Challenge:

Tampa International Airport’s accelerated capital program, highlighted by the Airside D terminal expansion, required an evidence-based roadmap for future concessions. 

Solution:

The Hillsborough County Aviation Authority retained the Paslay Group as principal consultant and HCP Associates as research partner to conduct a comprehensive passenger intercept survey.  

Tampa International Airport, publicly owned by the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, is one of the busiest airports in the United States, connecting nearly 25 million passengers in 20241 to more than 100 nonstop destinations across the globe2. With the airport expected to serve nearly 39 million passengers by 20423, Tampa International Airport is undergoing various capital improvement projects underscored by a new airside terminal.  

As the airport developed the new terminal, the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority wanted to gain further insight into consumer preferences when visiting the airport. HCP Associates was engaged by the Aviation Authority and the Paslay Group to conduct a large-scale passenger intercept survey.  

HCP Associates conducted over 3,000 in-person intercept surveys at Tampa International Airport to gather insights into passenger consumer behaviors and preferences. Surveys were conducted by trained survey administrators over an extended period to meet various quotas to best reflect the population of travelers that depart from Tampa International Airport in a typical year. By grounding commercial decisions in a dataset that draws equally from each slice of TPA’s diverse passenger mix, the Aviation Authority and its partners gained a statistically confident view of purchase behavior, brand expectations, and unmet service needs. 

The results provide the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority with clear feedback about passenger preferences about a variety of shopping and dining activities.