The new face at Tampa airport
BY TED JACKOVICS
The Tampa Tribune
TAMPA -- Joe Lopano has completed seven months as chief executive of Tampa International Airport, where he promises to enhance international service, develop new business and maintain a world-class facility.
"It's been harder than I thought and more fun than I thought," Lopano says.
The former Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport marketing, customer service and airline real estate executive has restructured his staff to more resemble the organizational chart of a business.
He's hired four top managers, is recruiting three more and bid farewell to seven others -- three who retired, three who resigned and one who was dismissed.
Lopano implemented the airport's first comprehensive financial incentive program, in particular to draw international flights.
But he's candid in saying it can take years to recruit a new route, and there has to be sustainable demand for new service.
Lopano believes the Tampa Bay area can provide that and sees his job as persuading airlines to see their prospects the same way.
In large measure, it could be months if not years before Lopano's influence on the airport and community can be measured.
But he acknowledges being in touch with "every airline there is," and he has set goals for flights to Panama, Germany, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia.
Lopano visited The Tampa Tribune on Wednesday to meet with its editorial board. His responses have been edited for brevity:
Q: What has been difficult and what's been fun?
Answer: I spent most of my time in the early months listening to people. The first three months were like trying to take a drink from a fire hydrant. The fun is the opportunity I've found.
Q: What was your immediate challenge at TPA?
Answer: The airport was run very well financially. But the last three years (when ridership dropped by 3 million to 16 million during the recession), the bottom line suffered. There was a double hit -- the bad economy and scare of the Gulf oil spill. Profits were cut in half to $24 million. That's the money we put into capital projects.
Q: What could you do?
Answer: We have reworked the budget for next year. We will drive up revenue by $3 million and trim expenses by $200,000. We will reduce the cost per passenger to airlines from $5.25 to $5.11. We predict a 2 percent gain in passengers year over year.
Q: What are the plans for the terminal?
Answer: It's an amazing structure -- 40 years old, the plans must be 50 years old. It's really been kept clean. The music is nice and calming. The newest airsides are very, very cool. But we need to modernize. We are launching a $20 million terminal-improvement project that will retain our relaxed atmosphere.
Q: What's the demand for more flights, especially to international destinations?
Answer: More than 7.3 million people live within two hours of drive time of Tampa International. Why would we not be able to do this, add more flights?
Q: What markets are ripe?
Answer: The Caribbean. The performance on the new Puerto Rico flights prove it. We have 500 passengers a day to and from San Juan on four flights on AirTran and JetBlue, where we had 150 a day previously on one flight on American. A lot of people from Germany visit the Pinellas beaches.
Q: How long does it take to get an airline to add a new flight?
Answer: It can happen quickly or it can take nine years. The airport does not have control.
Q: You are planning to update the airport's master plan, possibly create an intermodal center for rental cars, buses and rail with plans to review land use at the airport. Why is that?
Answer: The last master-plan update began in 2004 when the economy was growing very fast, so we will update it by the end of 2012. The whole world has changed. Plans for a new north terminal won't materialize until beyond 2023. (Original plans were for an additional main terminal by 2015-2018). The rental-car area is very convenient but in a constricted space. We don't have much land; we need to manage it very carefully.
(813) 259-7817
[CHART] Joe Lopano
CEO, Tampa International Airport
Age: 55
Previous positions: executive vice president for marketing and terminal management at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; management positions with Lufthansa German Airlines, Continental Airlines, British West Indies Airlines, Pan American World Airways
Employees managed: 573
Top priorities: add international routes, expand airport's business revenue, maintain or improve customer-service levels
Photo Credit: JAY NOLAN/STAFF
Photo: Joe Lopano says the large population -- more than 7 million -- within a two-hour drive of the airport is a key ingredient for adding flights.
Photo Credit: PAUL LAMISON/STAFF
Photo: Joe Lopano predicts a 2 percent gain in passengers year over year, and he has ambitious plans for more international routes.
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