Updates about Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (NWFBIA)

Airport Wars is fully engaged. Huge front page story today in Northwest Daily News. Haven't seen Panama City daily paper yet. Looks like THE Happy Days are over for Coastal Vision 3000, which is pretty heavily stacked with Okaloosa County folks.

well, it seems that things did get out of hand, if in fact, these folks were lobbying for the closure of the Okaloosa airport...and do we believe our esteemed members of Congress would make up the story?

I think we would be better off with a high speed train hub...instead of another airport...and no one really needs The Beach for anything

Rant off for now...

It may or may not be worth noting, but the esteemed member of Congress for the Okaloosa airport is a Republican (CD1), and the esteemed member of Congress for the Panama City airport is a Democrat (CD2). There may be a little blurring and mixing of the lines. Just fyi.

You got my attention. R U Kidding about the DC trip?

Airport flap: More than rumors, local officials say | county, airport, florida - News - Northwest Florida Daily News


Curry and members of the County Commission were in Washington, D.C., to meet with Northwest Florida's federal lawmakers about the economic stimulus program. While meeting separately with U.S. Reps. Allen Boyd and Jeff Miller, the Okaloosa County officials were told of a group of individuals seeking support for closing Northwest Florida Regional Airport based on legal grounds with the Air Force.

"We're not talking about rumors here," Curry said. "We're talking about a physical presence in Washington, there for the detriment of our airport."

The congressmen told the Okaloosa County officials the four people petitioning for Northwest Florida Regional Airport's closure were Harrison; Brian Yablonski, the vice president of public affairs for St. Joe Co.; Lisa Walters, a Panama City attorney and chair of the Bay County Economic Development Alliance; and Jerry Ray, senior vice president of St. Joe and a member of the board of directors of Coastal Vision 3000.

Boyd's congressional district also covers a part of Okaloosa County. The Republicans gerrymandered it as such last time around in hopes of making it more possible to win the seat.

Sounds like a small group of people with a plan are trying to close down a competitor using any means possible. Do you believe me now?

Lines have been gerrymandered since the first maps of the world were drawn. I did say the lines were blurred and mixed. You are correct that D2 picks up SoWal, goes across the Mid-Bay Bridge and picks up around Blue Water Bay. How one congressman might support one airport more than another is also complicated. Probably need to get out a map.

Lines have been gerrymandered since the first maps of the world were drawn. I did say the lines were blurred and mixed. You are correct that D2 picks up SoWal, goes across the Mid-Bay Bridge and picks up around Blue Water Bay. How one congressman might support one airport more than another is also complicated. Probably need to get out a map.

For whatever reason, we got designated as gerrymandering central last time around. In addition to getting shoved over to 2 for federal elections, there are a couple of state districts where if you live on one side of the street, you're in X, and if you're on the other side, you vote in Y, unless you're on the cul-de-sac of the same name, in which case you're back in X again. Pat Hollarn had to publish like street level maps for a couple neighborhoods to explain it all.

Airport Wars Cont.

If you've never picked up a copy of the Northwest Florida Daily News, you might want to today. Several top stories on the front page and continued to A7 mention names and events that are making top news now, including the continuing saga of the Airport Wars. Key words -- Northwest Florida Regional Airport, Panama City-Bay County International Airport, suit, Richburg, Odom, Bense, U.S. 331, bridge, LLCs, Bay, Walton and Okaloosa Commissioners, Tallahassee, Coastal 3000. You can read these top stories online. Good beginning read for the day.

This is just one giant powder keg waiting to blow. Luckily Destin, Ft. Walton Beach, and Panama City Beach have loads of empty parking garages for deep throat to spill his guts to journalists.

Ignominious distinction...

Panama City - Bay County Airport ranked number 18 on the Forbes list of America's rip off airports based on the average cost a ticket costs per mile.

Granted, the airport does not create the ranking. The airlines do. VPS is not on the list. Why? Because that airport is served by more airlines serving more cities, thus, creating competition. PFN is only served by 2 carriers that I know of. The only way to get that average down is to get competition in. The only way to get the competition in is to have a greater demand for service to that airport. Somebody needs to sell all those condos!

