October 13, 2025 • 14 mins
Tampa International Airport CEO Michael Stephens took on his new role in April of 2025, inheriting an award-winning facility known for high passenger rankings, a growing number of new international and domestic routes and an exciting Airside D terminal becoming a reality in 2028. So how do you build on that success as a new leader? You take a look outside at the traffic congestion and imagine a better future for the entire Tampa Bay region.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Time now for our CEO spotlight here on The Ryan
Gorman Show and joining me in studio, I have Michael Stevens,
CEO of Tampa International Airport. He's the fourth CEO in
the airport's history. Is also a US Air Force and
Army veteran. You can learn more, of course, about all
things TPA at Tampa Airport dot com. Michael, really appreciate
(00:21):
you taking a few minutes to come in and join us,
and you know there's a lot to be excited about
when it comes to Tampa International. But before we get
to all of that, I have to ask you about
the government shutdown and the impact it's having on air travel.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
So let me start there.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
How is it affecting day to day operations and how
are you navigating those challenges?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Ran Thank you man.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I'm excited to be here this morning with you, and
we are doing very very well as it relates to
the government shutdown. At TPA, we have about eleven hundred
federal employees on our property. The TSA folks that everyone
encounters when they're coming through and going out to the
airside CBP when you're coming back in the country. We
also have a bunch of air traffic controllers in our
(01:03):
tower and our radar facility that's there on campus. But
having said that, Tampa is a great place to be
for the air traffic controllers.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
It's a prime spot.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
So we're not having any staffing issues there. We're not
seeing anything at the CBP customs facility, nor are we
seeing any staffing issues at TSA. Notwithstanding what we are
doing at Tampa Internationals. We're being proactive. So we have
about seven hundred airport employees. About ten thousand people work
on our campus in total, so it's a big ecosystem
(01:34):
in partnership. The federal partners there are critical to what
we do, as you can imagine, So we have reached
out to utility companies like TCO, being proactive, saying, hey,
in case this goes on for a protracted time, let's
do whatever we can to get these folks some support
and relief on their utilities. Same thing with a lot
(01:56):
of our community service organizations, whether it's childcare there, it's
food support.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
A number of different things.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Reaching out to mortgage companies and rental companies as well
to give these folks some relief. So the human side,
the human side, and then last but not least showing
these folks that we support them.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
They're part of our TPA family.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
So we do things like just deliver, you know, hundreds
of pizzas, just to let these guys know that we
got your back and we're here with you in whatever
way we can be there real quick.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
The broader air traffic controller shortage that we've seen across
the country, how much are you seeing that here at
Tampa International Airport? If at all, We're not seeing it
at Tampa International.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
As I said, it's one of those prime spots everyone
wants to, you know, get a shot to come down
to Florida and particularly Tampa if you're an air traffic controller.
I used to be an air traffic controller, and what
I can tell you is that you know, it is
a stressful job at times. So while we're not in
experiencing impacts what our controller population at Tampa or staffing
(03:03):
issues at Tampa, the ones that you're starting to see
pop up in the northeastern corridor in Denver or out west,
it's all interrelated because, unlike you know, a bus system
that's just local to the geographic area that it operates,
our airport is international airport. So if things are slowing
up in the Northeast because of controller shortages, then that
(03:24):
may result in delays here at Tampa in the form
of groundstop. It's almost like you gotta turn this figot
down a little bit in order to manage the traffic.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
We're joined by Michael Stevens, CEO of Tampa International Airport.
You know, TPA always ranked as one of the top
airports in the country. What is it that sets your
airport apart from others?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
You know, I think it's a couple of things.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
I think we've designed efficiency into our DNA from the
very inception. It's one of the few airports that has
distributed airsides right the hub and spoke models, so you're
not bottlenecking at one or two through puts to get
to security. That's one of the first things in terms
of the design that's baked in. Another thing, we always
(04:08):
from the beginning of Tampa International Airport's history, thought about
the passenger experience. We don't want passengers to have to
walk anymore than seven hundred steps steps before you get
to your next piece of what we.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Call movement or conveyance equipment.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
That can be an elevator, that can be an escalator
or a moving sidewalk, or just the distance from the
shuttles to the gates.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
So those are some of the built in things.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
In fact, Tampa International had the first automated shuttle system
in the entire world, not Disney, not some of the
places in Europe, at Tampa International, right, So a part
of it's baked in the design. But here's the real secret,
Sauce Ran, if I'm being honest with you, it's our people.
