shelly, thanks for posting Dotty's article from back in May. I recalled it just as she recalled. I will also add that though the article and the agenda does state the specific wording of the resolution, I don't recall hearing the reading of the resolution verbatim at the meeting, and as Dotty wrote:

So, anyone who attended the meeting without reading the resolution in advance, would have only a limited understanding of the resolution being presented at the public hearing.

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Our commissioners were all over wmbb tonight for "walton county day" at the new airport.

wmbb.com - Walton County Day at New Airport

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Get Outdoors!

"Walton County Day" celebrated at Panama City airport | panama, city, airport - News - Northwest Florida Daily News

Well, there you go. It has all been said. Only thing left is the winking. (See Pat Rice story 10-18-09 in NWFL Daily News or Panama City News Herald for background on "wink, wink.")

Stumbled across an article in a Nashville Real Estate Blog about Southwest and the new airport.

In an unconfirmed conversation with an employee of Southwest Airlines, I have learned that Nashville will be chosen along with Baltimore to fly non-stop to the new Panama City International Airport. According to my source, Southwest Airlines will be the only discount fare carrier who flies the Nashville to Panama City route non-stop.

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Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. ~P.J. O'Rourke

VPS files to trademark "Northwest Florida International"

Okaloosa Board of Commissioners file for International Airport trademark

While I try not to be cynical, after working for 21 years at Delta I have found that hearsay info that comes from employees in the field is highly inaccurate. I'm not saying that it's not true, but it needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

Route decisions are highly competitive. An air line does not wish to tip its hat to the competitors. Also, they can affect stock prices to a degree. To that end, usually only the higher ups with a need to know actually know.

Let's just wait and see. It would be cool if it happens, though

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Perhaps the waiting is over. Yesterday, information was distributed for special meeting at the Northwest Florida - Panama City International Airport at 12:45 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009. Gate opens at noon. May need email and parking pass from one of the sponsoring parties, like TDC, Chamber, EDC, etc., to attend. May not, but I'd check before I went. Business card required to give to guard at gate. Gate opens to the public at 12 noon. Those volunteering on various boards probably got one by email. News story on page one of Northwest Florida Daily News this morning for more info.

Airport supporters huddle in ‘red zone' // PHOTOS | panama, city, florida - News - The News Herald

Anybody going? Would like a first hand account if possible.

Insiders are saying that the cat is out of the bag and SouthWest Airlines is being announced for the new Panama City Beach airport at noon today. I guess we'll soon see.

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Wonder what this is about?

Southwest Airlines' CEO Gary Kelly Presents at 2009 Media Day | Reuters

Southwest Airlines CEO set to announce 'breaking news'


Southwest Airlines CEO set to announce 'breaking news' | panama, city, florida - News - The News Herald

Maybe this...

Panama City airport getting big news

Panama City airport getting big news | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal

Wow ...

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Proud to practice indoctrination
at least when it comes to the GATOR NATION

Word is out that today is the day!

Southwest Airlines' CEO Gary Kelly Presents at 2009 Media Day | Reuters

Thanks for putting this up. Wondered what happened to Kurt's long thread on this? Watching for live coverage on Panama City News 7. Announcement should come around 12:45. Reporters said a plane landed at old PC Airport with Southwest colors. There are red, orange and blue "Shakers" or something like that available for attendees at airport announcement. News was also showing direct flight paths.

Ch. 7 has the weatherman at the media event- and supposedly an announcement will be made in about 10 minutes.

Among others, Florida's Lt. Gov. is there and JOE stock is up about 2%.

Maybe frequent flier Jeff Kottkamp is looking to pick up some Southwest vouchers while he's there.

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Proud to practice indoctrination
at least when it comes to the GATOR NATION

First article I've found that actually involves someone who has talked to SWA:

Pensacola still in running for Southwest Airlines | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal

There will be a lot of frequent fliers if this comes through. Wonder what the connections to Texas will be like? Live stream from Southwest Airlines is available if you go to Northwest Florida Daily News or Panama City News Herald. I don't know how to add. Kurt had it on his earlier post. Might be available through first post here.

