Tampa International Airport has one of my favorite airport social media accounts. Besides the occasional takeover from Phoebe, the airport’s resident flamingo, it’s a great way to keep up with what’s happening at TPA.
Recently, the social media team had a rather important announcement to make. After apparently having enough passengers show up at the wrong airport, they practically stood on a chair and shouted:
More specifically, they wanted passengers flying Allegiant to realize that their flight did not leave from Tampa International Airport. It departed from St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, located across the bay.
That may seem like a difficult mistake to make. Your reservation includes the airport name and its three-letter code, after all. But Allegiant markets PIE as St. Pete/Tampa. If someone searches for a flight from Tampa and pays more attention to the fare than the airport code, it’s not hard to understand how they might assume they’re flying from TPA.
Unfortunately, arriving at TPA for a flight departing from PIE isn’t the sort of mistake you can fix by walking to another terminal.
Orlando Has The Same Problem—Only Worse
TPA’s post immediately reminded me of passengers flying to Orlando on Allegiant who don’t realize they’re arriving at Orlando Sanford International Airport.
For those of us familiar with Central Florida, MCO and SFB are clearly different airports. However, someone planning a trip to Walt Disney World may see “Orlando” on the reservation and assume they’re arriving at Orlando International Airport.
They’re not.
Sanford is north of Orlando, while the theme parks are southwest of the city. That difference can significantly change the time and cost involved in getting to a hotel.
And Sanford is no longer the only alternate airport borrowing Orlando’s name.
Melbourne Orlando International Airport (MLB) is actually in Melbourne on Florida’s Space Coast. Avelo also markets Lakeland International Airport (LAL) as Orlando/Lakeland, even though Lakeland sits between Orlando and Tampa.
That means a flight advertised as going to “Orlando” could potentially arrive at MCO, SFB, MLB or LAL. Those airports aren’t interchangeable, particularly if you’ve already arranged a rental car, hotel shuttle or ride from the airport.
This Isn’t Just A Florida Thing
Once I started looking, I found several other smaller airports attached to a much larger city’s name.
Allegiant flies to Phoenix/Mesa, but those flights use Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA), not Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX).
Flights advertised as Charlotte/Concord use Concord-Padgett Regional Airport. Its airport code is USA, which certainly doesn’t help an occasional traveler identify where the flight is going.
Avelo sells flights to Philadelphia/Wilmington, but those flights arrive at Wilmington Airport (ILG) in Delaware—not Philadelphia International Airport.
Allegiant also uses Columbus Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) for some flights marketed as Columbus. That’s a different airport from John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH), which most passengers would probably identify as “the Columbus airport.”
Then there’s the upcoming commercial service at McKinney National Airport (TKI). Avelo is marketing it as Dallas (McKinney), but passengers won’t be flying to Dallas/Fort Worth International or Love Field. They’ll be arriving in McKinney, north of both.
One of the most extreme examples is Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD). Chicago is right there in the name, but Rockford is approximately 85 miles from downtown Chicago. Anyone who arrives expecting to take a quick ride into the city is in for an unpleasant surprise.
Even Southwest Does It With Washington
This practice isn’t limited to Allegiant and Avelo—or to particularly small airports.
Southwest lists BWI as Baltimore/Washington and sometimes as Baltimore/Washington D.C. The airport is in Maryland, not Washington, although it has rail connections to both Baltimore and D.C.
BWI legitimately serves the larger Baltimore-Washington region and is a major airport in its own right. Still, someone searching for a Southwest flight to Washington could easily believe they’re flying into Reagan National or Dulles.
Southwest serves those airports separately, so “Washington” can mean DCA, IAD or BWI. Depending on where you’re actually going, that distinction can make a considerable difference.
The City Name Isn’t Enough
There’s nothing inherently wrong with using these smaller airports. In fact, they can be much easier to navigate than their larger cousins. Parking may be cheaper, security lines may be shorter, and the airfare may be significantly less.
The problem comes when passengers don’t realize which airport they booked.
Airlines want their flights to appear when someone searches for Tampa, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Charlotte, Dallas or Washington. Adding the better-known city to a smaller airport’s name accomplishes that, even when the airport is some distance away.
That makes the three-letter airport code more important than ever.
Before booking a flight—and certainly before driving to the airport—make sure you know whether Tampa means TPA or PIE, Orlando means MCO or SFB, and Washington means DCA, IAD or BWI.
Otherwise, you may discover why Tampa International Airport’s social media team felt the need to announce, in all capital letters, that Allegiant passengers were at the wrong airport.
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