It's our people. You're up in Chicago. I moved down
from the northeast. And if you come into Tampa International
(04:56):
Airport and if you even look like you're looking around
or you need some help, you don't have to wait,
you don't have to go and track anybody down. Nine
times out of ten, there's going to be a member
of our team that will come up to you and say, hey, Sara,
are you lost? You need some directions, you need some help.
That's what makes us different, and you feel it when
you come into Tampa International, Dan and Damn.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
The region continues to grow, and so has Tampa International
airsidd first new airside in almost twenty years, obviously aimed
at helping address that issue. How is that project coming along.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
That project is coming along spectacularly well. I think Tampa
and the Tampa Bay region are going to be incredibly
proud of this facility. It's going to be about six
hundred thousand square foot facility and give you an order
of magnitude for those folks who have flown out of
AIRSIDEC where South Southwest Airlines primarily operates out of.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
It's going to be twice the size of Airside. See.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
It's going to have state of the art technology in it.
You know, the way that we're going to range our
food and beverages and concessions. It's just going to be intuitive.
It's going to have two world class lounges. One is
going to be in Delta Lounge and another one is
going to be a common use lounge, sixteen gates, and
a customs facility. It is going to be a beautiful
(06:17):
but efficient facility that is going to support our growth
in the region in the decades to come.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
We're joined by Michael Stevens, CEO of Tampa International Airport.
Of course, you can learn more at Tampa Airport dot com.
One thing you've been very open about, and this ties
into what we were just talking about the growth of
the region, the transit issues across the Tampa Bay area,
especially right around the airport. I always say, you know,
we have so many people from across the country and
(06:45):
around the world. They fly into our first class, modern
airport only to venture out and see infrastructure that hasn't
kept up. Tell us about that and how it ties
into the airport itself.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
So yeah, I think I think Tampa International and the
growth of the Tampa Bay Region there are you know,
intrinsically and inextricably related, meaning that if the region grows
Tampa International growth and Tampa International growth, the region grows
attracting businesses, tourists, all those types of things. A part
of what you're seeing now this area is so booming,
(07:22):
the Tampa Bay region. We're expecting another ten million passengers
to come through TVA in the next ten to eleven years. Right,
So if we did twenty six million passengers roughly this year,
so in the next ten years, you're talking about thirty
six thirty seven million passengers. So we have to and
you know, manage that volume. We're doing that on the
airport campus with things like AIRSID, with the new red
(07:45):
Express curbs, with extending you know, and redoing the terminal facility,
all those things that you've been seeing over the years.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
But there's only so much we can do on the campus.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
We have to address the traffic issue within the main
core of Tampa Bay, right. We have to be able
to move people in a more efficient way. So that's
why I'm leaning into the transportation and the connectivity you know, discussion,
because if people come into Tampa International and have an
(08:18):
amazing experience, but you can't get downtown in under thirty minutes.
I went to the opening lightning, you know, game or
reception downtown last night. It took me thirty five almost yeah,
almost forty minutes to get from the airport to downtown.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
We got to do better than that if we're going
to stay competitive.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
What are some of the ideas that you have in
order to accomplish that goal, because I know, you know,
you've looked at the region beyond the airport itself, the
campus itself, at some potential solutions.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yeah, you know, I.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Before coming to the airport, I work for the Transfit Authority,
I work for HEART, so I'm very familiar with mobility planning,
and I think what we have to do is we
have to start somewhere. Ryan that we've had these big,
massive ideas, all good ideas, but sometimes you got to
start somewhere. In my mind, I think where we can
(09:08):
start is leveraging what we have now that we didn't
even have eight years ago. We have a vibrant district
in water Street where people can live, work and play.
