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Airport waves taxi service away from the curb

Cabs are being moved to side lots to eliminate traffic outside baggage claim and allow drivers to pick up people with ease.

By STEVE HUETTEL
Published July 7, 2006

TAMPA - Starting next year drivers picking up passengers at Tampa International Airport won't have to compete with taxi cabs for space at the curb.

The airport will ban commercial vehicles from stopping on the lanes outside baggage claim areas under a plan presented to the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority board Thursday.

"The biggest traffic problem we have at the arrivals curb is all the taxi cabs," said Louis Miller, executive director of the agency which runs Tampa International.

Cabs now line up at entrances to arrival areas and move ahead when supervisors signal them to meet a customer. At peak times, taxis jockey for space at the curb or stop in outer lanes and slow down traffic, Miller said.

Starting in January, cabs will be restricted to picking up travelers in "quad lots" at the ends of the two baggage claim areas. Shared-ride vans and shuttles to hotels and off-airport car rental companies will continue using the lots as well.

Also, buses that drop off cruise passengers from the Port of Tampa will need to use the lots instead of parking at the curb outside airline ticket counters. On cruise days, the buses now park for hours, often blocking two lanes of traffic, Miller said.

The changes come on the heels of a carrot-and-stick program launched last November that was aimed at eliminating traffic jams along the curbs outside baggage claim.

Tampa International began offering one free hour of short-term parking and opened a "cell phone" lot where drivers can park until their passengers pick up luggage and head to the curb.

The airport also cracked down on drivers lingering outside baggage claim. Starting 30 minutes before peak periods - 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 5 to 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. to midnight - traffic officers shoo away drivers whose passengers aren't in sight.

Vehicles now spend an average of three to five minutes at the curb at peak traffic times instead of 10 minutes. More than 1,000 cars a day used the cell phone lot during the busiest days of the Christmas holiday week.

In other business Thursday, Miller said the airport won't take part in an expanded test of "Registered Traveler," a program designed to give frequent fliers who submit to background checks a shorter trip through airport screening.

A private company called Clear operates the nation's only ongoing test at Orlando International Airport. More than 24,000 people have enrolled, paying fees starting at $80 per year, the company says.

But federal officials won't let members forgo any security screening measures, such as removing shoes or coats, so Clear can offer customers only a separate, shorter line, Miller said.

Also on Thursday, board members gave Miller a 5 percent raise, boosting his annual salary to $237,612. Authority chairman Stephen Mitchell reviewed pay for other airport executive directors and said Miller's "is not at the high end or the low end either."

Three days before the 10th anniversary of his hiring, members took turns heaping on praise.

Tampa International "wouldn't be one of the best in the country without outstanding leadership," said Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio. "You're conservative with money, and you do the right things for the right reasons."

Steve Huettel can be reached at huettel@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3384.

[Last modified July 9, 2006, 08:58:39]