A tweet from Twitter user airlinegossip says service will be to Baltimore and NashVegas.

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at least when it comes to the GATOR NATION

They are breaking out the poms poms. Seriously.

It looks like Worth William's wife, Dana, of Eastern Lake in South Walton and Dallas, is speaking at the podium. I think she used to be a flight attendent for Southwest Airlines.

Any sign of SHELLY? Look for naked person wearing straw hat ...

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Proud to practice indoctrination
at least when it comes to the GATOR NATION

Alex, my answer is:
What are 2 cities I have never flown through on a commercial flight?

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The enemy is ignorance.

Finally.

CEO calls NW Florida a “very large, underserved, overpriced (airline wise) tourism gem.”

SW will offer at least two daily flights each to four destinations for eight flights a day. Service will launch in May and they will begin selling flights in December. “All the details about our destinations, fares and flight times will be available in December.”

CEO also called it a “significant risk” from a business perspective.

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Proud to practice indoctrination
at least when it comes to the GATOR NATION

they said 2 flights a day to 4 cities, they also said that they are starting new flights to STL in may as well.

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" Ow, Scuba Steve! Damn You!" ~ Adam Sandler in Big Daddy

It really doesn't go with their usual expansion plans. Sounds like something of an experiment for the company and a 'use it or lose it' sort of proposition.

So did they commit themselves to PC w/ flights to be announced, OR was this just a media event and they can still decide to go to PNS or VPS?

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The enemy is ignorance.

PNS says they're still in negotiations and that SWA reps consider them an entirely different market than PCB.

Committed to PCB. Just said destinations would be available in December.

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Proud to practice indoctrination
at least when it comes to the GATOR NATION

Was there ever any doubt?

Twitpic - Share photos on Twitter

This is very interesting. (and beachmouse nailed it)

The CEO says Southwest has actually formed an alliance with St. Joe that he describes as very unique. “This is an environment that makes it very difficult to contemplate even taking a risk,” he said, but the deal with St. Joe makes it possible, even given that “this is a brand new airport with no meaningful traffic history at all.”

He called the deal pretty straightforward. “(St. Joe) will subsidize Southwest in effect during the first three years of the agreement. There are safety valves for each company in case things are worse than they could be.”

Each company has an “out” after a couple of years if the venture is a disaster.

It sounds as if the extra half-cent bed tax is being funneled to either St. Joe or directly to Southwest. It will be very interesting to see how the money flows.

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Proud to practice indoctrination
at least when it comes to the GATOR NATION

Regarding PCB getting service over PNS, CEO said the new airport represented "far and away the best opportunity to get started." PNS appears to still be in the running but there also appears to be no hurry ...

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Proud to practice indoctrination
at least when it comes to the GATOR NATION

Bay County lands Southwest // VIDEO | panama, city, florida - News - The News Herald

NEWS FLASH--NEW SERVICE COMING NEXT MAY!!! | Nuts About Southwest

NEWS FLASH--NEW SERVICE COMING NEXT MAY!!!
Wed, 10/21/2009 - 13:19 — Bill Owen
It's Media Day at Southwest's Galactic Headquarters here in Dallas, and we have a LOT of news to share. 2010's first new city....expansion at a long-time Southwest destination....once again Southwest is getting creative to respond to demand for our service!

The biggest news of the day is that Southwest intends to begin service at the brand-new International Airport being built near Panama City, Florida next May. We're bringing low fares and GREAT service to the land of sugar-white-sand beaches, incredibly gentle blue waters, and an amazing variety of visitor accomodations just in time for vacation season, Summer, 2010! Up until Southwest's arrival, this part of Northwest Florida has been plagued by high fares and a lack of full-sized airline service. We're going to change that. Southwest's entry into the Panama City market will make it possible for all of America to experience the incredible beauty of Northwest Florida!