No. 18: Panama City-Bay City International Airport
Location: Panama City, Fla.
Average fare per mile: $0.35

Department of Transportation's Origin and Destination Survey

Panama City - Bay County Airport ranked number 18 on the Forbes list of America's rip off airports based on the average cost a ticket costs per mile.

Granted, the airport does not create the ranking. The airlines do. VPS is not on the list. Why? Because that airport is served by more airlines serving more cities, thus, creating competition. PFN is only served by 2 carriers that I know of. The only way to get that average down is to get competition in. The only way to get the competition in is to have a greater demand for service to that airport. Somebody needs to sell all those condos!

No. 18: Panama City-Bay City International Airport
Location: Panama City, Fla.
Average fare per mile: $0.35

Department of Transportation's Origin and Destination Survey

This is interesting. So how much do you think it would be worth to reduce those flight costs by having a low cost airline fly into the new airport with new cities and new direct connections. It looks like Panama City believes it's worth a couple of million a year in marketing dollars. The question is whether or not that and other programs will be enticing enough to make it happen. All eyes are watching for sure!

Panama City an expensive air destination - Magazine - The News Herald

Forbes Magazine has named the current Panama City-Bay County International Airport as the 18th most expensive in the country. That will change with the new airport at West Bay, officials said Monday. Airport Executive Director Randy Curtis said Monday the existing airport is at a competitive disadvantage because of its shorter runway at about 6,300 feet, Curtis said. That limits what airlines can fly into Panama City, and airfares are all about the level of competition between air carriers, he said.
When the new airport is completed in May 2010, with its expected 10,000-foot runway, airport officials are hoping to attract not only low-cost carriers, but also a legacy airline carrier and international flights, Tannehill said. That additional competition should push prices down.
Until then, air travelers will have to make do with the higher prices. According to the article posted to Forbes.com, the writers used data from the Department of Transportation's Origin and Destination Survey. Flights originating from the Panama City airport averaged 35 cents per route mile, the article said.
That was a few pennies more expensive than airports in Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach but less than Dothan, Ala. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, with an average of 48 cents per mile, is the expensive in the country, according to the article. Among the country's cheapest, according to Forbes: Fort Lauderdale/Holly International Airport at 16 cents per mile and Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Alaska at 14 cents.
Curtis said the Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport and the Tallahassee Regional Airport traditionally have been the cheapest airports in the Panhandle, followed by the Northwest Florida Regional Airport in Okaloosa County. However, the Dothan airport's fares typically run a little higher than Panama City's, Curtis said.
"It really gets down to competition," Curtis said.
At an average of 35 cents per route mile, the Panama City-Bay County International Airport tied at 18th in the country with the Memphis International Airport, a major Northwest hub (now Delta-Northwest), and the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
"They are just telling the facts," said Airport Authority Chairman Joe Tannehill. "Our airport is expensive" because it is currently served by smaller planes that can carry fewer passengers. Tannehill said airport officials should have a better idea by the end of the year about which additional carriers might be coming to the new airport.

Sample fares
A Forbes magazine article rated Panama City and other airports on airfares based on cents per route mile. We decided to do a random check Monday on Orbitz.com and found the following prices (including taxes and other fees) quoted for roundtrip fares to Washington, D.C., and Dallas, for flights leaving this Thursday and returning Monday:

To Washington:
Tallahassee Regional Airport - $264
Northwest Florida Regional Airport - $412
Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport - $508
Panama City-Bay County International Airport - $637
Dothan Regional Airport - $1,060

To Dallas:
Tallahassee Regional Airport - $274
Northwest Florida Regional Airport - $474
Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport- $428
Panama City-Bay County International Airport - $647
Dothan Regional Airport - $1,060

No lawsuit in airport flap, Okaloosa decides | county, airport, vision - News - Northwest Florida Daily News

Okaloosa County officials have decided not to sue a group of Panama City airport supporters they say petitioned for the closure of the Northwest Florida Regional Airport in Washington, D.C.

"(Okaloosa County commissioners) want to give diplomacy a chance," said County Administrator Jim Curry. "They see any kind of litigation as only a last resort. The primary objective here is the county just wants any further actions and adverse comments about our airport to cease. I think we're optimistic that everyone understands that and we can put this thing to bed and move on."

