By Mitch Perry published on Creative Loafing on Aug. 18, 2014

It's rare when the four members of the House of Representatives from the Tampa Bay area meet for a local news conference, but when it comes to lavishing praise on one of the region's most prized assets —Tampa International Airport — it's apparently a no-brainer for all of them to show up.

The news hook was the formal introduction of Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosks at the airport. The self-service kiosks allow international travelers from 38 visa-waiver countries such as Australia, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom to submit their declaration and biographic electronically when they arrive at Customs at TIA. It's available only to U.S. and Canadian passport holders. Lawmakers welcomed the kiosks as a way to get passengers from overseas out of the airport and contributing to the local economy as quickly as possible. 

"Every international traveler that comes to this area spends on average $4,500," said Tampa-area Congresswoman Kathy Castor. "Those are dollars that help create jobs, [and] help keep our travel and tourism area going."

The kiosks have actually been in operation at TIA since July 18. Officials say they've seen a reduction of between 20-30 percent in processing time for international visitors, and expect those numbers to improve as passengers become familiar with the machines. A press release issued to reporters today said that the average international flight coming through the airport generally takes close to an hour to debark, but a recent British Airways flight that had 208 passengers took a total of just 32 minutes to process all of those passengers between those using the new kiosks and Customs and Border Protection officers. 

TIA CEO Joe Lopano was hired with a mandate to increase direct international flights into Tampa and today he said that the international passenger population coming into the airport has grown by 43 percent since 2010, the year before he officially succeeded Louis Miller.

Pasco/Pinellas GOP Representative Gus Bilirakis used his time in front of the podium to give a shout-out to a bill he's coauthored as chairman of the Tourism and Travel Caucus in the House, the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act. That legislation reauthorizes funding for Brand USA, a public-private partnership that helps promote U.S. destinations to international travelers at no cost to U.S. taxpayers. "I'm hoping it gets out of the Senate," he added. 

CD15 Republican Representative Dennis Ross says the kiosks will improve passenger safety and convenience.

Newbie Congressman David Jolly said that when it comes to the airport, partisanship takes a break. "This is a delegation that stands ready to assist. We have long-term capital needs at this airport. We'll do what we can to make sure that the Tampa Airport remains the finest in the world." 

Those capital needs are soon going to be addressed as construction on the airport's $943 million expansion begins early next year. It will include a new consolidated rental car facility in the Westshore area, a people mover that will transport travelers from the airport to an intermodal center the Florida Department of Transportation has planned for Interstate 275 and a complete renovation of the airport’s concessions.

Congresswoman Castor announced at the news conference that she learned today that the airport received a tiny down payment on the plan in the form of a $1 million grant for the design of the master plan from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation. "This is absolutely vital to Tampa International Airport because these will create additional jobs in construction and travel tourism and continue to make the Tampa bay area an outstanding destination."