminal to the satellites were unique at the time, and they still function well today. It’s an easy airport that’s very close to downtown, and that makes it a winner.”
TIA ranked No. 2 on the list in 2015.
Beating out TIA for the top spot this year was Indianapolis International Airport followed by Portland International Airport. In crowning Indianapolis for the third year in a row, Condé Nast Traveler said: “Unlike at most airports, the security checkpoints were designed to help people breeze through TSA procedures. Once through, the concourses are full of local favorites.”
Like Indianapolis, TIA is looking to bring local flavor to its concessions that have been opening up as part of a nearly $1 billion master plan expansion.
With 22 concessions beginning operations so far this year, TIA is well on its way to meeting its overall goal of adding 65 new concessions that will increase airside dining and shopping opportunities.
More than 40 percent of the food and beverage concepts will be dedicated to local brands, including Ulele, Four Green Fields, Buddy Brew Coffee and Ducky’s, which is owned by Tampa Bay Rays player Evan Longoria, who was at the grand opening of the TIA location. National brands, such as P.F. Chang's and the Hard Rock Cafe, have opened up as well.
Joseph Lopano, TIA’s chief executive officer, has said that a major focus of the expansion plan is to shift more businesses from the main terminal to the airsides where passengers have already gone through security. Under that plan, TIA will increase the footprint of its main terminal, and build both a new rental car facility and a 1.4-mile automated people mover.