On Monday, the Hillsborough Aviation Authority voted to offer airlines financial incentives to attract domestic and international service from Tampa International Airport, a milestone achievement for the airport, though according to industry consultants, it's simply the price of doing business in the 21st century world of aviation.
The Authority will fund the incentive program from a pool of around $20 million in surplus funds that had been directed towards capital improvements.
To say this is a reversal of how things worked in the past under former TIA head Louis Miller would be an understatement. Miller stressed that unless there was a demand from the flying public, creating incentives for airlines to fly out of TIA didn't make sense. But Lopano, who officially took over at the beginning of the year, obviously thinks differently.
