Panama City Beach – Northwest Florida Beaches International (ECP) Grand Opening / Open House Schedule of Events May 22, 2010

Panama City Beach / West Bay – On Saturday May 22, 2010 come and enjoy a great day of celebration! It’s the GRAND OPENING! The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport is hosting an Open House.

Tour the new terminal. See the West Bay Site. There will be shuttles from the parking area to the terminal. Meet the sponsors while visiting their booths which will be located outside and inside the terminal. Some of the artists who donated artwork will be available to discuss their work. Bring your umbrella for shade while enjoying the outdoor concerts and ribbon cutting ceremony. There will also be indoor concerts. There will be LIMITED seating. Bring chairs.

There will be food and beverage vendors on site as well as a first aid area. There will be balloon artists and face painting for the children. If weather permits, you will witness the first aircraft landing at ECP. Buy your t-shirt, too!

Schedule of Events*
Saturday, May 22

6:00 a.m. Gate Security--Law Enforcement Positioned.
9:00 a.m. Gates Open to General Public
9:00 -9:45 a.m. Merritt Brown Middle Band Terminal Front
45 Seated
9:00 a.m.-4 p.m. Flipside Terminal In & Out
Fun for children.
9:45 -10:55 a.m. LoCash Cowboys Stage 2
10:55 -11:15 a.m. Arnold High Jazz Band Apron
25 Seated
11:30 a.m. Grand Opening Program Stage1
Local, regional, state and federal dignitaries in attendance to mark
this memorable occasion including Senator Bill Nelson and Governor
Charlie Crist.
11:45 a.m. Tyndall Flyover
12:20 p.m. Ribbon Cutting
12:30-1:45 p.m. Eric Heatherly (Set 1) Stage 2
1:55 p.m. First Flight ETA
1:55-2:20 p.m. Bay High Band (Set 1) Terminal Side
2:15-3:20 p.m. Stainless Steel Terminal Gate Area
2:30 p.m. Second Flight ETA
2:30-2:50 p.m. Bay High Band (Set 2) Terminal Side
3:00-3:55 p.m. Eric Heatherly (Set 2) Stage 2
4:00 p.m. Gates will be closing within the hour.
* Times and activities may change due to weather and/or conditions

ECP is only 11.5 miles from our Panama City Beach Condos for tent at Celadon Beach Resort Reserve The Best Panama City Beach Condos for Your Beach Vacation

We will have pictures on the web site from the first flight leaving Nashville on May 23, 2010. Our first drawing for Southwest Airlines gift cards to be given to our guests at Celadon Beach Resort will also be held May 23. Book your reservation now to be eligible!

The address of ECP follows:

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP)
6300 West Bay Parkway
Panama City Beach, FL 32409

Directions to ECP Follow:

Panama City Beach – The new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport is located on State Highway 388 roughly equidistance between State Road 79 and State Road 77 to the east.

From Panama City, take State Road 77 north through Lynn Haven and Southport. Turn left onto State Highway 388. Proceed for approximately 8 miles. Airport entrance is on the right.

From Panama City Beach, take State Road 79 north toward West Bay. Turn right onto State Highway 388. Proceed for approximately 4 miles. Airport entrance is on the left.

Driving west on I-10 from Tallahassee, take State Road 77 south to State Highway 388. Turn right and proceed approximately 8 miles. Airport entrance is on the right.

Driving east on I-10 from Pensacola, take State Road 79 south to State Highway 388. Turn left and proceed approximately 4 miles. Airport entrance is on the left.

From the best condos for rent in Panama City Beach, FL http://www.bestpanamacitybeachcondo.com driving east on Front Beach Road take State Road 79 north toward West Bay. Turn right onto State Highway 388. Proceed for approximately 4 miles. Airport entrance is on the left. Wow the new airport is only a little over 11 miles from your condo on the beach.

Click here to get driving directions to ECP http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=embed&saddr=&daddr=982+State+Highway+388,+Panama+City+Beach,+FL+32413&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=29.634084,56.337891&ie=UTF8&ll=30.326553,-85.781967&spn=0.503779,0.88028

Panama City Beach – Press Release for Northwest Florida International Airport (ECP). May 23, 2010 opening on Schedule!

The new airport is only 11.5 miles from our Panama City Beach Florida condos for rent Reserve The Best Panama City Beach Condos for Your Beach Vacation . Our Vacation rental condos are at Celadon Beach Resort.

