Tag Archives: Justine Griffin

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Could Tampa International Airport offer commercial flights to Cuba next year?

TAMPA — Charter flights from Tampa International Airport have flown hundreds of thousands of people to Cuba in just four years. But next year, thousands more could be headed to Cuba as the United States and Cuba iron out a deal to allow more than 100 regular commercial flights to and from the island and the U.S. mainland.

The Federal Aviation Administration will accept queries from airlines interested in offering commercial service to Havana and other destinations in Cuba. Havana Air announced recently that passengers could book flights to Cuba on its website starting in January. Silver Airways, a discount airline based in Fort Lauderdale, also announced its intent to offer flights to Cuba in 2016.

While no major carriers — like American or JetBlue — have said publicly that they’ll try to offer flights to Cuba, it would make sense to do so from Tampa International Airport, said Ken Qualls, CEO of Flight Management Solutions in Boca Raton, an aviation consulting firm.

“The general attitude has changed a lot — there’s a lot of excitement right now about going to Cuba,” Qualls said. “But it will be a very competitive and varied process for the FAA to develop.”

Since charter services began offering flights in 2011, more than 226,240 passengers have flown from Tampa to Cuba, said Chris Minner, vice president of marketing at Tampa International Airport. The airport has seen double-digit growth rates in the number of passengers using TIA to get to Cuba, Minner said. That includes a 16 percent spike in travelers as of October for 2015.

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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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