PC Airport to add daily flights to Charlotte

[beachmouse]

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/11511

"The Panama City-Bay County International Airport will be adding a new airline carrier in April and three daily flights from Panama City to Charlotte, N.C., the airport?s executive director confirmed Tuesday."

 

[Smiling JOe]

A week or two ago, on the local news, I thought I heard something about PC airport opening some direct flights to Dallas and a couple other cities out there. Anyone know about that, who can confirm?

 

[beachmouse]

Hadn't see that, but anything to break up Delta's near-monopoly in PC is a good thing. I just hope this encourages lower prices, even though US Air seems to frequently be more expensive than other carriers.

At least there should be some good teaser rates this spring/summer.

 

[beachmouse]

Okaloosa is getting the same sort of flights deal in what looks like a general US Air expansion:

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/11521

"US Airways will begin operations from the Okaloosa Regional Airport with three daily non-stop flights to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, NC beginning April 6.

This new service will be operated by US Airways Express using 50-seat CRJ200 regional jet aircraft."

 

[Dave Rauschkolb]

How about New York and Chicago?

 

[RB]

How about Cleveland? right now going thru Atlanta or Memphis it's approx. a 6hr trip from baggage drop to baggage claim. We would come more often for short weekend trips if there were non-stops. 12 plus hrs of travel is a lot for a 2 or 3 day weekend. If they ever add non-stops from the north watch out!

 

[beachmouse]

Who's got a hub in Cleveland? Cincy and Detroit both make sense for nonstops in the area because they're hubs, and current air traffic here still puts the Panhandle airports as the pointy far ends of spokes.

I could see PC add Chicago down the line if it turns out the American ORD-VPS flights are doing well, and they're serving a lot of PC addresses on that route.

VPS is allegedly lobbying for a non-stop route to Washington National. PNS tried for one of those last time airports could apply and I don't think they got it. Maybe this time a Panhandle airport will get lucky and score one of those.

 

[RB]

Continental has a hub in Cleveland. Continental currently has nonstop service to about 70 cities daily. It is mostly via Continental Express. They fly mostly small 50 seat regional jets. It is actually a good size airport. Not too big and not too small.

 

[John R]

VPS is allegedly lobbying for a non-stop route to Washington National. PNS tried for one of those last time airports could apply and I don't think they got it. Maybe this time a Panhandle airport will get lucky and score one of those.

That would be awesome, since it appears jetblue pulled out of PNS.

 

[TreeFrog]

For me, USAir is good news in a short-term sort of way. I don't travel up the East Coast much, so a connection though Charlotte will be relatively unused. But I've got 80,000 USAir frequent flyer miles molding for lack of ability to use them in any way at all, so I'm welcoming an opportunity.

It's probably pointless for the tourist traffic, but I'd really like more flights out of PC to head toward the West Coast. From Seagrove, PC is nearly 30 min. closer to my house than VPS, which of course currently has flights through DFW on AA.