Tampa International Airport Brings Back Program Letting Visitors Access Terminals Without Flight Tickets

Tampa International Airport relaunched its All Access program Monday. People without boarding passes can visit the airside terminals. The program had been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officials started the program in 2019. They brought it back after customers kept asking to access dining and shopping options past security checkpoints.

"We're thrilled to bring back our popular TPA All Access program, giving the entire community a chance to once again shop, dine and relax at Tampa International Airport without requiring a boarding pass," CEO Michael Stephens said in a statement, per WTSP. "Our guests have been eagerly asking for this special perk to return, and we're proud to reinstate the program as part of TPA's ongoing commitment to delivering an exceptional customer experience."

Visitors can access any of the four airside terminals at TPA. Passes grant entry to post-security restaurants and stores that ticketed passengers typically use.

Shannon Boos, Senior Manager of Guest Experience, said the program creates new opportunities. "Now you can come out and have dinner at Ulele or you can have dinner at Cigar City and go through some of the shops and you don't have to fly," Boos said, per BayNews9. "So it gives you an opportunity that you didn't have before."

The program caps access at six people per airside during each two-hour entry block. Boos said this restriction helps control traffic in the trams and airsides. Once the program stabilizes, officials might increase the number of guests allowed.

Six guests can enter during each two-hour block. They can stay as long as they wish. Guests are limited to one airside per visit.

Several major airports across the country run similar programs. Philadelphia, Detroit, San Antonio, and New Orleans all offer passes for non-passengers. Orlando International Airport allowed access to terminal three before suspending that program.

People who want to visit must register online ahead of time. They select an available two-hour window. Registration happens at TPA's reservation site.

Guests pick up their pass with a photo ID at the information desk on level three in the main terminal. Passes can be picked up between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on the day of the visit.

All visitors must pass through TSA security screening checkpoints. They go through the checkpoint for the airside they picked with their pass and ID. The process matches what ticketed passengers experience when catching a flight.