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Tampa Tribune

Published: November 20, 2007

TAMPA BAY AREA

Tampa International Airport ranked No. 1 nationwide in the 2007 Zagat Survey regardingquality of service factors in a poll of 7,498 frequent fliers. The Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul airports tied for second, Orlando was fourth and Detroit was fifth. New York's LaGuardia Airport finished last, with Miami next to last. Midwest Airlines ranked first in quality among U.S. economy airlines, and Virgin America ranked first among U.S. airlines offering premium service.

The stock price for WellCare Health Plans rose Tuesday after an analyst at CIBC World Markets upgraded his recommendation for the Tampa-based company from "sector perform" to "sector outperform." WellCare's stock price fell from about $120 a share to about $20 last month after the company was raided by federal investigators. On Tuesday, the stock closed at $37.48, up $2.47, or 7 percent, from the previous day.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian Blair was sworn in Tuesday for a 12-month term as a Tampa Port Authority commissioner, replacing County Commissioner Rose Ferlita.

David A. Baldini, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Clearwater-based Aerosonic Corp., has left the aviation instruments manufacturer for undisclosed reasons, the company announced Tuesday. Mark Perkins,executive vice president, has been appointed interim president and chief executive.

NATIONAL

Verizon Communications plans to raise the monthly price of its FiOS television service for new customers next year by nearly 12 percent, increasing to $47.99 from $42.99. But customers who signed up this year will not have to pay more, Verizon said Tuesday. Customers who signed up before this year and pay $39.95 a month will have to pay $42.99 next year. The changes will affect all customers in the 16 states where FiOS is available. The increase affects only customers who have signed up for standalone TV service - there is a complicated set of bundle options for multiple services.

Burger King plans to test a $1 double cheeseburger in three unnamed U.S. markets early next year that's larger than what rival McDonald's sells. Burger King restaurants now typically charge more than $2 for that sandwich.

A staff and wire report

Watch the Tribune's Business report at 5, 6 and 11 a.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. Saturdays on WFLA-TV.

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