OKALOOSA REGIONAL AIRPORT FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT

It just get better and better for the local area. With more flights coming in to the Okaloosa Regional Airport and with the Military and many defense contractor relying so heavily; we should be ready for many folks migrating to our beautiful area. ARE WE READY FOR THEM?


Airport consultant: Okaloosa poised to succeed
By THOMAS J. MONIGAN tmonigan@nwfdailynews.com
OKALOOSA ISLAND — Aviation expert Mike Boyd told about 120 business and community leaders Friday that the price of a plane ticket will continue to climb. But despite multiple challenges to the industry, Okaloosa Regional Airport can succeed, he said. Boyd, who heads aviation consulting firm The Boyd Group in Colorado, made his presentation at the Emerald Coast Conference Center. “Airline service is like the Internet — without it, you don’t grow,” he said. “The real measure of air service … is connectivity with the rest of the world … They’re the ones that come here and spend money.” Fewer nonstops and using the huband-spoke airport system is what’s ahead for America, Boyd said. Attendee Martin Owen, who handles marketing for Jay Odom’s Crystal Beach Development, worked in the travel business for 30 years. “I came away with the information that Okaloosa Regional is wellplaced to have a successful future in a time when the airline industry has to reassess everything it’s doing,” he said. “From a local business point of view, it’s a concrete positive for the future.” Along with the rest of America’s economy, airlines are deeply affected by the cost of oil. “When oil is up 30 percent … you can’t fly the same routes,” Boyd said. “Most seats right now are ‘under cost’ … but when airlines can raise fares, you can call your broker in Zurich to be able to afford a ticket. This is not a cycle … you’re not going to see the low fares we had three, four, five years ago.” American Eagle, Continental, Delta, Northwest and US Airways fly out of Okaloosa Regional with connections to Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston and Memphis. Boyd touted Dallas for its developing connections to Asia and South America. Low-cost success story Southwest Airlines is a name on many airports’ wish lists. Boyd called Southwest “a potential possibility on paper” for Okaloosa Regional. “They’re using ‘hedged’ fuel (bought cheaper in advance) so they’re OK right now,” he added. “They’ll be cutting flights and capacity this fall.” Airports should be “complementary, not competitive,” Boyd asserted, but he did provide the following numbers on average fares for last year: ¿ Pensacola $206. ¿ Okaloosa Regional $256. ¿ Panama City $300. “It’s not about air fares and cheap seats, it’s about economic growth,” Boyd insisted. “If you’re going to make a connection, do it out of here.” Daily News Business Editor Thomas J. Monigan can be reached at 863-1111, Ext. 1438.