While we're not ready to announce specific service plans just yet (we'll announce all the specifics this December, so stay tuned!), the "how" of our entry into the Florida Panhandle is as interesting as the "why." For the first time ever, we've formed a strategic alliance with a corporate partner to enable Southwest to bring a new airport onto our network. The corporate ally in this venture is our friends at the St. Joe Corporation, with whom we've been talking for over a decade. Even if the St. Joe name isn't familiar, trust me, you know them. They are the largest landowner in the State of Florida, owning over a 600,000 acres of prime Florida Panhandle woodlands and beaches. They're also developing world-class resort communities in the area including the award-winning, jaw-droppingly-beautiful "Watercolor" complex.

Lots of other local groups are also actively helping Northwest Florida launch its new international airport. Both the Bay County Tourism Development Council and the South Walton Tourism Development Council have stepped up to the plate to make the new airport a success, as has Coastal Vision 3000. If you've never visited the Panama City area, believe me, you have an incredible treat in store. I'm already planning my family's vacation there next summer (whale watchers, take note....*gr*)!

In other big news about our May 2010 schedule, today Gary announced our intent to grow our St. Louis operation by adding new nonstop service in six markets, and additional flights in two others. We'll be adding two new nonstop, roundtrip flights each weekday between St. Louis and both Los Angeles and Nashville; and one daily roundtrip between St. Louis and New Orleans; Raleigh/Durham; Seattle; and San Diego. (Sidebar to all of you nascent "schedule geeks" out there--St. Louis-Nashville service may be the single most frequently requested new market between existing Southwest airports during my 16 years in Schedule Planning. So, to all of you that have asked for this service through the years, this one's for you--NOW KINDLY GO BUY A TICKET!!!!)

These additions come on the heels of our other recent St. Louis announcement that we're adding new nonstop service between Lambert and both Boston and Minneapolis/St. Paul this coming January. In fact, we're so pumped about our growth in St. Louis that we'll add a third St. Louis-Minneapolis/St. Paul flight with all of the other new service in May. All told, by next may, we plan to be operating 83 weekday departures from our gates in Lambert-St. Louis International's East Terminal (which is the newest and most modern terminal at Lambert!).

Again, all of this awesome new service in St. Louis and Panama City will begin next May, and will be available for sale this December. But don't wait until December to check out this blog again--you never know what other surprises we've got in store for you!

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" Ow, Scuba Steve! Damn You!" ~ Adam Sandler in Big Daddy

Did anyone else read that press release and go "whoa!"?

Are the taxpayers going to be legally obligated to fund any shortfall due to the content of these agreements?

And is part the bed-tax money is going to St. Joe?

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The enemy is ignorance.

Good question. St. Joe is filing something with the Securities and Exchange Commission that apparently will outline the alliance ... I hope to see EXACTLY how tax money will be used in this agreement.

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Proud to practice indoctrination
at least when it comes to the GATOR NATION

Form 8K (Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement, Financial Statements and Exhibits) has been filed.

Summary of ST JOE CO - Yahoo! Finance

Excerpts:

St. Joe has been working alongside a number of regional organizations in its effort to secure the financial commitments to support the new air service.

Conditions of the commencement of service include:

Translation: In a month there will be a deal in place between Southwest, the Bay County TDC, the Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Walton County TDC regarding "resources" ... ie bed taxes. How soon will we, the public, be able to read this agreement?

And Coastal Vision 3000 is giving away rooms...? to whom?

And finally:

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Who will be paying the taxes on the "free rooms" Coastal Vision 3000 is providing to Southwest as part of the deal?

And what exactly is the TDC obligated to do as part of their agreement?

Too bad they won't start service until after Spring Break too!

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The enemy is ignorance.

I am not the TDC, but in the numerous TDC meetings I have been in when it was discussed, and in the the passage of the actual funding resolution approved by the BCC, the Walton County TDC dollars would be limited to joint marketing efforts and is currently capped at the 1/2% bed tax level.

