Tampa Airport Departures (TPA)

Tampa International Airport is found in the state of Florida, and just six miles from the city centre of Tampa, one of Florida’s favourite cities. The airport is busy, with just over sixteen million passengers per annum, and is a major hub for the airline company Silver Airways. Tampa International Airport departures are offered by many other airline companies as well, of which Southwest Airlines is one of the larger carriers. Passengers of the airport will find all the facilities they require within the terminal buildings, and will receive efficient service from the airport and airline staff members. Options for ground transport are available as well, or passengers can park their own vehicles in the airport parking lots.

The airport of Tampa is connected to the city and to various nearby areas by several Interstates. The Interstate 275 is the main access road of the airport, and is linked to the Interstate 4. From St. Petersburg departing passengers will take the Interstate 275 to cross over Old Tampa Bay, and will use the airport exit for access to the Memorial Highway, which in turn leads to the parking areas of the airport. The Interstate 275 is used from the city centre as well, and passengers coming from areas further to the north or south, such as Wesley Chapel and Brandon, will use the Interstate 75 for a connection to the Interstate 275. The Interstate 4 is available from Lakeland and Plant City. Another useful road for airport access is the Highway 60, which also crosses Old Tampa Bay. Passengers can leave their vehicles safely at the airport in the short-term garage above the terminal, at the long-term garage adjacent to the terminal or in the economy parking lot. Monorail trains are available from the long-term car park and shuttles serve the economy parking lot. Valet parking services are available as well.

Alternatively, reach a departure flight from Tampa International Airport by taxi, public bus or private shuttle. Taxis are operated by Yellow Cab and United Cab, and offer a quick and convenient way to reach the airport from all nearby areas. They are not too expensive from the city centre as the airport is only a few miles away. Advanced reservations are not required for the public buses that are operated by HART (or the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit company). They leave from various locations in the city every half an hour, and are the cheapest way to travel. Passengers can also arrange a private door-to-door shuttle service from SuperShuttle, or can travel from further destinations with Red Coach.

Tampa International Airport in Hillsborough County was formerly known as the Drew Field Municipal Airport, and consists of a Landside/Airside Terminal and four satellite buildings. The main terminal of the airport consists of several levels. Level 1 is mainly dedicated to baggage claim halls with all inbound baggage facilities and baggage belts, and Level 2 is where the ticketing and check-in functions are performed. There is also a Charter desk here for flights that do not usually use the airport. The Transfer Level, or Level 3, is important for departing passengers as it is the location of the airside shuttle stations for the automated people mover system (APM) of the airport. These trains run twenty-four hours a day and take passengers to the four satellite buildings that contain the airline gates. The APM is free of charge and accessible to disabled passengers. It was also the first APM system to ever be used at an airport.

On the third level as well, there is the Airport Galleria, which is a large shopping area with a variety of stores selling all kinds of goods and services. A few of the shops available include News Central, Sunglass International, Mindworks, Florida Shop, Brookstone/Destination Time, Author’s Bookstore, Cole’s Hair Cuts and the Ron Jon Surf Shop. The shops are open daily from 07:00 to 21:00. Another good place to shop at the airport is at the Marriott Shopping Arcade, with stores such as Kid’s Store and Flowers, the UPS Store, Tampa Gifts and News, Nathan’s Accessories and the Monocle Bookstore. The Marriott is the airport’s hotel that is located adjacent to the terminal building, and which is a convenient place to stay the night if on an early morning departure flight. Two food courts are present on Level 3 as well, one on each side of the building.

In addition to shopping and dining opportunities, the airport offers wireless internet connections, a Travelex for currency exchange services, a branch of SunTrust Bank for all money matters and services for disabled passengers. In general, the entire terminal is designed for maximum efficiency, and with the convenience of its passengers in mind. Each side of the building is also colour-coded. ‘Red’ facilities indicate that they are found on the north side, while ‘Blue’ facilities are found on the south. Baggage claim halls and airline companies are colour-coded according to their locations.

The four airside satellite buildings are referred to as A, C, E and F, and include various facilities of their own. There are duty-free stores, food courts, gift shops and a few airline lounges, for example, the Delta Air Lines ‘Sky Club’, the US Airways Club and the International Club, which is operated for passengers of British Airways. Airside A has gates 1-12, Airside C has gates 30-45, Airside E has gates 62-75 and Airside F has gates 76-90. Airside E was designed for Delta Air Lines, while Airside F is mainly used for international departures.

The main airline companies offering Tampa International Airport departure flights include Air Canada, AirTran, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Edelweiss Air, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Spirit Airlines, WestJet, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and US Airways. They offer non-stop flights to about 72 destinations, of which the most popular are to Atlanta, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Newark, Dallas/Fort Worth, Baltimore, Detroit, Chicago and Miami. International flights depart for Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa and Montreal in Canada, London in the United Kingdom, Cancun in Mexico and Zurich in Switzerland.

Further information for passengers on departure flights from Tampa International Airport is available from the airport at 813-870-8700. Live departure schedules are available on various online websites as well.