Gasworks is coming online. Now, you have all the growth
and development in the downtown core Midtown.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
My vision is simply this from water Street.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
To the airport, for example, if we talk about a
place to start, that's.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
About seven miles, seven miles.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
If we could connect an automated people mover from say
downtown right through the core areas, so from water Street
maybe down to Midtown over here to West Shore, and
then what I would like to see and what I've
been talking about, is developing an urban air mobility center.
(09:56):
And what does that mean. That means a place where
that train or people mover very similar to sky connect
at the airport, which is not rail, it's a rubber
wheel train can connect to that mobility center.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Right. You can also have ride share there.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
You can have a number of different things, including some
future technology that we're planning for at the airport, which
is ev tall, electric, vertical and take off landing aircraft.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
So it's going to take a mix of that.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
And then from that point you can connect from that
urban Mobility center right over to the airport. So imagine
if you're downtown and just like you can check your
bags at the rental car center now and they're on
your plane by the time you get to your gate,
you can do that from a facility potentially downtown, So
you can check in potentially downtown, take a people mover
all the way down to the airport, your bags are
at your gate, and you can get some time back.
(10:44):
The final piece that I would say as a start,
as a start, the same thing can happen from that.
The Urban Mobility Center right across the Howard Franklin Bridge
f DOT has already made the capital investment to put
a transit envelope there. So imagine that same people mover
coming from West Shore over here roughly to Caroline feather Sound,
and then you can connect from there. There's so many
(11:06):
opportunities to activate things like greater connectivity with PI et cetera.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
And this has to be you know, I grew up
in the Tampa Bay area. And I went to school
at the University of South Florida, so I've been talking
about this, hearing about this for decades now. The transit
issues here. This has to be something that people you
taught to in the community, business leaders are focused on
because it's an impediment.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
It is it is.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
I think, you know, if you take a look back
even eight nine years ago, again, a lot of the
things that we have didn't exist then. We didn't have
a water street, we didn't have a gas works being developed,
we didn't have the Riverwalk being completed, we didn't have
a midtown.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Downtown used to be. There was a lot of potential
there and it was just right. Wasn't developed right now
it is.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
That's right, So we have to, you know, rise to
the occasion. And I say that Tampa Bay, this region
is a region of innovation. The first commercial flights in
the entire world took place right here in Tampa Bay
from Saint Pete over to Tampa.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
So we are worthy of that.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
And if you think about the past in Tampa, it
was a vast streetcar network around the entire city where
people can move around.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
So we can, we can, we can, we can do
this I have no.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Doubt final question for you, what are some of your
priorities now that you're the CEO of Tampa International Airport.
I mean we've talked about obviously some of them, but
are there some other things that you came into the
job thinking, Uh, these are issues that I want to address.
These are you know, towards the top of my list.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
Well, other than that regional connectivity and mobility. I think
continuing to deliver a world class product in terms of
of of what Tampa International does best, and that is
get people in and out efficiently. I want to continue
to extend our our NonStop roots, particularly internationally. We've been
(13:01):
having really great success Latin America. Amsterdam is back. We
just announced that Bogotol, now too long ago, is going
to be going daily Mexico City, So I think we
need to continue to build on that. We have a
vibrant business and travel and leisure community here, so I
want to be able to deliver on that. I want
to continue to look at how we can innovate in
the airport, things like biometrics, things like light art that
(13:24):
makes us more efficient and more effective in managing a
very very complex business.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
And you've seen one more question, just to follow up
because you mentioned business travel a second ago. We've certainly
seen a leisure travel bounce back after the pandemic. There
were some questions, I think, as to how much business
travel would bounce back, especially with some of the technology
that was developed, Zoom and things like that. What have
you seen at the airport.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
We've seen that there is a good appetite still out
there for business travel, notwithstanding the things we had to
do out of COVID with Zoom and teams, you cannot
replace the value of face to face relationship building, just
like you and I are doing. We could have done
this remotely, right, yeah, But being able to sit in
in the presence of someone else and really talk about
(14:10):
the things that matter, that's important. So I think business
travelers are understanding that, and you've been seeing that kind
of movement throughout the country. Folks are going back to
the office, all those types of things. So we're bullish
on the business travel market all right.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Michael Stevens, CEO of Tampa International Airport. You can learn
more at Tampa Airport dot com and I recommend following
TPA on social media too. Definitely got a fantastic team
doing that work. Michael, thank you so much for taking
a few minutes to come in. Really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Thank you Ryan. It's my pleasure.