So the deal says St. Joe may have to pay as much as $14 million to Southwest to cover shortfalls during the first year of service. The expected TDC revenue from that half-cent tax increase for the 2009-10 fiscal year was, last I saw, about $1.1 million and will probably increase at least somewhat for the 2010-11 year, which is what would cover Southwest's first year of service. So it appears that the bed tax increases from Walton and Bay will supplement Joe's funding to Southwest, but it does not appear the bed tax increases will be funding this entire agreement.

Firmer numbers are needed however. I find it hard to believe that St. Joe is on the hook for as much as $10 million without the money coming creatively from somewhere else.

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Proud to practice indoctrination
at least when it comes to the GATOR NATION

JOE has much to gain in Bay County by supplementing money to SW. I'm sure they have always known they would do it, just didn't know how much it will cost. By adding the Bay and Walton County bed tax increases to the coffers, it just makes their portion less costly. Also, as new direct, low-cost flights are added to our top supporting markets, you will see bed counts increase and therefore, the supplemental money from JOE will be less as time moves forward.

If you don't know anything about JOE's West Bay sector, you don't know much about JOE. There is no way they would allow SW to go to P'cola or VPS.

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VPS never stood a chance with this.

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How could they? It's a wonder the new airport isn't named St. Joe Int'l, with the code renamed from PFN to JOE.



As a frequent traveler, I'm happy for the cheaper fares, if SW will actually go somewhere that connects to somewhere I go - if you follow that. But dang, just as the NW/DL buyout was going to let me finally qualify for Medallion level, after years of splitting flights between them and never qualifying on either!

Here's the question, is this a fluke or a game changer?

As pointed out by numerous posters, on paper this is highly suspect with Southwest's "typical" business model (considering our business climate do we really know what "typical" is anymore?). IMO, the other airlines are probably shocked at what's happening- especially Delta/Northwest. From personal experience, I can tell you that in the past three months the flights from where I live to South Walton have been cheaper flying into PC than VPS both on Delta connecting in ATL. Now, you have a low cost carrier flying into PC.

I will be curious to see how it all turns out but with St. Joe involved. I also agree with SJ and AL, VPS never stood a chance.

Game changer, I'd suspect.

And, it looks like Delta figured it out ahead of the rest of us. Hence the lower recent fares, a fact not lost on me, either. It will be interesting to see if SW just cherry-picks some routes, or actually offers some useful connections. For now, DL/NW combined offer a whole lot of useful connections into/out of PFN, er JOE.

I think long term success comes from giving people a reason to come to PCB that isn't directly related to THE Beach. High value customers will stay away in spring until PCB tosses out the spring breakers, and summer beach vacations are effectively a regional affair. (and western Michigan, the Jersey shore and Cape Cod all have far better summer weather than the Panhandle does). Winter here is not the bikini weather that draws many to South Florida.

Something that the area does significantly lack is large convention space- neither the Emerald Coast Conference Center nor Sandestin are big enough to handle middle-large (3K people and up) effectively and Pensacola also doesn't have good trade show space at the Civic Center. Partner up with a big player in the conference sector like Gaylord, build one of their gigantic climate-controlled hotel and conference center complexes, and you could have something that draws in large number of high dollar visitors and doesn't depend on the weather so much.

They'll still get my business.

as for convention space, maybe the indian tribe which owns a good chunk of property in PCB, will eventually get casino gambling, hotel, and convention center. Kiss Sandestin convention business goodbye. ???

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I think Sandestin will always have a niche for small scale, very high dollar conferences. Differnet groups, different needs, and I think there's room for multiple players in that market.

I'm just saying, if a big casino is built with large conference center in PCB, and very close to new airport with discount fairs and new four lane to get there by car, it will draw many conferences away from Sandestin. Sandestin better start to get the mouse wheels a churnin'.

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Breaking News!!!

