Network neighbours

Network 2007 has grown to become the premier route-planning event for the Americas. In this issue, Mark Pilling profiles co-host St Petersburg-Clearwater International airport, with Tampa International to be featured in the December issue

This year's Network route-planning event is being co-hosted for the first time in its seven-year history. The joint hosts are neighbours Tampa and St Petersburg-Clearwater International airports, both in Tampa Bay only 24km (15 miles) apart on the west coast of Florida.

Although there is no formal co-operative pact between the two airports, they work together to attract new air services to Tampa Bay. In 2007 this includes hosting Network, which is expected to gather over 250 airline planners and airport marketers from 4-6 March for this annual event.

"This arrangement is unique in the industry - there is such a positive working environment between Tampa and St Petersburg-Clearwater," says Noah Lagos, airport director at St Petersburg-Clearwater. "To a small degree we compete for service," he says, but essentially Tampa, which handled 19 million passengers in 2005, caters to large US domestic and international flag carriers, while St Petersburg-Clearwater is served by second-tier and leisure players.

St Petersburg-Clearwater is hoping that Network will help spur traffic. "Network brings key airline and airport people together for purposeful meetings. One of the advantages of being a co-host is to show to this audience the beauty and vitality of our Tampa Bay destination," says Lagos.

The airport has been a popular destination for travellers seeking the sun from the northern US and Canada. The growth of ATA Airlines, which had several routes from St Petersburg-Clearwater, helped the airport grow to 1.3 million passengers in 2004.

But the loss of ATA following its bankruptcy filing in 2004, as well as the demise of Jetsgo and Southeast Airlines, saw traffic plummet 74% last year. "We suffered a severe blow when we lost those three carriers - they all came within a 90-day period," says Lagos.

News that low-fare carrier Allegiant Air is making the airport its third focus city after Las Vegas and Orlando Sanford has been welcomed with open arms. "These are the first real positive signs of recovery at St Petersburg," says Jeff Clauss, air service development manager.

Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air will launch service in November to 12 small cities across the USA. The airport has been courting Allegiant Air for over three years. "We offered a package of incentives that helped them decide where they should fly based on the fact that St Petersburg has the destination to back up the service," says Clauss.

New services

Other carriers beginning new service at St Petersburg before year-end are Canadian tour operator Sunwing Airlines, with a twice-weekly service to Toronto, and Sun Country Airlines, which will fly daily to Minneapolis St Paul.

The airport has undergone a rebranding, with the region now being billed as the gateway to Tampa Bay, and a change in the airport's IATA designation to ensure it is positioned on global distribution systems as being in the Tampa Bay region.

The airport has recently finished a runway extension which means it can handle any aircraft, says Clauss. The airport is keen to attract European leisure carriers. "We hope to have a transatlantic carrier by 2008, and there is an outside chance for next summer," he says.

Source: Airline Business