Southwest Airlines Announces It Will Serve New Northwest Florida – Panama City International Airport
Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) today announced it will serve the new
Northwest Florida – Panama City International Airport when it opens in
May 2010. Southwest did not release specific service details, but said
it would offer multiple destinations from the first international
airport to be opened in the nation in more than a decade.
“We are very pleased to welcome Southwest Airlines to Northwest
Florida,” said Airport Authority Chairman Joe Tannehill. “One of our
primary goals in relocating our airport was to attract low-fare service
to our region. With this announcement, we have secured service from the
world’s premier low-fare airline. This is a great day for our entire
region.”
Southwest Airlines is the nation’s low-fare airline, currently serving
65 cities in 33 states. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates
3,300 flights a day and has more than 35,000 employees system-wide. The
airline said it would provide more details of its future service from
Northwest Florida in the coming months.
“Most people are familiar with the concept of the ‘Southwest Effect.’
While it’s impossible to put an exact number on the impact of this
announcement, it’s big,” said Tannehill. “Low-fare service will
turbocharge our regional tourism industry and economic development
efforts. You don’t have to look any further than Fort Myers to see what
Southwest service can mean to a region.”
A number of local organizations have committed to helping launch the new
Southwest service. They include both the Bay and Walton County
Commissions and their respective Tourist Development Councils, which
have also pledged marketing support towards this effort, and Coastal
Vision 3000, the Northwest Florida business group which created the
regional destination brand, THE Beach. Additionally, The St. Joe Company
(NYSE:JOE) has entered into a strategic alliance with Southwest Airlines.
“Attracting Southwest Airlines has truly been a regional effort,” said
Tannehill. “And I believe this new low-fare service will benefit our
region and our local economy for decades to come.”
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