Southwest Airlines just changed the name of their company to "The Airline"(tm), expect St. Joe's announcement tomorrow, RE: "The Company"(tm).


.........

"The Airport"(tm) ...... lol

I've always liked it too.

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Great TV spot from 1972:

Nice airport, but leaving Seagrove at 4:00AM to make a 6:00AM departure from VPS isn't my idea of fun. Throw in the new price reductions out of PFN, and I'm not real interested in flying out of VPS.

Just curious, does anyone know how many miles it is to the new airport versus how many miles to VPS, from Seagrove?

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My mind tends to wander... but fortunately, it's so weak, it doesn't get very far...

Google maps is neat and easy for that. There is an expressway planned over the intracoastal near WaterSound from 98 to the new airport.

Southwest to benefit local businesses, officials say | panama, city, florida - Business - The News Herald

Not sure exactly where the "terminal" is at the new airport, but I Google mapped from Point Washington to VPS, and then to Hwy 79 just north of the 388 intersection:

VPS: 39.7 mi 1 hr 9 min

PC/Bay airport: 28 mi 48 min

My experience has been that VPS is usually about 45-50 minutes in reality (but I normally take very early morning flights), so adjust accordingly.

Now, if they ever actually build the expressway directly from Inlet Beach to the new airport, the time will really drop.

Starting from Poe Street I've done a quick practice drive. With the current trip down beautiful Scenic 30-A, to four-lane 98, to four-lane 79, it is only about a 25 minute trip to the new NWFLPCI airport. It takes about an hour to get to VPS. Huge time and distance difference for the high end resorts on the east side of Walton County's beaches. It may be a decade, but when the new 388 route is extended from the NWPC airport to SoWal, the trip will even be quicker. Road is through or near JOE land. I expect this to happen sooner than later. From the new airport, going up to I-10 in DeFuniak Springs is only about 30 minutes. Now that's connecting business routes and good living.

High end visitors will continue to stream into 30-A and other South Walton beach locations. This is certainly a boost to the area. One poster said high enders wouldn't come to PC during Spring Break. Well, they do come to SoWal's Spring Break and will come in increasing numbers to South Walton year round. Southwest Airlines has just provided a SoWal express route for those high enders who already own in WaterColor, Seagrove Beach, WaterSound, Alys Beach, Seacrest, Rosemary Beach, Sandestin, Miramar Beach etc. Now their friends will fly in to see them and possibly buy their own place.

I expect a lot of business to also locate in South Walton due to the close proximity of the new airport. JOE has tons of business land available now in SoWal. The airport, remember as I've posted before, is within the original borders of Walton County. To live in, do business or visit the best beaches in the world is just as close to Walton County as it is to PC.

We have driven from Watercolor to 388 at least a hundred times on our trips to and from Tallahassee and it takes about 25 minutes. Worst case scenario would probably be about 30-35 minutes to the new airport from the middle of 30a.

We have fun with our 10+ hour drive, but for family members who want to join us and don't have a whole week, this will be great.
Coincidentally, we had SW representative at work yesterday for a 'Fun at Four' to announce our new 'partnership' with them and they told me the PCB airport announcement had just been made 2 hours earlier. What fun.(We also bring our bikes with us and WAY too much stuff.) It will be fun for a long weekend/spur of the moment that we can't do now.

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Go Cards

At first I thought "wow, she's even wearing the color of THE Beach," but then it occurred to me that perhaps the color of THE Beach was chosen with the color of THE airline in mind. Hmmmm

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If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow.-Rachel Carson

Exactly...I found it quite interesting that the announcement of the Southwest contract had a link to THE BEACH which was all in "Southwest " colors. It was just a coincidence...ya think?

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My mind tends to wander... but fortunately, it's so weak, it doesn't get very far...

Any guesses or insight on what the other cities are? A direct Chicago flight would be incredible. St. Louis would be great...

Anyone???

