Passenger Count Soars at St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport

February 11, 2004

Passenger Count Soars at St. Petersburg-Clearwater
Airport
Tampa Bay Business Journal


CLEARWATER -- The St. Petersburg-Clearwater
International Airport led regional airports around the
state in passenger growth last year. 

Statistics released this week show overall passenger
traffic at the small airport in Pinellas County
increased 60 percent -- from 626,767 in 2003 to
997,761 last year. 

The airport's biggest business in 2003 was domestic
passenger traffic, which increased 65 percent. 

Last year, 915,520 passengers were aboard the
airport's domestic flights compared with 554,102 in
2002, according to statistics. 

International travel also increased but not as much.
International passenger traffic rose from 69,665 in
2002 to 82,241 last year -- an 18-percent hike. 

"We're leading the state in passenger growth," said
Thomas Jewsbury, the airport's director of operations.
"We broke all our previous records." 

He attributed the majority of the increase to expanded
service, new carriers and more destinations provided
by airlines, particularly American Trans Air and
Southeast. American Trans Air was the busiest carrier
last year, with 640,225 passengers. Southeast
Airline's passenger traffic more than doubled,
increasing from 104,495 in 2002 to 224,868 last year. 

The airport's new carriers include Transmeridian,
which began providing service to Syracuse in August
and ended the year with passenger traffic totaling
13,196. USA 3000, a 2-year-old low-fare carrier,
started popular non-stop flights to and from Detroit
last year. The airline's passenger total last year was
23,467. 

Jewsbury said the airport regained some of its
Canadian passenger traffic, which helped boost overall
international traffic growth by 18 percent for the
year. International flights carried 82,241 passengers
last year compared with 69,665 in 2002. 

The growth statistics make Fred Piccolo, chief
executive officer of neighboring Sarasota Manatee
International Airport, a little envious. 

For the sixth straight year, his airport experienced a
passenger traffic decline in 2003. The airport had
about 1.06 million passengers last year, a decrease of
5.1 percent. 

Piccolo previously worked at the St.
Petersburg-Clearwater airport for nine years and said
the airport enjoys a great business advantage because
of its location. 

While the Sarasota Manatee airport is on the fringe of
the Tampa Bay area market, its neighbor to the north
is almost smack in the middle of it. 

"It happens to be positioned well for carriers,"
Piccolo said. "It serves a niche there because it's in
the Tampa market, but it's much cheaper than Tampa
International (Airport) to operate out of." 

The types of airlines St. Petersburg-Clearwater
attracts often are what he described as "entrant
carriers" or those trying to get started. 

"They can be in the middle of a large market there and
run with the big boys cheaper," Piccolo said. 

While this can be good for producing revenue and
passenger growth, the St. Petersburg-Clearwater
airport historically thrives or languishes depending
on the success of its carriers, he said. 

This creates problems for planning and expansion
because the airport has to adjust to the carriers'
business fluctuations. 

"That's always been an issue St. Petersburg has had to
contend with -- the question of will the carriers stay
successful," Piccolo said. 

Jewsbury said airport officials are "having
discussions" with new carriers but declined to reveal
details. 

A master plan for the airport is being drafted and may
be presented to the Pinellas County Commission in the
spring. The plan calls for extending a runway and
other improvements estimated to cost about $223
million over 20 years. 

More immediate improvements are planned to provide
better service to passengers. By summer, expansion of
the airport's parking lots will be completed with an
increase from 1,000 to 1,600 spaces. 


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