Further Thoughts on the Atlanta Journal Constitution Story

January's article (registration required) in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution begins with “…proposed new Panama City-Bay County International Airport could within two years change how metro Atlantans think about getting to the sugar-white sands of the Florida panhandle.” According to the article, 21% of the 4.1 million visitors to Panama City Beach originate in the Atlanta area. Similar numbers apply to Walton and Okaloosa counties.

An example cited in the article was of a Marietta lawyer whose family visits their beach house several times a year. Last year he flew down to Panama City to meet his wife and kids who had driven down ahead of him for a longer stay.

According to the article, “He found the small, commuter flight uncomfortable and the airport inconveniently located. A new airport, closer to the beach and with cheaper flights aboard larger planes, could attract his business.” According to the lawyer, “It would cut travel time big-time, we’d probably go down more often if there were cheaper fights. Right now, it’s just too far to drive a for a weekend trip.”

It seems to me that this Atlanta story is instructive as we think about those other major markets for which the new airport can make a difference – Memphis, Houston, Birmingham, Dallas, and numerous points in the mid-west.

Just think about what adding an airline like Southwest to the mix could mean.