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I'm thinking Chi-town or St. Louis. We have a lot of St. Louis renters who drive down and I always think they are the best. Would love to have more of them flying direct.

Maybe Minneapolis/St. Paul?

I read a rumor that Orlando was in that mix too. Not quite sure I believe it.

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Proud to practice indoctrination
at least when it comes to the GATOR NATION

Northwest Florida Beach Vacation Guide - Beaches of South Walton

Follow link for video of announcement.

Southwest to land jobs in Panama City | bay, county, florida - Business - The News Herald

I have already been randomly selected to undergo security screening before entering the plane.

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I'm pretty certain that I recently read something official, including Nashville, and Baltimore as two of the four cities. I also read rumor of St Louis being a third. As it stands, I think the current PC airport has Washington at the top of the heaviest current flight traffic, and you know that politicians always make sure they can get to DC easily, so Baltimore shouldn't be a surprise.

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Any idea when this airport will have direct flights to Houston, Germany and the U.K.?

Info about new expressway from SoWal to new airport:
Proposed West Bay Parkway [meetings 11/3 & 11/5]

Apparenlty when Joe decides it's worth it to pony up the $50 million it would probably take for BA or Luftansa to run a couple planes into the area.

According to a higher up at JOE, the people at this new airport are hoping to have a direct flight to London soon after opening. They also are hoping to have seasonal direct flights to Canada. As far as I know, those are the only international flights currently in the works.

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Southwest has committed to 8 nonstop flights daily from four cities, for a total of 2,000 seats/day. Some of the cities Southwest serves are Nashville, Baltimore/Washington, Dallas, and Orlando. Routes will be announced when tickets go on sale in December.

Kurt, is that meant to imply that those are the first four cities???
I heard Nashville and Baltimore are in the first two. And rumors of St. Louis...

Thanks.

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These names keep popping up and they are probably good bets.

It's probably buried somewhere in this thread, but does anyone know approximately how far north of 98, and how far south of I-10 the new airport is?

Airport, St. Joe eyeing parity: Added revenue expected from agreement on new industries | North America > United States from AllBusiness.com

The Airport Board is negotiating a "through-thefence" agreement with The St. Joe Co. that officials said will help bring parity between industries that set up shop on airport land and future aircraft-related industries on St. Joe land surrounding the airport. Such an

agreement will hammer out security and safety concerns and bring additional revenue to the airport via fees for access to the airport and its runway. Such agreements are not unusual, airport Executive Director Randy Curtis said Monday, and should benefit both the airport and St. Joe.St. Joe has announced plans to develop about 1,000 acres near the entrance of the new Northwest Florida-Panama City International Airport for industrial, commercial and services-related uses, focusing particularly on aerospace, logistics and defense-oriented technology companies.
St. Joe donated the 4,000 acres on which the airport sits, and the Airport Authority has hired a company to help market and lease the land surrounding the 1,300-acre terminal and runway areas. The lease of this property will produce needed revenue for the airport district.
Businesses off site but with access to the aiport would not contribute financially to the airport district without a "through-the-fence" agreement, Curtis said, offering a competitive advantage that would reduce the capacity of on-site companies to compete for services.
The "master developer" for the airport land, Jones Lang LeSalle, already has opened local office space and is developing a project analysis of how to market and manage the industrial and commercial development of airport land.
In September, St. Joe announced it was creating a new position to focus on companies seeking to expand or relocate to the new airport, such as aerospace, aviation, logistics and defense technology.
St. Joe, Northwest Florida's largest private landowner, owns about 71,000 acres within the West Bay Sector Plan, a state-sanctioned, land-planning blueprint for residential and business development.



In other business, the Department of Environmental Protection signed off Friday on a 1,600-foot runway extension with a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The airport wants to complete the extension in time for a week-long FAA flight test in February. The extra length will bring the runway to 10,000 feet.
Airport officials still are waiting for a similar letter from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers "concurring with the DEP findings," Curtis said.
The construction of the extension should take from six to eight weeks, so airport officials are not yet feeling time pressure about the Corps letter.
"But the sooner the better," Curtis said.

