Author Archives: Justine88

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Copa Airlines sees mixed results two years after launching Panama City flight in Tampa

TAMPA — Copa Airlines this month celebrated its second year offering direct flights to and from Tampa Bay and Panama City — a central hub that offers access to dozens of Central American and South American countries.

But unlike the other international flights out of Tampa International Airport like British Airways, Edelweiss and newcomer Lufthansa, Copa’s flight has had mixed results so far. And Tampa Bay continues to fall behind the state’s two larger metro areas, Miami and Orlando, when it comes to international travel.

Copa Airlines, which is a subsidiary of Copa Holdings, S.A., posted an average load factor, or the percentage of filled seats on airplanes, of 67 percent for its first full year in Tampa in 2014, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. In Orlando, Copa’s load factor average was 92.3 percent last year. In Miami it was 87.9 percent.

“I’m sure they’re losing money. Airlines have to be pretty close to 85 percent load factors just to break even anymore,” said Ken Qualls, CEO of Flight Management Solutions in Boca Raton, an aviation consulting firm. “That said, it’s not uncommon for airlines in a major arena to expect load factors to taper off after the two-year or three-year mark.”

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Bay area hotels are adapting to the smartphone generation

Businesswoman Digital Key Check In

At the Aloft Tampa Downtown hotel, guests can bypass the check-in desk in the lobby and go straight to their room — if they’ve downloaded the Starwood Preferred Guest app on their smartphone.

The Aloft, on Kennedy Boulevard, is the only hotel in Tampa Bay that offers keyless entry — where guests use a barcode from the app on their phone to enter their room. It’s one of many innovations, from mobile check-in apps to hip, late-night bars with affordable craft cocktails and local DJs — that hoteliers are using to lure younger travelers.

Despite misconceptions that they’re all broke, many millennials do travel. They’re nearly twice as likely to travel for business as baby boomers these days, according to a recent study by the Global Business Travel Association.

The hospitality industry has noticed.

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Some local contractors haven’t been paid for work at Tampa Premium Outlets

outlet

Nearly two months after Tampa Premium Outlets opened to the public in Pasco County, some local contractors who helped build the mall say they still haven’t been paid.

asco County public records show that four building liens have been filed against the outlet shopping center in Lutz that opened Oct. 29, and only one of those has been paid, according to the subcontractors.

Among those who filed liens is Sue Mignoli, co-owner of RoofUSA LLC, a roofing company based in Brooksville. In the lien, Mignoli states that the general contractor behind the project, VCC LLC, still owes the company $1.89 million for the $4.15 million metal roofing job the company completed. Mignoli said they haven’t received a payment for their work since May.

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What will fill the mall of the future? Probably not more department stores

mLLA

When the Maas Bros. department store chain went defunct in 1991, Burdines was there to replace it. In 2004, Burdines was wiped away as stores were converted to bear the Macy’s name.

But when the time comes, what will replace Macy’s? Probably not another department store.

Department store chains have defined the way Americans have shopped in traditional malls for decades. But in recent years, those household name brands have reported significant sales losses year over year, and they are shuttering stores faster than they’re opening them. Some experts say it’s because department stores are antiquated and they’re failing to keep up with the fickle demands of younger shoppers. Maybe that’s why fewer shopping centers are relying on traditional department stores to be the anchors they need to draw new customers these days.

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Being a driver at Uber or Shipt isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, Tampa workers say

 

loper

Jeff Loper was one of the original drivers who signed up for Uber when the app launched in Tampa Bay last year.

At first, it was easy to make money driving on the weekends when rates were $1.25 a mile and the number of drivers was relatively small.

But Loper says fares around Tampa Bay are now 90 cents a mile and there are dozens more drivers on the road competing for fares.

“I made $6 an hour last weekend. That’s less than half of what I was making last year,” said Loper, 63.

It’s easy to see why working as a driver for Uber or as a delivery person for Shipt would be a dream job for some people. You’re not stuck in an office. You’re kind of your own boss. You set your own schedule.

Indeed, hundreds if not thousands of people in the Tampa Bay area are working today as independent contractors for ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft or are delivering Publix groceries for Shipt. People who rent out rooms in their house through Airbnb also fall into this category.

But as many of these people are now finding out, there’s peril in becoming an independent contractor.

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