TAMPA (WFLA) - No checked bags? No problem. Tampa International Airport officials said they designed the new Red Express to streamline the travel experience by offering an option to bypass certain points for certain passengers.
“If we don’t check bags or prefer to use digital boarding passes there’s no need to go to the ticketing or baggage claim levels. So travelers can get to and from their gates as quickly as possible,” said Tampa International Airport chief executive officer Michael Stephens.
The Red Express directly mirrors the Blue Express lanes which were unveiled in 2021 to much success.
“And guess what? It turned out to be a fabulous and popular concept. In fact, it's less than four years that the Blue Express curbs opened we see that about half of our guests flying on blue side airlines use them,” said Stephens.
You’ll find eight new lanes to correspond with the Red Express side: Four for arrivals and four for departures.
This option is super compatible for those using ride-share services.
“It truly embodies TPA’s tradition of finding innovative and efficient ways of solving problems and catering to our travelers' needs,” said TPA chief development officer Smitha Radhakrishnan.
Opening the Red Express lanes officially completes this portion of their masterplan phase two expansion project.
“That completion is the latest step in our efforts to update our airport to manage our ongoing growth,” said Stephens.
Officials said more projects are set up for completion at the end of this month. And the highly anticipated Airside D, which is the first new airside terminal at TPA in nearly 20 years, is on target to open in 2028.