Details of Southwest Airlines and St. Joe “Partnership” | pcbdaily.com

by Jason Koertge on November 2, 2009

It was made quite clear by Bob Montgomery, Vice President of Properties for Southwest Airlines, that if it weren’t for St. Joe, Southwest Airlines wouldn’t be coming to Panama City. The discussions between St. Joe and Southwest Airlines began over a decade ago. One of the things that was explained to me a short while ago was that Southwest Airlines can go where ever they want to go; they just pick an airport, and the airport accommodates. I was told that Southwest coming to Panama City made absolutely no sense from a business perspective and the prospect encompassed more risk than a company like Southwest would be willing to take. But, what if the risk was mitigated by a third party? That was their ticket into our market.
Read on for all the facts.

Rumors were flying around over the summer that St. Joe offered to give Southwest $10 million. A comment was made here on pcbdaily.com that $10 million was peanuts for a company like Southwest. And while I don’t necessarily disagree, a little subsidy money never hurts, even if it isn’t lining the pockets of SWA.

Of course, it should be noted at this time that the agreement for Southwest Airlines to come to Panama City is more complex than St. Joe offering a little incentive. The entire arrangement is only grounded by St. Joe’s offering, but it actually consists of several moving parts and pieces (more on that another time).

So, what did it take to woo the coveted Southwest Airlines to our beaches? The commitment from St. Joe involved money to the tune of $26 million over the course of 2 years. Specifically, St. Joe agreed to pay Southwest Airlines up to $14 million the first year of operations and up to $12 million the second year. Conversely, if Southwest operated at a profit, they’ve agreed to share that profit with St. Joe.

What does all this mean? Well, to put it simply, Southwest Airlines has a fixed cost (well, it varies a little based on fuel costs) to operate its jets. Given their experience, they’ve estimated approximately how much it would cost for them to bring service to the Northwest Florida Panama City International Airport. Therefore, Southwest agreed that if St. Joe will pay up to $14 million in the first year and up to $12 million in the second year to ensure no loss in revenue, it would make sense for them to service and build a market for our area.

By now, I’m sure you read the opinion piece I wrote refuting Carlton Proctor’s Pensacola News Journal article discussing his disagreement with Southwest “[ignoring] its long-standing and highly successful business plan,” citing that they were “bought” by St. Joe. Bought sounds like such a nasty term, used in this context; it insinuates a negative connotation in that mitigating risk is a bad thing.

The reality is risk-mitigation is a good thing, just ask any insurance professional. If one can stand to turn a profit with little or no risk, what’s wrong with that? Isn’t that the capitalistic American Way? Southwest is a publicly traded company and has a duty to please its share-holders. An opportunity to expand market share, increase customer reach, grow the company and in turn increasing revenue all while mitigating risk sounds great to me if I was a shareholder!

But, I digress, on to the details.

St. Joe has agreed to pay Southwest quarterly payments if Southwest operates at a loss for the first 2 years of a 3 year agreement. At the end of the agreement, either party can terminate if certain criterion are met. If St. Joe has had to pay in excess of the agreed amounts they can back out. If Southwest Airlines “actual annual revenues attributable to the air service at the new airport are less than certain minimum annual amounts established in the agreement,” they can back out. Furthermore, it also “provides that Southwest’s profits from the air service during the term of the agreement will be shared with St. Joe up to the maximum amount of St. Joe’s prior break even payments”

The idea here is to have a fair and equitable agreement that is mutually beneficial for both companies with the ultimate benefactor being Bay County and the Northwest Florida Regional Area. Sure St. Joe stands to make a profit with all of their land surrounding the airport, but shall we go back into the publicly traded company Capitalistic American Way discussion again?