Time now for our CEO spotlight here on The Ryan
Gorman Show and joining me in studio, I have Michael Stevens,
CEO of Tampa International Airport. He's the fourth CEO in
the airport's history. Is also a US Air Force and
Army veteran. You can learn more, of course, about all
things TPA at Tampa Airport dot com. Michael, really appreciate
(00:21):
you taking a few minutes to come in and join us,
and you know there's a lot to be excited about
when it comes to Tampa International. But before we get
to all of that, I have to ask you about
the government shutdown and the impact it's having on air travel.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
So let me start there.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
How is it affecting day to day operations and how
are you navigating those challenges?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Ran Thank you man.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I'm excited to be here this morning with you, and
we are doing very very well as it relates to
the government shutdown. At TPA, we have about eleven hundred
federal employees on our property. The TSA folks that everyone
encounters when they're coming through and going out to the
airside CBP when you're coming back in the country. We
also have a bunch of air traffic controllers in our
(01:03):
tower and our radar facility that's there on campus. But
having said that, Tampa is a great place to be
for the air traffic controllers.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
It's a prime spot.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
So we're not having any staffing issues there. We're not
seeing anything at the CBP customs facility, nor are we
seeing any staffing issues at TSA. Notwithstanding what we are
doing at Tampa Internationals. We're being proactive. So we have
about seven hundred airport employees. About ten thousand people work
on our campus in total, so it's a big ecosystem
(01:34):
in partnership. The federal partners there are critical to what
we do, as you can imagine, So we have reached
out to utility companies like TCO, being proactive, saying, hey,
in case this goes on for a protracted time, let's
do whatever we can to get these folks some support
and relief on their utilities. Same thing with a lot
(01:56):
of our community service organizations, whether it's childcare there, it's
food support.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
A number of different things.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Reaching out to mortgage companies and rental companies as well
to give these folks some relief. So the human side,
the human side, and then last but not least showing
these folks that we support them.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
They're part of our TPA family.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
So we do things like just deliver, you know, hundreds
of pizzas, just to let these guys know that we
got your back and we're here with you in whatever
way we can be there real quick.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
The broader air traffic controller shortage that we've seen across
the country, how much are you seeing that here at
Tampa International Airport? If at all, We're not seeing it
at Tampa International.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
As I said, it's one of those prime spots everyone
wants to, you know, get a shot to come down
to Florida and particularly Tampa if you're an air traffic controller.
I used to be an air traffic controller, and what
I can tell you is that you know, it is
a stressful job at times. So while we're not in
experiencing impacts what our controller population at Tampa or staffing
(03:03):
issues at Tampa, the ones that you're starting to see
pop up in the northeastern corridor in Denver or out west,
it's all interrelated because, unlike you know, a bus system
that's just local to the geographic area that it operates,
our airport is international airport. So if things are slowing
up in the Northeast because of controller shortages, then that
(03:24):
may result in delays here at Tampa in the form
of groundstop. It's almost like you gotta turn this figot
down a little bit in order to manage the traffic.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
We're joined by Michael Stevens, CEO of Tampa International Airport.
You know, TPA always ranked as one of the top
airports in the country. What is it that sets your
airport apart from others?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
You know, I think it's a couple of things.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
I think we've designed efficiency into our DNA from the
very inception. It's one of the few airports that has
distributed airsides right the hub and spoke models, so you're
not bottlenecking at one or two through puts to get
to security. That's one of the first things in terms
of the design that's baked in. Another thing, we always
(04:08):
from the beginning of Tampa International Airport's history, thought about
the passenger experience. We don't want passengers to have to
walk anymore than seven hundred steps steps before you get
to your next piece of what we.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Call movement or conveyance equipment.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
That can be an elevator, that can be an escalator
or a moving sidewalk, or just the distance from the
shuttles to the gates.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
So those are some of the built in things.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
In fact, Tampa International had the first automated shuttle system
in the entire world, not Disney, not some of the
places in Europe, at Tampa International, right, So a part
of it's baked in the design. But here's the real secret,
Sauce Ran, if I'm being honest with you, it's our people.