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport
Wins Final FAA Approval

May 23rd Grand Opening Right on Schedule
Panama City, Florida – (May 11, 2010) – The Panama City Bay County Airport and Industrial District (Airport Authority) today announced that Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport has received its Part 139 Airport Operating Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. The new airport is scheduled to begin service Sunday, May 23.

“This is a significant milestone in the development of Northwest Florida’s newest airport,” said Airport Authority Chairman Joe Tannehill. “We want to thank our partners at the FAA in helping us to ensure that the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport meets all federal aviation safety requirements. This is indeed great news.”

As part of the certification process, FAA inspectors tested the new airport’s 10,000-foot runway, instrument landing equipment, navigational system, runway lighting and air traffic control tower. FAA air traffic controllers are now training in the control tower in preparation of the May 23rd opening.
Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport is still awaiting final approval from the Transportation Security Administration and a Certificate of Occupancy from Bay County for the 125,000-square-foot passenger terminal.

In other action today, the Airport Authority agreed to lease space at the new airport to Thrifty Car Rental. That brings to six the number of car rental companies that will be operating in the new airport. The others are: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz and National.

The $318-million Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport is the first commercial-service international airport built in the U.S. in the past 15 years. The new airport and its 10,000-foot runway are built on approximately 1,300 acres of a 4,000-acre site. The 125,000-square-foot passenger terminal features seven gates, two restaurants, two retail shops and six car rental ticketing counters.

Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines will offer daily nonstop service to Atlanta, Memphis, Orlando, Cincinnati, Houston, Baltimore and Nashville.
Airport Contact:

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport
Randy Curtis, Executive Director, 850-763-6751 ext. 203

Panama City Beach Condo Rental Contact:
Pam 615-496-4369

Panama City Beach - Northwest Florida Beaches International (ECP) is on schedule for May 23, 2010 opening. Fly SWA and save $150 on a 6 night stay!

Panama City Beach - ECP is only 11.5 miles from our condos for rent in Panama City Beach, FL Reserve The Best Panama City Beach Condos for Your Beach Vacation at Celadon Beach Resort. Both condos are available on May 23 for 6 nights.

To save $150 all you need is a copy of your May 23, 2010 opening day Southwest Airlines itinerary to ECP. Call and book your reservation today… 615-496-4369.

Panama City Beach - Southwest Airlines Competition Reducing Airfares

Panama City Beach – Are you thinking about flying to Panama City Beach for a relaxing vacation? The new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport opens May 23, 2010 (ECP). There is already good news for guests that want to fly to Panama City Beach. Reduced airfares and our affordable Panama City Beach condos for rent at Celadon Beach Resort less than 12 miles from ECP Reserve The Best Panama City Beach Condos for Your Beach Vacation

In a letter to The News Herald that was published Feb. 25 (“New airport has yet to land lower airfares”, Mr. Bruce Kennedy complained that the new airport has not resulted in lower airfares.
To make his case he compared the purchase of two Southwest Airlines’ tickets to San Antonio departing on June 1 and returning on June 6. The total price for the two round-trip tickets was $587.60, or $293.80 per person.

He compared this with Delta Air Lines fares for the same dates and found their fares to be $3 lower. His conclusion is that nothing has changed and Panama City fares remain high even with the new Southwest service.

That is incorrect.

The U.S. Department of Transportation collects data on actual air fares sold, with the latest information available being the 12-month period ending in September 2009. Based on that information, the average round-trip airfare sold from Panama City to San Antonio during that 12-month period was $694 per person. That cost does not include taxes and other fees that were included in Mr. Kennedy’s fare quote. Therefore the comparison is $1,388 (plus taxes and fees) for two tickets in 2009 versus $587 (including taxes and fees) with the new Southwest fares.

The fact that Delta is matching the Southwest fares is evidence that the competition provided by Southwest is generating significantly lower air fares.

Mr. Kennedy was also critical of Southwest’s level of customer service referring to seat assignments and beverage services. In response I would note that Southwest has routinely been ranked by various consumer and industry organizations as No. 1 in the airline industry in customer service. Kennedy also left out the part where Delta charges bags to fly if you have to check your bag.

The new airport is about many things that will provide economic benefits to our community, in addition to better airfares.

RANDY CURTIS
Executive Director
Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport

Panama City Beach – Drive Times to the beaches from Northwest Florida Beaches International and the Northwest Florida Regional Airport in Okaloosa Cou

Panama City Beach – I saw this information in the news Herald this morning and thought that you might be interested in beach drives from the airports. Pat Rice of the News Herald did some driving last week to determine the time it takes to drive from the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport to Destin and conversely the time it takes to drive from Okaloosa County’s Northwest Florida Regional Airport.

