Southwest Airlines says it intends to begin daily jet service to four destinations from the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport near Panama City in Florida’s panhandle when the airport opens in May 2010.
The planned service is possible as a result of a strategic alliance agreement signed between Southwest Airlines and The St. Joe Company, one of Florida’s largest landowners and real estate developers. The new airport will replace Panama City’s existing airport and will introduce daily jet service to the Northwest Florida Gulf Coast. For more information on the Northwest Florida Gulf Coast, visit www.thebeachfla.com.
Southwest Airlines has not yet released specific service details, saying only that it will add at least two daily nonstop flights from Northwest Florida to four destinations across its 68-airport network for a total of eight daily nonstop flights when it begins service next year.
Northwest Florida Beaches will be the first international airport to open in the United States in more than a decade. The new international airport is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in May 2010. Specific details on Southwest’s fares and schedule will be available in December 2009.
“Southwest’s arrival in Northwest Florida is expected to stimulate job growth, economic development, and give travelers more of the options they’ve been seeking,” says Britt Greene, president and CEO of The St. Joe Company. “St. Joe is the largest landowner in Northwest Florida, with hundreds of thousands of acres in the service area of the new airport site. Southwest will help position Northwest Florida as one of America’s leading beach destinations. At the same time, this region is also home to one of the world’s most important defense aerospace economic clusters, anchored by U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Army aviation installations.”
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 takes off at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, one of the airline's major destinations
Several regional organizations are assisting in launching the service. Coastal Vision 3000, the Northwest Florida business group that created the regional destination brand, “The Beach,” is participating in the initiative. The Bay County Tourism Development Council and The South Walton Tourism Development Council have pledged marketing resources. The Panama City – Bay County International Airport and Industrial District has worked hard to enable new air service.
Southwest says it will release additional details regarding its future Panama City service in the coming months. However, the airline does say its entry into Florida’s panhandle will be made possible in part by Southwest optimizing its current flight schedule and repositioning aircraft.
Related to this story:
- Vision Airlines Starts Offering Connections at Northwest Florida Regional Airport
- Vision Airlines Adds Five New Cities from Northwest Florida Regional Airport
- Vision Airlines Launches Niagara Falls-Northwest Florida-Miami Schedule
- Southwest to serve BWI, Denver, Houston and Phoenix from Newark
- Southwest Unveils ‘Florida One’ 737, Painted to Honor Florida