It's our people. You're up in Chicago. I moved down
from the northeast. And if you come into Tampa International
(04:56):
Airport and if you even look like you're looking around
or you need some help, you don't have to wait,
you don't have to go and track anybody down. Nine
times out of ten, there's going to be a member
of our team that will come up to you and say, hey, Sara,
are you lost? You need some directions, you need some help.
That's what makes us different, and you feel it when
you come into Tampa International, Dan and Damn.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
The region continues to grow, and so has Tampa International
airsidd first new airside in almost twenty years, obviously aimed
at helping address that issue. How is that project coming along.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
That project is coming along spectacularly well. I think Tampa
and the Tampa Bay region are going to be incredibly
proud of this facility. It's going to be about six
hundred thousand square foot facility and give you an order
of magnitude for those folks who have flown out of
AIRSIDEC where South Southwest Airlines primarily operates out of.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
It's going to be twice the size of Airside. See.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
It's going to have state of the art technology in it.
You know, the way that we're going to range our
food and beverages and concessions. It's just going to be intuitive.
It's going to have two world class lounges. One is
going to be in Delta Lounge and another one is
going to be a common use lounge, sixteen gates, and
a customs facility. It is going to be a beautiful
(06:17):
but efficient facility that is going to support our growth
in the region in the decades to come.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
We're joined by Michael Stevens, CEO of Tampa International Airport.
Of course, you can learn more at Tampa Airport dot com.
One thing you've been very open about, and this ties
into what we were just talking about the growth of
the region, the transit issues across the Tampa Bay area,
especially right around the airport. I always say, you know,
we have so many people from across the country and
(06:45):
around the world. They fly into our first class, modern
airport only to venture out and see infrastructure that hasn't
kept up. Tell us about that and how it ties
into the airport itself.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
So yeah, I think I think Tampa International and the
growth of the Tampa Bay Region there are you know,
intrinsically and inextricably related, meaning that if the region grows
Tampa International growth and Tampa International growth, the region grows
attracting businesses, tourists, all those types of things. A part
of what you're seeing now this area is so booming,
(07:22):
the Tampa Bay region. We're expecting another ten million passengers
to come through TVA in the next ten to eleven years. Right,
So if we did twenty six million passengers roughly this year,
so in the next ten years, you're talking about thirty
six thirty seven million passengers. So we have to and
you know, manage that volume. We're doing that on the
airport campus with things like AIRSID, with the new red
(07:45):
Express curbs, with extending you know, and redoing the terminal facility,
all those things that you've been seeing over the years.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
But there's only so much we can do on the campus.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
We have to address the traffic issue within the main
core of Tampa Bay, right. We have to be able
to move people in a more efficient way. So that's
why I'm leaning into the transportation and the connectivity you know, discussion,
because if people come into Tampa International and have an
(08:18):
amazing experience, but you can't get downtown in under thirty minutes.
I went to the opening lightning, you know, game or
reception downtown last night. It took me thirty five almost yeah,
almost forty minutes to get from the airport to downtown.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
We got to do better than that if we're going
to stay competitive.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
What are some of the ideas that you have in
order to accomplish that goal, because I know, you know,
you've looked at the region beyond the airport itself, the
campus itself, at some potential solutions.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Yeah, you know, I.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Before coming to the airport, I work for the Transfit Authority,
I work for HEART, so I'm very familiar with mobility planning,
and I think what we have to do is we
have to start somewhere. Ryan that we've had these big,
massive ideas, all good ideas, but sometimes you got to
start somewhere. In my mind, I think where we can
(09:08):
start is leveraging what we have now that we didn't
even have eight years ago. We have a vibrant district
in water Street where people can live, work and play.
Gasworks is coming online. Now, you have all the growth
and development in the downtown core Midtown.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
My vision is simply this from water Street.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
To the airport, for example, if we talk about a
place to start, that's.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
About seven miles, seven miles.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
If we could connect an automated people mover from say
downtown right through the core areas, so from water Street
maybe down to Midtown over here to West Shore, and
then what I would like to see and what I've
been talking about, is developing an urban air mobility center.
