Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways will cut almost 130 flights that were supposed to leave Tampa International Airport this summer.
An analysis examined how airlines adjusted summer flight schedules at TPA between April and May. There have been a total of 165 flights axed since then — most of them by the two bargain airlines — according to a national airline analysis in the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Nationwide, other cities will see even larger cuts. Atlanta and Las Vegas will each have around 600 fewer flights, while Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles will see 400 flight cuts.
With Tampa about to have fewer outbound summer flights, some travel influencers said this could be an opportunity for residents to explore their home state.
Allyson Berger is a travel content creator from New York who moved to Tampa three years ago. She has visited all 50 states and about 40 countries.
Berger said that over the years she has learned there is a lot more to do in Florida than going to the beach.
“I think it's important to see what's in your backyard,” she said. “Take it as an opportunity to see your state, to see what's here, because there really is an abundance of things, no matter what you're interested in, and you should go and see it.”
The TPA flight cuts come after the airport recorded fewer visitors in the first half of the fiscal year compared with a year earlier, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Adding to the issue, Silver Airways, which flew out of Tampa, ceased operations Wednesday after its assets were acquired through bankruptcy.
ALSO READ: Silver Airways, which had flights out of Tampa, ceases operations amid bankruptcy filing
Lauren Gay, known as the Outdoorsy Diva, is based in Tampa and has been a travel content creator for almost 10 years.
She said the reductions could encourage more people to consider staycations.
Since some local residents might not be able to travel by plane, they could get to know their city and surrounding counties.
“We're lucky to live in the Sunshine State and have so many things within a short one- to four-hour drive away from us,” Gay said. “So it could absolutely encourage more road trips and more local exploration.”
But Gay was still surprised to hear TPA would have fewer flights this summer. She said a lot of her followers are committed to finding a way to still travel — even with not as many affordable options.
“Sometimes it might just mean you have to take a connection versus a direct flight to get somewhere, but you're still able to make that happen,” she said.
The Business Journal reported that the wider nationwide decline in flights is due to economic uncertainty.
Gay said that because Spirit and JetBlue are bargain airlines that many travelers look to, the cuts will create hardship for some people.
There are still other low-cost airlines available out of TPA, but people might have to look harder to find them and make sure that they're affordable, she said.
“We do still have airlines like Frontier and some others that people may look to, or they may simply try to fly out of Orlando if the flight is available there,” Gay said.
Planning should be travelers' priority when looking for budget-friendly flights.
Berger said using Google Flights and having alerts to check on the best deals are some options she relies on.
And it'll be interesting to see if other airlines will make up for the cuts, she said.
“Tampa has become a really popular destination, not just for people to move to, but for people to visit,” she said. “I think that other airline carriers will find these flight cuts as an opportunity for them to come in and make Tampa a destination on their flight maps.”
With Tampa becoming more attractive to tourists, Berger said residents should make the most out of the situation.
“There's so much to learn, and there's history,” she said. “So I think even though there's flight cuts, the people of Tampa should explore Tampa and the state of Florida, because there's really a lot to see.”
And, Gay added, despite flight reductions, it’s still important for people to travel — even if by car.
“Life is going to continue,” she said. “It's important that we make time to connect with other people and with nature and take those breaks.”
Spirit Airlines' summer flight cuts include:
- Las Vegas (Harry Reid International): 25 flights cut
- New Orleans (Louis Armstrong New Orleans International): 11 flights cut
- Atlanta (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International): 10 flights cut
- Baltimore (Baltimore/Washington International): seven flights cut
- Houston (George Bush Intercontinental): seven flights cut
- Louisville (Louisville Muhammad Ali International): seven flights cut
JetBlue's summer flight cuts include:
- Boston (Logan International): 23 flights cut
- Rhode Island (T.F. Green International): nine flights cut
- New York (LaGuardia and Kennedy International): seven and five flights cut, respectively
