New Int'l airport opens in Panama City Beach

[Ocklawaha]

Yes and no y'all. We HAVE had international flights but nothing to crow about... A non-stop to Canada and I believe a couple of islands off the Florida Coast. Hardly London, Paris, Rome, Moscow, Tokyo, Bogota, etc...

Airports can't just become international with a schedule and a name change. "INTERNATIONAL" is a Federal designation reserved for ports of entry that HAVE a US Customs office, or ready access to US Customs and/or Border Patrol.  It's the same in other countries, in Colombia the airport has D.A.S. offices (Which roughly translates "Department of Administrative Security") Mexico, Panama, all the same.

It is often believed that the name is some magic that indicates a "super airport" but that is completely false. All through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, there are litterally crop duster airports, with dirt runways and 3 planes... no lights... no terminal to speak of... maybe a hanger and an office only, with the words "DATELAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT" over the door. Why? Because a quick phone call to Yuma, get's Customs or Border Patrol out to clear your aircraft on your way from Baja to Denver in your friends Piper-Cub.

What we need to get into orbit is a POLITICAL and MARKETING (CofC) program to set up a cluster of connecting flights. IE: We work with our carriers to get 5 flights out of Jax within a 15 minute time span, for example: Charlotte, Memphis, Birmingham, Norfolk and Tallahassee.  Once we establish 2 clusters of such flights, the more the better, we then market ourselves to a discount international carrier such as Panama's COPA, or one of the EU carriers. With these 5 flights in, twice daily, in the same 30 minutes, it creates a gateway whereby we are the stop for Norfolk-JAX-Panama City-Brasilia, or Birmingham-JAX-Panama City-Mexico City, or even Tallahassee-JAX-Madrid.

THIS IS how the game is played.


OCKLAWAHA

[tufsu1]

I'm wondering when they'll have a new website up and running. As of this morning, they still have the old Panama City-Bay Co. Int'l website up and no site pertaining to the NW FL Beaches Int'l outside of the construction update page.

Since this is such a major project and critical development, they should've had the new website up and running no later than Saturday for the public grand opening.

Here are the websites for the new airport

http://newpcairport.com/

http://www.iflybeaches.com/

btw...I worked on the planning and approvals for this project from 2001 - 2004....and we're now involved with reuse of the existing airport site....will likely be the largest redevelopment opportunity in Florida since Baldwin Park (Orlando Naval Training Center).

[reednavy]

whoa, when the hell did their new website come on line? I have Googled and such it to death!

[Mattius92]

wow, a flight every hour, that is pretty good for an airport that has been open for only like 72 hours.

I like their new website.

[Mattius92]

Heck, what is the largest sceduled airplane that lands at JIA, because the Panama City airport is better MD-88s and B737s. I know JIA gets 737s, not so sure about MD-88s.

[Cricket]

If I am not mistaken, our airport has had international flights before.

And currently our Airport should be called Jacksonville Regional Airport. However I think any airport that can support International Air flight can have the international name. Since we have had international flights before we can be considered an international airport. The new Panama City airport has customs and etc. so it can support international flights too. So therefore it can have the international name.

Oh, I see ... JIA is not really an international airport, but it is okay to call it an international airport. Now I understand.

[reednavy]

Heck, what is the largest sceduled airplane that lands at JIA, because the Panama City airport is better MD-88s and B737s. I know JIA gets 737s, not so sure about MD-88s.

Some cross country flight from Delta, the type of which escapes me right now.

[Mattius92]

It is an international airport, just currently without any international flights.

[Steve]

767-300's.  Wide body, two aisle planes.  Delta uses them quite a bit.

They are actually just to Atlanta.  Even though it's a huge plane, they generally fill the thing.

BTW, the reason that Jacksonville is International is because the customs facilities do exist (they are below Concourse C.  They are used a couple times a month (my understanding) for international charter flights.

[reednavy]

Another thing to watch at that airport is how quickly other airlines will jump into the pool. I'd expect one or two announcement before the end of the year, with American, United, and Continental leading the pack.

[Steve]

Other common planes:  757's (Delta, US Airways on occasion), 737's (Southwest, and others) 707's (Airtran), MD-88's (American and Delta), and a plethora of regional jets.

[Mattius92]

767-300's.  Wide body, two aisle planes.  Delta uses them quite a bit.

They are actually just to Atlanta.  Even though it's a huge plane, they generally fill the thing.

BTW, the reason that Jacksonville is International is because the customs facilities do exist (they are below Concourse C.  They are used a couple times a month (my understanding) for international charter flights.

Yeah, well a B767 is the largest jet that used for domestic flights. The B777 and B747 are mainly used for international flights that typically require flying over the ocean.

Jacksonville rarely gets wide-body planes, I can say that.

[tufsu1]

whoa, when the hell did their new website come on line? I have Googled and such it to death!

the newpcairport site has been for over a year

[reednavy]

whoa, when the hell did their new website come on line? I have Googled and such it to death!

the newpcairport site has been for over a year

I know that one has, I've been using it for quite a while, I was refering to the actual airport website.

[Overstreet]

St Joe donated the land for the airport. The former airport was across the bay and two blocked by city development and the bay.

St Joe will be relocating thier headquarters over to an area near this airport.