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Survey: St. Pete Airport Has 'Regional Draw'

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By TED JACKOVICS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 20, 2008

CLEARWATER - A survey of St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport passengers shows the facility serves a regional market with 50.5 percent of travelers staying outside Pinellas County on their trip, a consultant's report released this month found.

The survey of 436 passengers between mid-March and mid-April found 19.2 percent stayed in Sarasota and Manatee counties compared with 12.8 percent in Hillsborough County. Ninety-two percent of all passengers were on leisure trips.

The survey also found that 49.5 percent of the passengers cited location as a main reason for using the airport, compared with 50 percent who cited airfares and 56.9 percent who listed availability of nonstop flights.

The findings by Tampa-based Research Data Services, which also is Pinellas County's tourism industry consultant, provide a ray of good news for the airport, which like more than 100 small- and middle-sized airports nationwide has lost service as airlines react to spiraling fuel costs.

"The regional draw helps us stabilize our client base in uncertain times," airport director Noah Lagos said in an interview. "It points more to the type of flying experience we offer on a point-to-point basis with low fares."

Domestic and international traffic was up 24 percent in May, to 73,073 passengers, compared with May 2007. The county-owned airport, which also hosts the U.S. Coast Guard's busiest air station and general and corporate aviation traffic, is debt-free.

But the Pinellas airport will be reduced to serving one major carrier beginning Aug. 19, when USA3000 discontinues its service here with six major U.S. cities. Allegiant Air temporarily will reduce its local service in the fall from 15 to three destinations, but will resume flights on all current routes between Oct. 9 and Nov. 18.

Lagos returned from Allegiant Air headquarters in Las Vegas this week with a measure of optimism, based on the low-cost carrier's continued profitability. Allegiant was one of just three U.S. airlines, along with Southwest Airlines and USA3000, to finish in the black in the first quarter.

"Allegiant is doing microsurgery, which is how they stay profitable," Lagos said.

He said Allegiant passengers can make reservations on flights during the Thanksgiving holiday and through Dec. 15 and expects schedules between Dec. 16 and the end of January to be released in the next couple of weeks.

One survey finding was that 95.3 percent of respondents rated the courtesy of the Transportation Security Administration screening staff as "excellent," with either a "4" or "5" rating on a five-point scale.

"I've been here seven months and thought Transportation Security Officers provided world-class security and customer service, and thanks to the survey I know it's true," said Gary Milano, Transportation Security Administration's federal security director for the Tampa Bay area.

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at tjackovics@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7817.

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