Southwest Airlines is Here, Oil is Not!

The long anticipated arrival of Southwest Airlines was met with a Grand Opening celebration for the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. Sporting the new call letters ECP, Northwest Florida Beaches Airport is the first commercial service international airport built in the US in 15 years, and is the nation’s very first “green” airport. The 10,000 foot long runway opens the door to full commercial service as opposed to the smaller regional jets serviced by the old airport, PFN.

Southwest Airlines, the nation’s largest domestic carrier, is a low cost airline (average one-way fare is $124.90) now providing non-stop service between Panama City Beach and Orlando, Houston, Nashville, and Baltimore/Washington and connecting flights throughout Southwest’s entire infrastructure. Delta provides direct service linking Panama City Beach to Memphis and Atlanta.

Beaches International is located in West Bay, near Panama City and Panama City Beach, on 4,000 acres donated by the St Joe Company, the largest landowner in North Florida. The new airport currently sits on 1,300 acres leaving plenty of room for future expansion, including the ability to add parallel runways measuring 12,000 ft. and 8,400.

The new 125,000 sq. ft. terminal building is state-of-the-art and will be designated “green” under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program of the U.S. Green Building Council. The terminal boasts 7 gates, 2 restaurants, 2 retail shops and 5 car rental ticketing counters. Escalators and elevators rise to the departure/arrival gates and “beachy” murals and other works of art adorn the walls. The main entry level is incredibly spacious, bright and welcoming with ticketing counters for Southwest and Delta Airlines on one end and shiny new luggage retrieval carousels on the other. The terminal houses a 2,000 sq. ft. military welcome center featuring large screen TVs and computer terminals for military visitors needing Internet access. There is also a children’s area and a small kitchen. The Bay County Veterans Council will manage the welcome center located on the terminal’s 2^nd floor above the baggage claim area.

The cost of the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport was about $330 million. The federal and state governments, and Airport Authority revenues equally shared these costs. No local taxes have been used.