BAY COUNTY, Fla. (
WMBB
– New York has gotten a bit nearer to Panama City as history was made on Saturday, June 14.
Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport welcomed guests on the first-ever direct flight from LaGuardia Airport.
Airport officials and travelers were equally excited about the new route.
On Saturday, Panama City Beach celebrated with its very own replica of the Statue of Liberty to welcome the initial group of arrivals.
Families mentioned that this new path will provide them with the chance to swap skyscrapers and trains for sandy beaches and flip-flops more frequently.
“We could make this trip feel less burdensome by avoiding inconveniences such as stopping over in Atlanta or being rerouted through Nashville before landing in Destin. A non-stop flight would allow us to visit our family much more easily; it would be ideal,” explained passenger Cody Cooper.
Airport officials ushered in a direct connection that is creating a flight path to bigger things for ECP.
“That’s just indicative of the growth of the airport. We’re so happy to just continue to add destinations all the time. We’re thrilled that Delta chose not to just start out with the one a week, but to go ahead and agree to do every day. It’s just, it’s an exciting time to be at the airport,” said Airport Authority Vice Chairman Bill Cramer.
It doesn’t end there. Authorities mentioned that the airport is expanding rapidly, and they are merely attempting to stay abreast of this growth.
“We are growing at a huge rate, and we’ve got the capability to grow. We’ve got the room to grow. We’ve got plans to grow. So we’re the first new construction airport since 9/11. And we’ve got nothing but space around us. So we can take advantage of growth opportunities. Everybody here is motivated to do that. So I think that the only thing holding us back is time,” Cramer added.
Delta will run one daily flight every Saturday to LaGuardia now through Labor Day weekend.
Additionally, they will also do daily flights during the week of the 4th of July holiday.
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