While meeting with congressmen last month, Okaloosa officials learned of an effort to close Northwest Florida Regional. A delegation of four Panama City-Bay County International Airport supporters had met with the same lawmakers earlier to seek support for closing the airport based on legal grounds with the Air Force.

One of the four people who reportedly met with Washington lawmakers is Jerry Ray, senior vice president of St. Joe Co. and a member of the board of directors of Coastal Vision 3000.

St. Joe donated 4,000 acres for the new airport to be built, while Coastal Vision 3000 is a regional nonprofit organization formed in 2007 to promote Northwest Florida as a tourist destination.

Okaloosa County sent a letter to Coastal Vision 3000 last month seeking Ray's resignation from the board.

Coastal Vision 3000 Chairman Davage "Buddy" Runnels responded in a letter to the county that said Ray would not be forced to resign unless there was evidence he petitioned in Washington for the closure of Northwest Florida Regional.

"I have publicly stated that foundationally Coastal Vision will work in harmony to support all of our airports, to grow and expand all of our markets and assist all of our regional chambers, TDCs and economic development professionals goal to help each other succeed rather than competing for failure," Runnels wrote. "If it is substantiated that any board member representing Coastal Vision has violated that common commitment, I would ask the executive committee to deal with it immediately. We will not deal in innuendos or allegations, but will act upon the truth."

The law firm of Keefe, Anchors, Gordon & Moyle has offered to represent Okaloosa County for free if the county decided to take any legal action on the issue.

Instead, county officials will schedule a meeting with Runnels to discuss the controversy and how to resolve it.

County Commissioner John Jannazo wanted the board to take a more aggressive stance. He recommended at Tuesday's commission meeting that all county agencies that contribute to Coastal Vision 3000 cease their funding until Ray resigns from the group.

"I've lost all confidence in Coastal Vision 3000," Jannazo said.

None of the other commissioners supported taking such a hard line.

New airport runway nears completion - The News Herald

The 8,400-foot concrete runway under construction at the new Panama City-Bay County International Airport is almost complete. Construction officials are now just waiting for Federal Aviation Administration environmental approval to begin extending it to 10,000 feet.
"All that really is left is to groove it and paint it," Jeff Dealy, program manager for the relocation project, said Tuesday.
Dealy said the 15 inches of concrete for the $98-million runway is now about 90 percent poured out over 4 inches of asphalt and should be completed by the end of the month. In addition, the dirt work has been completed for the extension, he said.
After the FAA approval comes through, possibly by mid-April, the full 10,000-foot runway should only take about two more months to complete, Dealy said.
One major piece of the airport construction puzzle that still must be decided by the Airport Authority is whether and when to authorize the construction of a 5,000-foot crosswind runway for smaller aircraft.
The smaller asphalt runway, which should cost about $18 million, would be used by lighter commercial and private aircraft and corporate jets and could lesson congestion on the larger runway.
Pilots of larger international flights appreciate the added safety factor of having a crosswind runway, and airport officials are hoping to add international flights when the $318-million airport is completed in May 2010.
Dealy said officials with Phoenix Construction, which had the contract for the site preparation work for the new airport, are hoping for an early decision on the crosswind runway because they still have their equipment located at the site.
If another job comes up and Phoenix has to move the equipment off site, the cost of the smaller runway would rise because they would have to move their equipment back, Dealy said.
In addition, Dealy said construction on the six-building terminal complex is now about 18-percent complete. The complex will consist of a 147-foot air traffic control tower, the main terminal, a public safety building, a maintenance building, a cargo building and a rental car area.

Construction Update: 3/5/2009

Contract 1: Heavy Civil and Airfield Lighting
Approximately 80% of the contract work is complete with only 54% of the contract time used.

• Installation of 12” drainage pipes in the berms, draining into Pond C is underway.
• On Taxiway D and main terminal apron, all lime rock base and the first lift of asphalt paving is in place. The 2nd lift has been delayed until March 17.
• All water is currently being emptied off the site and all ponds will be dry within the next week.
• Stabilization of the site is underway.
• Grassing of the major dirt areas is beginning.
• RCP piping is underway in the GA area.
• 1st lift of asphalt is approximately 75% complete on the General Aviation Access road.

