Flying into the Tampa International Airport is something of a guilty pleasure. One isn't supposed to like airports. However, the Tampa airport has won awards and a large number of passenger accolades for the attractiveness of its architecture and the ease of navigation overall. The large windows and avoidance of underground tunneling take advantage of the warm Florida weather and keep the interior of the airport bathed in natural light for most of the day.
Tampa has a long history as an aviation destination. It was the home of the first commercially scheduled flight, which took off from Tampa Field on January 1, 1914. Since that time commercial service has been consistently available, with demand frequently outpacing the facilities. As a result, the airport seems to always have at least one element under construction to keep up with the more than 20 million passengers who use the terminals annually.
Tampa International Airport is currently in the process of upgrading the access roads and parking structures. The multi-year project launched in 2005 . . . .locals and travelers like to make bets for when it will be completed. As airport authorities would like to double the capacity of the airport but have to keep pushing back the start date for a new terminal construction project due to the US economy, the roads project just seems to go on and on.
However, the roads project does not cause much in the way of congestion or delay. Travelers to the airport are much more likely to be delayed by a traffic accident on the causeway leading up to the airport than any construction work. At the airport, the color-coding system makes navigating the facilities easier than the numbered systems found elsewhere. This convenience must translate to the runways . . .Tampa has never experienced any crash or incident with any of its plane since it opened nearly 100 years ago.
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