It makes sense when two companies plan to increase market share and generate more revenue that if they can work together to decrease risk, that they do in fact do that. For both companies, it is about managing risk. St. Joe decreases their risk in holding all that land with the opportunity at future development by partnering with Southwest to bring more people into the market; and Southwest decreases their risk by accepting payments from St. Joe so that their cost to enter a market is little to nothing with an opportunity to grow substantial profits in the future.

Who wins with this? We all do.

Name has changed to:

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (NWFBIA)

Airport authority voted 3-2 to change the name from Northwest Florida-Panama City International Airport.

I it!

Amazing that such an important decision would not be unanimous and so controversial. This 3-2 vote needs some vetting. NWFL Daily News, front page, 11-11-09 said "Bay Airport Authority Vice Chairman Bill Cramer didn't care for the new name. He said its "Beaches" moniker made the Panhandle seem too "one-dimensional."

This entire scenario is on the verge of being totally ridiculous...

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"If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them."
George Orwell

I agree with that statement of airport authority vice chairman, Bill Cramer -- the new name is too "one-dimensional." I've said it all along with the group, THE Beach. That name rules out all things north of the beaches, which includes much more property than the beach areas. With the West Bay Sector's growth, I'm sure many people in the future will be questioning the name as well. In my opinion, from a marketing standpoint, the new name is still waaaayyyyy too long to roll off the tongue with ease.

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I agree about the length of the name. I guess they had to stick "beaches" in there to differentiate from the existing Northwest Florida Airport. I suppose through common usage it will be shortened to Northwest Florida International which is still a mouthful.

I understand your concern about marketing efforts focusing on the beaches and ignoring the inland areas but the reality is the beaches are the draw and 99% (I'm guessing) of visitors never venture more than a few miles from the coast. Being more generic is not going to make anyone want to go to Florida Caverns State Park or the Possum Festival. People who visit here and have a little extra time might want to explore other areas but they are likely going to get their information when they get here.

Their view from the air and driving back and forth from the new airport to their rental spot will confirm to them that the areas off the beach is undeveloped wilderness.

That will be true for several years, but in twenty years, it probably won't look nearly the same. Twenty years may seem like a long time, since Seaside is is only about 28 years old, and is practically the oldest "development" in our area. However, with growth being exponential in our area, I think the next twenty years will bring more change than the past twenty years.

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Which might be further shortened to simply, "NFI" ... which could also stand for one possible answer to the question, "What's the name of that airport?"

Time will tell what really went on with all the name business, etc. Time will also tell what happens with development in Northwest Florida. My 1931 map of Walton County proudly states "Where The Highlands Meet the Gulf." Absolutely no mention of beach business. The reality at that time was different. The reality of the future is open.

The 1931 map says:

"Equable temperature; summer showers furnish abundant moisture for growing crops. Average rainfall 56 inches per annum, evenly distributed thruout the year.

Garden and farm products grow here with high yelds and good profits.

Satsuma oranges, grapes, blueberries, peaches, pears, plums, and pecans do particularly well here.

Poultry production, hogs, sheep, and dairying pays well in this county."


What will the map of 2031 say?

The problem with a non-city specific airport name is that multiple airlines tend to list it under multiple different names. VPS has had this issue for a long time- you could be searching Ft. Walton Beach, Okaloosa County, or Eglin AFB depending on which airline web site you're at, and some airlines were still identifying DCA as Washington National for 10+ years after it was renamed for Reagan.

according to WMBB the Federal Aviation Administration designation code is TFB for
The
Florida
Beaches

wmbb.com - Airport Renamed, Again

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" Ow, Scuba Steve! Damn You!" ~ Adam Sandler in Big Daddy

The humor potential for this is great ...................... I want to go to the F^$$**^$ Beach ............ so I type in TFB!

As long as they don't use orange!

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The enemy is ignorance.

Well that is easy, eh, like Florida doesn't have any other beaches.

If this is true, I think you messed up the name. It will probably be,
THE
Florida
Beach

aka - TFB

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Tapa
F
Boca

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Too eFfin' Brainy to understand ...