TAMPA, Fla. — If your travel plans bring you through Tampa International Airport between now and April 10, it may take you a little longer to find a parking spot or get through security checkpoints.
That’s because TPA has projected this spring to be its busiest ever with a daily average of 76,000 passengers expected to be passing through the airport, compared to 60,000 on a typical day.
TPA’s biggest tip is to get to the airport early.
“We anticipate on average 550 daily arrivals and departures at the airport. On peak days we’re looking for substantially greater numbers of flights to operate in and out of our airport,” Adam Bouchard, vice president of operations at TPA, said.
He said the airport dealt with challenges related to widespread delays from Southwest Airlines but is now prepared for the busy months ahead.
“We came off an extremely challenging period with our airline partners, mainly Southwest. But looking back at this past February, I'll tell you the airlines are doing an extraordinary job leading up to what is now our busiest month. Just 1% of our flights in all of February were canceled and 88% of our flights on time,” Bouchard added.
Other tips from the airport to improve your trip include choosing express curbsides if you aren’t checking luggage.
You can also plan for parking by taking advantage of their online booking system. Plus, if you’re ordering food, you can skip the lines by using TPA To Go, which is powered by Uber Eats and can be used directly in the Uber Eats App, or the Starbucks mobile app to order and pay ahead of time.
Spring Break season for the airport runs from March 7 through April 10. Peak days are expected to be Saturdays and Sundays.