Approximately 115 pieces of heavy equipment are in operation at any one time with approximately 160 personnel on site for the heavy civil and utilities contracts.
Contract 2: Terminal Building, ATCT and Support Buildings
Approximately 18% of contract work is complete with 24% of contract time utilized.
Terminal

• Preparing for escalator footings at connector hall.
• Installing re-steel on Level 2 of Areas B and C.

Air Traffic Control Tower

• Pile cap will be complete on 3-6-09.
• New crew begins forming walls next week.

Air Maintenance Facility

• Preparing to pour slab.

Air Cargo Facility

• Concrete sidewalk with bollards is complete.

Public Safety Building

• Pouring Footings on 3-5-09, starting on building pad next week.

Rental Car Facility

• Completing installation of storm sewer.

Fuel Storage

• Work begins next week.

Manpower

• The average man power on site for Contract 2 per day is 95 people based on a five day work week.

Contract 3: Utility Contract
Approximately 15% of contract work is complete with 13% of contract time utilized.
Main Access Road

• 3W2” Power Distribution Duct Bank is 36% complete.
• Street light duct work is 55% complete.

Joyner Road

• 24” water main is 72% complete.

General Aviation Access Road

• 30” water main is 20% complete.

Lift Station

• Work is 20% complete.

Construction Update: 3/5/2009

Contract 1: Heavy Civil and Airfield Lighting
Approximately 80% of the contract work is complete with only 54% of the contract time used.

• Installation of 12? drainage pipes in the berms, draining into Pond C is underway.
• On Taxiway D and main terminal apron, all lime rock base and the first lift of asphalt paving is in place. The 2nd lift has been delayed until March 17.
• All water is currently being emptied off the site and all ponds will be dry within the next week.
• Stabilization of the site is underway.
• Grassing of the major dirt areas is beginning.
• RCP piping is underway in the GA area.
• 1st lift of asphalt is approximately 75% complete on the General Aviation Access road.

Approximately 115 pieces of heavy equipment are in operation at any one time with approximately 160 personnel on site for the heavy civil and utilities contracts.
Contract 2: Terminal Building, ATCT and Support Buildings
Approximately 18% of contract work is complete with 24% of contract time utilized.
Terminal

• Preparing for escalator footings at connector hall.
• Installing re-steel on Level 2 of Areas B and C.

Air Traffic Control Tower

• Pile cap will be complete on 3-6-09.
• New crew begins forming walls next week.

Air Maintenance Facility

• Preparing to pour slab.

Air Cargo Facility

• Concrete sidewalk with bollards is complete.

Public Safety Building

• Pouring Footings on 3-5-09, starting on building pad next week.

Rental Car Facility

• Completing installation of storm sewer.

Fuel Storage

• Work begins next week.

Manpower

• The average man power on site for Contract 2 per day is 95 people based on a five day work week.

Contract 3: Utility Contract
Approximately 15% of contract work is complete with 13% of contract time utilized.
Main Access Road

• 3W2? Power Distribution Duct Bank is 36% complete.
• Street light duct work is 55% complete.

Joyner Road

• 24? water main is 72% complete.

General Aviation Access Road

• 30? water main is 20% complete.

Lift Station

• Work is 20% complete.

Panama City-Bay County International Airport - Florida - Panama - Airport Technology

The Panama City-Bay County International Airport is situated around 6km from Panama City in the state of Florida. The 745-acre airport has two runways, the 14/32 at around 6,000ft and the 5/23 at 4,900ft and a 55,500ft? terminal building with six gates (two jet bridges).

Owned by the Panama City-Bay County Airport Authority the airport has been considering expansion plans since the 1980s. The 14/32 runway at the airport has some problems in that it cannot be easily lengthened to accommodate full-sized jets because this would infringe upon protected land (St Andrews Bay (Goose Bayou) has a protected sea grass species) and also the runway is inside the hurricane belt, being flooded during certain times of the season since it is only 6ft above sea level (the other end of the runway is a dense residential area). Finally the safety zones for the 14/32 runway are not up to specification (a waiver being in place until 2015) and they need to be increased.




Faced with these problems the airport authority and the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) considered alternatives in the 1990s and decided to relocate and build a new airport. The airport is expecting to host 600,000 passengers a year by 2020.