(09:56):
And what does that mean. That means a place where
that train or people mover very similar to sky connect
at the airport, which is not rail, it's a rubber
wheel train can connect to that mobility center.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Right. You can also have ride share there.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
You can have a number of different things, including some
future technology that we're planning for at the airport, which
is ev tall, electric, vertical and take off landing aircraft.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
So it's going to take a mix of that.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
And then from that point you can connect from that
urban Mobility center right over to the airport. So imagine
if you're downtown and just like you can check your
bags at the rental car center now and they're on
your plane by the time you get to your gate,
you can do that from a facility potentially downtown, So
you can check in potentially downtown, take a people mover
all the way down to the airport, your bags are
at your gate, and you can get some time back.
(10:44):
The final piece that I would say as a start,
as a start, the same thing can happen from that.
The Urban Mobility Center right across the Howard Franklin Bridge
f DOT has already made the capital investment to put
a transit envelope there. So imagine that same people mover
coming from West Shore over here roughly to Caroline feather Sound,
and then you can connect from there. There's so many
(11:06):
opportunities to activate things like greater connectivity with PI et cetera.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
And this has to be you know, I grew up
in the Tampa Bay area. And I went to school
at the University of South Florida, so I've been talking
about this, hearing about this for decades now. The transit
issues here. This has to be something that people you
taught to in the community, business leaders are focused on
because it's an impediment.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
It is it is.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
I think, you know, if you take a look back
even eight nine years ago, again, a lot of the
things that we have didn't exist then. We didn't have
a water street, we didn't have a gas works being developed,
we didn't have the Riverwalk being completed, we didn't have
a midtown.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Downtown used to be. There was a lot of potential
there and it was just right. Wasn't developed right now
it is.
Speaker 3 (11:53):
That's right, So we have to, you know, rise to
the occasion. And I say that Tampa Bay, this region
is a region of innovation. The first commercial flights in
the entire world took place right here in Tampa Bay
from Saint Pete over to Tampa.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
So we are worthy of that.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
And if you think about the past in Tampa, it
was a vast streetcar network around the entire city where
people can move around.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
So we can, we can, we can, we can do
this I have no.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Doubt final question for you, what are some of your
priorities now that you're the CEO of Tampa International Airport.
I mean we've talked about obviously some of them, but
are there some other things that you came into the
job thinking, Uh, these are issues that I want to address.
These are you know, towards the top of my list.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
Well, other than that regional connectivity and mobility. I think
continuing to deliver a world class product in terms of
of of what Tampa International does best, and that is
get people in and out efficiently. I want to continue
to extend our our NonStop roots, particularly internationally. We've been
(13:01):
having really great success Latin America. Amsterdam is back. We
just announced that Bogotol, now too long ago, is going
to be going daily Mexico City, So I think we
need to continue to build on that. We have a
vibrant business and travel and leisure community here, so I
want to be able to deliver on that. I want
to continue to look at how we can innovate in
the airport, things like biometrics, things like light art that
(13:24):
makes us more efficient and more effective in managing a
very very complex business.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
And you've seen one more question, just to follow up
because you mentioned business travel a second ago. We've certainly
seen a leisure travel bounce back after the pandemic. There
were some questions, I think, as to how much business
travel would bounce back, especially with some of the technology
that was developed, Zoom and things like that. What have
you seen at the airport.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
We've seen that there is a good appetite still out
there for business travel, notwithstanding the things we had to
do out of COVID with Zoom and teams, you cannot
replace the value of face to face relationship building, just
like you and I are doing. We could have done
this remotely, right, yeah, But being able to sit in
in the presence of someone else and really talk about
(14:10):
the things that matter, that's important. So I think business
travelers are understanding that, and you've been seeing that kind
of movement throughout the country. Folks are going back to
the office, all those types of things. So we're bullish
on the business travel market all right.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Michael Stevens, CEO of Tampa International Airport. You can learn
more at Tampa Airport dot com and I recommend following
TPA on social media too. Definitely got a fantastic team
doing that work. Michael, thank you so much for taking
a few minutes to come in. Really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Thank you Ryan. It's my pleasure.
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