Checked baggage system getting sorted at TPA

Tampa International Airport travelers will notice plenty of behind-the-scenes work on the Main Terminal’s first floor these days, as construction crews work to replace elements of the checked baggage system.

Construction walls are currently blocking some baggage carousels on the Red Bag Claim as workers install new catwalks and conveyor belts above the ceiling line. The equipment being replaced comprises the conveyor belt network that moves bags from ticket counters in the Main Terminal to the correct aircraft before a flight.

It’s part of a broader project to centralize security screening into the Main Terminal, consolidate the baggage transport infrastructure, and add Airside D to the system in time for the terminal’s scheduled opening in 2029. That’s the same year a modernization of the second-floor Ticketing Level, currently in the design phase, is scheduled to be complete.

“We’re taking the first step in upgrading our entire baggage system, which we need to accommodate the major growth we’re experiencing at TPA,” Airport Construction Director Dan Seeley said. “This new baggage conveyor system is going to provide added efficiency and functionality that will allow us to handle the necessary volume for the increase in passengers we are expecting.”

Along with installing roughly 25,000 feet of new conveyor belts and the catwalks, TPA will be replacing the checked baggage system with what is known as a cross-belt sorter, a relatively new technology in the United States.

This brand-new system will work with the conveyor belt system to provide the flexibility to deliver a bag from any ticket counter to any Airside terminal, a function the current system is unable to perform. It also will allow TPA to install a new system in the existing baggage processing space while the old one continues to operate.

The existing baggage system was certified in 2005 to comply with Homeland Security requirements, making it one of the first airports in the country to do so after the events of September 11, 2001. While some additions and upgrades have been implemented over the last decade, the majority of the baggage system is original to 2005.

Travelers can expect to see work on the system above a pair of baggage carousels at a time. Once a section of equipment is installed overhead, workers will replace the ceiling and signage (which was renovated in 2024) and move on to the next pair of carousels.

The baggage claim project will be completed in phases, with the first phase complete in order to serve the new Airside D in 2029.

The Hillsborough County Aviation Authority Board approved $298.6 million to upgrade the checked baggage system at its September 2025 meeting as part of the Airport’s capital budget.