Travel from U.S. to Europe may get cheaper

Monday, March 24, 2008

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An Open Skies Agreement is reducing international fight times from TPA. Lower air fares are still being negotiated.

TAMPA (Bay News 9) -- Starting next week, more airlines taking off from the United States will be able to head straight for Europe.

An Open Skies Agreement has administrators at Tampa International Airport (TPA) trying to get in on the action.

In the past, traveling from Germany to Tampa is always a headache for Dieter Olschewski.

"We have to go from Munich to Amsterdam, from Amsterdam to Detroit, and from Detroit to Tampa. It's really a pain," Olschewski said.

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A direct flight could cut Olschewski's 24-hour trip in half. Currently, British Airways is the only airline offering a direct trip to Europe from TPA.

But TPA Director of Air Service Development, Trudy Carson, said that could all change with certain restrictions being lifted.

"Airlines are free to fly from any European city to any city in the United States," Carson said.

Until now, European airlines could only fly from their native country. And airlines were limited to the airports they could land in and take off from. The new agreement could mean more international air traffic at TPA.

"We hope to be able to attract low cost carriers, European low cost carriers or American low cost carriers who may want to
expand into the market," Carson said. "They're not as restricted as they have been."

More competition could also mean lower air fares. But TPA administrators said don't expect to see those changes any time soon. They're still in the negotiation stages.