While everyone else was celebrating the imminent opportunity to fly to and from Houston, Nashville, Baltimore and Orlando on Southwest Airlines, Pat was busy on the road, finding the answer for us to another airport-related question. Namely, how long does it actually take to drive to various points along the beach from Northwest Florida’s airports?

Next to ticket cost, drive time from airport to destination might be the most important question tourists and other visitors to Northwest Florida have as they decide which airport to use. If it takes decidedly longer to travel from one airport than the other, that could matter to visitors.

So Pat jumped in his truck and went on a drive on our behalf. Pat drove from the entrance of Bay County’s new airport and timed how long it took to reach certain well-known points along U.S. Highway 98 in Walton and Okaloosa counties. The exact route was west from the airport on County Road 388, south on State Highway 79 and then west on U.S. 98.

On the way back to Panama City Beach Pat drove from the entrance of Northwest Florida Regional Airport in Okaloosa County and timed how long it took to reach the same points along U.S. 98. The exact route was State Road 85 north to Niceville, then State Road 20 east through Niceville, then State Road 293 south across the Mid-Bay Bridge to U.S. Highway 98.

The results of Pat’s field trip follow. Note that Pat made the drive on a Wednesday in the middle of December so drive times will definitely be longer during prime time from either direction.


1. The east entrance to State Road 30A in east Walton County, 21 minutes
2. The intersection with County Road 295, which ends at Seaside and WaterColor, 29 minutes
3. The intersection with County Road 283, which ends at Grayton Beach, 31 minutes
4. The intersection with County Road 393, which ends at Dune Allen Beach, 37 minutes
5. The west entrance to 30A, 40 minutes
6. The Silver Sands shopping area, 46 minutes
7. Destin Commons, 51 minutes.

And, in reverse order, here is how long it took to drive to the same points from Okaloosa County’s airport:
1. Destin Commons, 26 minutes
2. Silver Sands, 34 minutes
3. The west entrance to 30A, 40 minutes
4. County Road 393, 43 minutes
5. County Road 283, 48 minutes
6. County Road 395, 50 minutes
7. East entrance to 30A, 59 minutes


So if you are a traveler heading to points west of the west entrance of 30A, you will save a few minutes if you begin your drive from Okaloosa County’s airport. But if you are heading to points east of the west entrance of 30A, then you would be better off beginning from the new Bay County Airport.

Of course, the real lesson here is that the difference in drive time is negligible.
Pat’s conclusion…Rather than focusing on drive time from the airports, travelers should focus on the price of their airline tickets. And Southwest’s arrival to Bay County’s airport should create competition that means lower ticket prices all around. That’s a present we can all enjoy.

Pat did not include the drive time to our Panama City Beach Condo Reserve The Best Panama City Beach Condos for Your Beach Vacation
I will:
From PCB – 12 minutes
From Okaloosa 63 minutes

On a side note Pam and I are booked on the first direct flight from Nashville to Panama City Beach on Mat 23rd. I hope you join us!

Panama City Beach - Southwest Airlines Announces Fares and Flights To/From Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport

Panama City Beach - Carrier Will Operate Eight Daily Nonstop Flights From Panama City Beach, FL Beginning May 23, 2010

DALLAS, Dec 16, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Grab your beach ball, it's on! Southwest Airlines brings FUN in the sun to Panama City Beach, Florida! Flights are on sale today for the much-anticipated May 23, 2010, start of service! The Dallas-based airline will offer a better way to the beach with a total of eight daily nonstop departures:
-- Panama City Beach (ECP) to/from Nashville (BNA) - two daily flights
-- Panama City Beach (ECP) to/from Houston Hobby (HOU) - two daily flights
-- Panama City Beach (ECP) to/from Baltimore/Washington (BWI) - two daily
flights
-- Panama City Beach (ECP) to/from Orlando (MCO) - two daily flights

Southwest is offering these new flights with fares as low as $49 each way to Orlando and $69 each way to Baltimore/Washington, Houston, and Nashville with a 14-day advance purchase (see fare rules below). For more information on the new service see our blog post: blogsouthwest.com.

"Southwest Airlines is excited to bring to this brand new, top-notch airport an all-jet Boeing 737 fleet, our generous Bags Fly Free service where we don't charge you extra for your first two checked bags, and our outstanding Customer Service," said Bob Montgomery, Southwest Airlines Vice President of Properties. "We have been eyeing this region for a long time and have been extremely impressed by the amount of passion the community has put behind bringing Southwest Airlines to their hometown."

