Tampa International Airport is finally saying goodbye to its bell-bottom-era ticketing layout. The airport is moving ahead with a complete overhaul of the second-floor ticketing level, the first major redo of that space since TPA opened in 1971, with the goal of speeding check-in and easing crowding. The project will reconfigure counters, expand self-service kiosks and consolidate airline office space so more of the floor can be used for passenger queuing. Airport leaders say the work is designed to match how people actually travel now, with fewer checked bags and more mobile boarding passes.
The upgrade landed in local coverage this week. FOX 13 Tampa Bay posted an April 8 video reporting that the Main Terminal’s second-floor ticketing level will be “completely redesigned” to make check-in faster, featuring airport staff and reporters walking viewers through the changes on site.
What Will Change on the Second Floor
Design plans call for roughly 28 new check-in counter locations, relocation of airline ticketing offices into a centralized 30,000-square-foot workspace and a renovation of the existing 135,000-square-foot floor to improve circulation and queuing. Passenger Terminal Today reports that the counters will be pushed back to carve out more room for kiosks and lines, while folding in updated technology and passenger-flow improvements.
Who’s Building It and Early Contracts
The Aviation Authority has already started procurement. Local reporting notes that a $25.4 million “Part One” design-and-build contract with Austin Commercial was approved in early April to launch design work. St. Pete Catalyst quotes TPA communications manager Joshua Gillin saying, “The ticketing level has kind of been in its current configuration since the airport opened in 1971.”
Timeline and Cost
The Aviation Authority’s FY2026 budget sets aside about $285.7 million for the Ticketing Level expansion and roughly $298.6 million to modernize the checked-baggage system that will serve all Airsides. According to the budget book, the ticketing work is expected to wrap in late 2029, while the new baggage system and the under-construction Airside D are slated for completion in late 2028. For the official funding breakdown and schedule, the details are laid out in the Aviation Authority’s FY2026 budget book.
What Travelers Should Expect
Some passengers should see faster trips through departures. TPA has already added express curbside lanes that let travelers without checked bags bypass the ticketing level, and the renovation is intended to better support that pattern. Local coverage of the Red Express lanes’ 2025 ribbon-cutting explained how those express curbs allow eligible travelers to skip ticketing and baggage claim altogether, a setup the airport says the new ticketing design will complement. WWSB / MySuncoast covered the grand opening and how the lanes operate.
Design work is now underway under the early contract, with a separate, larger construction award planned later in the process and major construction activity expected to be phased to limit disruption for travelers. Officials and contractors say the most noticeable changes for passengers will roll out gradually as design work wraps and Part Two construction picks up in the coming year. For ongoing renderings and project updates, see coverage from Passenger Terminal Today and the Aviation Authority’s project pages.
