Orange County tax collector sues Orlando International Airport over unpaid taxes
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. โ The Orange County Tax Collectorโs office has filed a lawsuit against the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, the governing entity for the Orlando International Airport, for unpaid taxes totaling nearly $3.5 million. In the letter, the attorney said the tax collector is aware the current pandemic is placing a burden on businesses. Property taxes go toward funding Orange County schools, libraries and law enforcement. AdThe tax collector is required to collect 18% annual interest if the taxes have not been paid 60 days after the bill is due. For the majority of the tax liability claimed, the tax collector sent tax notices to the tenants, not GOAA.
Orlando airport saw more than 57% reduction in passengers in 2020, report says
ORLANDO, Fla. โ Orlando International Airport was hit hard by the pandemic in 2020 and its leaders are predicting another challenging year ahead. OIA saw about 21.6 million passengers in 2020, according to a report from the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which is a 57.29% drop from 2019, when the airport saw a record 50.6 million passengers. The airport has also seen a reduction in the number of destinations passengers can fly to from OIA and the number of airlines flying into the airport, as well. Destinations 91 88 -3% International Destinations 54 19 -65% Airlines Serving OIA 33 26 -27%โThe year-end numbers accurately reflect the impact of the COVID-19 virus on Orlando International Airport and the aviation industry in general,โ GOAA CEO Phil Brown said in the report. This comes at the same time Florida is seeing its lowest tourism numbers since 2010, reporting approximately 86.714 million visitors to the state during 2020, according to the state tourism marketing agency Visit Florida.
Orlando International airport rolls out new tech to encourage social distancing
ORLANDO, Fla. โ As passengers are returning to air travel and cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, Orlando International Airport is announcing new technology designed to encourage social distancing in high-traffic areas. On Nov. 20, the airport collaborated with SYNECT to install an Evenflow Crowd Radar system at Southwest Airlines gates 101-109. โThis new system will hopefully help passengers make informed decisions and reduce the anxiety that accompanies travel during these challenging times,โ Greater Orlando Aviation Authority CEO Phil Brown said. At each gate is a color-coded message beacon which displays light-green, dark-green, yellow or red to reflect the amount of people in one area. โEvenflow Crowd Radar uses behavioral science to make the airport safer for passengers, employees and the public,โ CEO of SYNECT Yahav Ran said.
Orlando International Airport severely impacted by coroanvirus pandemic
ORLANDO, Fla. It should be a busy holiday weekend at the Orlando International Airport, but airport officials said air traffic is down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Phil Brown, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority CEO, joined Justin Warmoth on The Weekly on ClickOrlando.com on Sunday to discuss how the airport has been impacted. [RELATED: Families trade-in Mickey ears for masks while traveling through OIA | Heres how Orlando International Airport hopes to improve consumer confidence amid pandemic]"At one point we were down to 1,500 people a day and 96-97% reduction," Brown said. Brown said the numbers are slowing picking back up, but its nowhere near the number of passengers before the pandemic. Brown said the airport hopes to gain passengers' trust with robust cleaning, offering contactless transactions, requiring passengers and employees to wear masks, and practicing CDC guidelines.
Orlando International Airport employees now required to wear face masks
ORLANDO, Fla. As travel begins to pick back up at Orlando International Airport amid the coronavirus pandemic, all airport employees with security badges will be required to wear a face mask. On Wednesday, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority approved a new policy requiring all 22,000 airport employees to wear facial coverings in public areas of the airport. The new policy applied to all employees who have a security badge from the Orlando Greater Aviation Authority. We continue to update our protocols to reflect the concerns of the community and inspire confidence among the traveling public, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority CEO Phil Brown said in a news release. Another 128 people who tested positive were not airport employees but were traceable connections to the airport workers, according to the Orange County Florida Department of Health.
Airlines announce plans to bring more service to Orlando airport amid COVID-19 pandemic
ORLANDO, Fla. Airlines have announced plans to bring more service to the Orlando International Airport amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. Normally on June 15, 68,730 passengers depart the airport. Airport traffic was down 97 percent earlier in the pandemic, traffic is now down about 78 percent, according to GOAA. GOAA said Spirt Airlines have announced plans to bring services to Orlando later in June. Airport officials said other airlines have announced increased air service.
Orlando airport sees slight uptick in travelers over past 2 weeks
ORLANDO, Fla. More than 10,000 travelers departed from the Orlando International Airport on Thursday. Normally on this day, OIA usually sees 67,000 passengers. Assistant Director of Public Affairs with the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority Rod Johnson said airport officials have seen a slight uptick in passenger numbers in Orlando over the past two weeks. The TSA said airports across the country saw 391,000 travelers on June 4. Typically the TSA sees 2,623,900 travelers on June 4.
Orlando airport employees will continue to wait for higher pay
ORLANDO, Fla. โ The battle for higher pay for Orlando International Airport workers continues. On Wednesday, the Greater Orlando Airport Authority decided to wait to increase wages to $15/hour for all airport employees. More than two dozen contracted airport employees were up at Monday's GOAA meeting hoping the board would hear their concerns. He said heโs barely able to make ends meet and like many contracted employees has been fighting for higher wages for years. The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority ultimately recommended deferring action for both GOAA employees and contract workers who make less than $15 per hour.