In addition to the eight daily nonstop flights, Southwest Airlines will offer direct or connecting service to more than 58 destinations from Panama City Beach, including Dallas and Chicago. Southwest Airlines will operate from Gate 3 at the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport with approximately 30-35 Employees who will call the region home.

When shopping for Southwest online, it's important to know that Southwest Airlines' low fares are only available at www.southwest.com. Not only will Customers find Southwest's great rates online at www.southwest.com, but the site also hosts Southwest's Travel Guide where Customers can check out insider travel tips posted by those who frequent the Emerald Coast.

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when you land Reserve The Best Panama City Beach Condos for Your Beach Vacation

Panama City Beach - Southwest To Announce Destination Cities

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Here is the news that you all have been waiting for…Southwest Airlines on Wednesday will announce its four destination cities to and from the new Panama City airport, along with special introductory fares.

Bob Montgomery, Southwest vice president of properties, will make the announcement during a press conference at 10 a.m. at the Breakers Restaurant in Panama City Beach. Officials have anxiously awaited the location of the four “gateway” cities from which Southwest plans to schedule its eight daily non-stop flights to the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, scheduled to open May 18 near West Bay.

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Bay County Tourist Development Council (TDC) officials say they want to jump-start a marketing campaign in the cities once they were announced, particularly using the new social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

“We are waiting to get the names of the cities,” said TDC executive director Dan Rowe. “It is a very important day. When they start selling tickets, it really brings energy to the whole project.”

Watch for my post of the cities tolowwor morning!

Panama City Beach – Airport Czar will Pitch to new businesses

PANAMA CITY BEACH — The efforts to jump start business around the new airport are underway in earnest. Kevin Johnson the new economic development czar (this use of the word czar id good not like some of the other czars in the news) for The St. Joe Co. told the Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce on Friday that Northwest Florida had the potential to duplicate or even surpass the high-tech growth of North Carolina’s research triangle.

With the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport set to open in May, the region’s “branding” is poised to go from bathing suits to business suits, said Kevin Johnson, new vice president of economic development for St. Joe.
“You can not only have a great tan, but make a million bucks,” said Johnson, who previously served as business development vice president for the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina.

As owners of condos in Panama City Beach Reserve The Best Panama City Beach Condos for Your Beach Vacation and a part time resident we are excited about the prospects of new business development in the area.

All that was needed to make it happen was “regional leadership,” he said. “The enemy of high-impact economic development progress is political jurisdictions,” said Johnson, who will encourage companies such as aerospace, aviation and defense to expand or relocate near the new $318 million airport under construction near West Bay.

When the research triangle was first formed by state and local governments in the late 1950s, North Carolina was the second-poorest state in the country, Johnson said. Today, North Carolina ranks 25th in the country and the area around the research triangle has the second-highest per-capita income in the state. “I think we can do that here,” Johnson said.

Both Johnson and airport executive director Randy Curtis were speaking to the chamber Friday about the economic influence of the new airport, the center of a 71,000-acre state-sanctioned West Bay Area Sector Plan of long-term industrial and residential development.

Johnson said the 7,000-acre research triangle in North Carolina is one of the most prominent research-and-development centers in the United States. It is sometimes compared to Silicon Valley, Calif., another high-tech corridor now dominated by computer companies.

Johnson said the West Bay Sector, with 10 times as many acres, roughly the size of Washington, D.C., had the capacity to outstrip the North Carolina effort by creating a “new urban land form.”

The resulting development could revolutionize the economic landscape of Northwest Florida “to put a stamp on it for a new generation,” Johnson told the large chamber crowd. “We still don’t have the numbers,” he said, noting that he has asked for labor data for 100 miles in every direction from the new airport. His research will be shared with prospective industries.

Corps letter

Curtis told the crowd the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sent a letter Thursday to the Federal Aviation Administration, giving its approval for the 1,600-foot extension on the new airport’s runway, which will lengthen the runway to 10,000 feet.
“We are ready to go” on the extension’s construction as soon as the FAA signs off on the Corps’ recommendation, Curtis said after the meeting.
Not only are airport officials hopeful the new facility will make its projected May 18 grand opening, “it’s more than a goal; it will happen,” Curtis told the chamber crowd.

Curtis briefed the crowd on the construction progress of the new airport’s 120,000 square feet of terminal space, 2.5 miles of main access road and the facility’s 16,000-square-foot baggage handling area, which he called “truly state-of-the-art technology.”

This will be a fun development to watch over the years.