Panama City Beach - Panama City-Bay County International Airport is the current name can we do better?
The Airport Authority is soliciting new names for the new airport under construction near West Bay as a way to better market the region.
Airport Executive Director Randy Curtis said the general public, city and county government officials and tourist development councils in Bay County and South Walton are being invited to submit their suggestions.
The airport still may retain its current designation as the Panama City-Bay County International Airport, but Curtis said potential airlines have suggested the name should better echo a more regional perspective.
The new airport, with its longer 10,000-foot runway, will serve a larger geographical area than the current airport. The new name should mirror this national and international marketing reality, Curtis said. “(The airlines) want to make sure the new airport reflects a regional component,” he said.
Although some airports have been named after famous persons — such as the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Louisiana or the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, Okla. — Curtis said the new Bay County airport probably will take on a geographical designation. “I think the inclination is geographical, but we are open to suggestions,” he said.
Curtis told airport board members Friday that names will be collected and the issue discussed Sept. 22 at the next board meeting.
Competing airports in Northwest Florida tweaked their names last year to better market their brands, such as the Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport and the Northwest Florida Regional Airport in Fort Walton Beach.
Dan Rowe, executive director of the Bay County TDC, said the new airport, with its longer runway and customs operations ready for long-haul and international flights, gives officials a unique opportunity to brand the region.
“The name of the airport is important,” he said. “Having it help define where we are and who we are is important. The state of Florida is one of the top destinations on the planet. Creating a preference for this designation is our No. 1 goal.”
In material prepared for Friday’s board meeting, Curtis said the current Panama City airport began life in 1932 as a private landing field known as Atkinson Field. The name was changed to Fannin Field in the late 1930s or early 1940s and then to its current designation in 1992.
If the name is going to change again, Federal Aviation Administration officials say it should be done quickly to meet deadlines for directories and publications and the airport’s May 2010 opening date, Curtis said.
Airport officials also are soliciting names for the five major roads at the airport, particularly the main access road. Environmental themes have been suggested, Curtis said.
In addition, board members on Friday approved a change order to the Phoenix Construction contract that allows for the runway’s extension from 8,400 feet to 10,000 feet, pending FAA approval, which is anticipated shortly.
The extension, which officials have planned for months, adds roughly $3.5 million to the overall Phoenix contract.
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Tuesday, September 15, 2009
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