Tampa International Airport’s 7 Most Popular Airlines
Are you loyal to a particular airline or do you just fly what’s cheapest and fastest? Passengers who fly out of Tampa International Airport definitely seem to have a favorite airline. 1 out of every 4 people who fly out of TPA are on board with Southwest Airlines. A new 2024 report out from Tampa International says that Southwest has 26% of the share of passengers.
#1 at Tampa International Airport: Southwest
Southwest landing (sorry, bad pun intended) at the #1 spot is interesting given the challenges the airline had this past year. You might remember Southwest Airlines ended up paying a $35 million fine in a $140 million settlement after that mess in December 2022. Thousands of flights were canceled and it left over 2 million passengers stranded, according to the Associated Press.
But Southwest Airlines definitely has its fans. While other airlines charge for just about everything these days, Southwest offers free drinks like soda, water and iced tea. Southwest passengers also get to bring 2 bags for free. The airline is also known for being flexible in allowing riders to change their flight without an extra charge. Plus there are no assigned seats with Southwest’s open seating plan. Southwest also offers free entertainment on board their flights, like movies and live TV.
The fight for business the runner up spot to Southwest is a close one. Delta Airlines comes in at #2 with 17% of the share of flights. American Airlines is right behind them at #3 at 16%. United Airlines comes in at #4 as they accounts for 1 out of every 10 passengers at TPA.
Discount Airlines at Tampa International Airport
The discount airlines have 2 of the last 3 spots. Frontier and Spirit Airlines, which often post really low airfares this time of year round out the Top 10. Frontier had 8% of the traffic while Spirit was close behind at 7%. The last one in that top 7 is Jet Blue. They also account for 7% of the traffic out of Tampa International Airport. TPA says 23,948,889 passengers passed through the airport in 2023. That’s up 11.24% over 2022.