Tampa International Airport’s latest technology upgrade is just the ticket for quicker and easier movement into and out of all of TPA’s parking garages.

New ticket dispensers at all garage entrances and payment machines at garage exits are currently being installed at Short Term, Long Term and Economy. The updated touchscreen machines are state-of-the-art and are designed to make arriving and leaving a smooth and speedy experience.

The machinery is manufactured by Designa and on exit will now allow tap and pay and payment methods such as Apple Pay.

“This upgrade of the ticketing equipment in our parking garages is part of our continuous efforts to enhance our guest experience," TPA Vice President of Concessions & Commercial Parking Laurie Noyes said. "Our travelers will now be able to begin and end their trips with the latest technology, delivering more convenient and efficient access to and from our parking garages.”

Among the many improvements are modern license plate readers that will scan car tags on the way into and out of the garage.

If the traveler has pre-booked parking at TampaAirport.com/Park and provided their license plate at time of booking, the traveler will not have to scan the QR code when entering the garage as the system will read their license plate. When the driver comes back from their trip on time, they will be able to drive to the exit kiosk where the plate will be scanned again and open the exit arm automatically, without having to provide the QR code again.

The process will work similarly for a driver who leaves within the one-hour grace period for free parking at any garage. They will pull a ticket at the entrance, and if their stay is less than 60 minutes, the license plate scanner will tell the exit arm to raise without the driver having to provide the ticket.

Replacing all the machinery will take a few weeks while people who parked with tickets using the old equipment filter out of the garages. The entire replacement at all three garages, which involves swapping out 18 ticket dispensers and 18 payment machines, is scheduled to be completed in October. Employee parking areas will also receive new equipment with new and improved features.

The Hillsborough County Aviation Authority Board at its December 2025 meeting approved $6.2 million for construction and materials on the project as part of the capital budget. Installation work is being performed by Manhattan Construction Company LLC.

Following a year of historic inflation in Tampa Bay and rising labor and construction costs, Tampa International Airport is continuing to execute plans to better serve guests and expand the number of available parking spaces.

Current projects include installing moving walkways in the Long Term Parking Garage and demolishing the outdated Monorail in the Long and Short Term garages. These improvements will eventually provide almost 500 new parking spaces across both garages. 

The projects are advancing on schedule, due to be completed in mid-2024 at a cost of $30.4 million as part of the Airport’s Capital Improvement Program.

But inflation has affected both the Airport and the Tampa Bay area at a higher rate than in many other large airport markets. Per unit labor costs have increased 14 percent since before the pandemic, and parking facility operations costs over the next 12 years are estimated to be $72 million.  To help address these costs, the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority Board of Directors on Thursday approved a parking rate adjustment for TPA’s Economy Parking Garage.

Beginning April 4, 2023, the maximum daily rate for Economy parking will go up by $2, increasing the total for 24 hours of parking there from $12 to $14. Hourly rates will not be affected.

“The Airport’s Economy Parking Garage is a superior value for our guests when compared to other large airports,” said Laurie Noyes, TPA Vice President of Concessions and Commercial Parking. “We offer travelers a clean and modern parking garage that’s a quick train ride from the Main Terminal, instead of a remote surface lot that’s only reachable by waiting for a shuttle bus.”

The Board also approved a future parking rate adjustment for when current projects are completed; the timing is not yet finalized but is scheduled to be the fourth quarter of FY2024.

When that rate adjustment takes effect, daily maximum parking fees will be $28 in the Short Term Garage, $22 in the Long Term Garage and $18 in the Economy Garage.

Even after the change, TPA’s parking rates will remain competitive among large airports in the U.S. and still comparable to off-airport parking.

TPA parking rates will always be cheaper online at park.tampaairport.com. The online booking site, which launched in 2021, allows travelers to reserve a parking space up to a year in advance.

The last time the HCAA Board approved a rate adjustment for TPA parking facilities was in 2020.