New airport site
The site chosen for the new airport is about eight miles from the original airport on 1,600 acres of a 4,000-acre site surrounded by protected woodland (in the 75,000-acre West Bay Area Sector). The site was donated to the airport by the Jacksonville Florida developer, The St Joe Company (FAA completed a site selection study in 2001). The new airport site is outside of tidal surge zones and hurricane danger areas and so will not have the same runway flooding problems as the old airport.


The new airport is expected to be opened in May 2010 and will include a 10,000ft?150ft runway (which will be extended to 12,000ft later) and also a 5,000ft?100ft crosswind runway along with a 125,000ft? seven-gate terminal building (Transportation Security Administration passed the terminal design in April 2006).
Other buildings at the airport will be an air traffic control tower, rental car facilities, public safety building, maintenance facility, utility building and an air cargo building.


Environmental and permit agreements
Environmentalists filed six suits against the development but were assuaged by an undertaking from the airport authority supported by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to create a 40,000-acre (60-square-mile) conservation area around West Bay (9,609 acres of this were provided by the St Joe Company).


The West Bay Preservation Area will include 33 miles of untouched shoreline and 44 miles of creeks and tributaries.


The plans were approved by Bay County and the State of Florida in 2002 and specific plans for the area were approved in 2003. Following this agreement the FAA issued a final environmental impact statement in May 2006 and a record of decision for the move in September 2006. The US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) issued their 404 permit in August 2007 allowing the construction to begin.


he old airport site was sold subject to contract in September 2007 to Community Airport Redevelopment LLC (90% owned by Leucadia National Corp of New York and 10% owned by WMR Capital Corp of Delaware) for $56.5m in cash and $38m from sale of developments on the site.
The money raised will be used to offset the costs of building the new airport. The costs of construction for the new facility are around $318m and finance is being provided from federal, state and local government sources in equal amounts.


New airport construction and contracts
Although construction on the new airport project began in January 2008 it still remains for the airport authority to convince airlines and cargo carriers (900 acres of land are available for cargo operations to be constructed) to use the new facility (the new airport has been dubbed the 'Aerotropolis').


The site preparation contract was awarded to Phoenix Construction ($112.5m). Project and construction management was contracted to Kellogg Brown and Root of Houston, who will provide a management overview of the project along with the Florida Department of Transportation and the FAA. The contract to construct the terminal was awarded to Walbridge as the lowest tender bidder of $68m (the new terminal will be constructed to obtain LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

will also be involved in design and engineering (AVCON were consultants for the master plan). The design managers / engineers for the project are Post, Buckley, Schuh and Jerrigan (PBS&J) and the systems engineers are TLC of Tampa.

The runway began construction in September 2008 with the laying of test strips; this led to the conclusion that the airstrip runway should be a full 15in thick with a top layer paving of concrete (making it able to handle any aircraft in service) along with centre-line lighting.
The decision to build the runway to 10,000ft long straight away (the funding is in place, an additional $4.5m) rather than 8,400ft was made in September 2008. The airport will be the first to be opened in the US since the mid-1990s.

Good statisitics. This update put it all in perspective. By 2020, which is just 11 short years from now, our new Panama City International Airport will be handling as much traffic as the Cave Springs Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport.

For those that don't feel like reading through the entire thing, that is #113 on the list.

Tallahassee is #123
Clearwater is #142
Mobile #150
Key West #160
Panama City is currently #195

Aslo:

VPS #140
Pensacola #94

Smallest 'International airport'- Ogdensburg International in New York. Annual commercial passenger count- a little over 4,000 people. I assume the International tag for a lot of the smaller border area airports is mostly about handling private passenger and cargo from Mexico and/or Canada.

Aslo:

VPS #140
Pensacola #94

Smallest 'International airport'- Ogdensburg International in New York. Annual commercial passenger count- a little over 4,000 people. I assume the International tag for a lot of the smaller border area airports is mostly about handling private passenger and cargo from Mexico and/or Canada.

Actually the international designation just means that customs is located nearby. They probably don't even have an office at that airport and they have to come from a port or other airport.

Construction Update: 3/12/2009
Posted: 15 Mar 2009 05:46 PM PDT
Contract 1: Heavy Civil and Airfield Lighting
Approximately 80% of the contract work is complete with only 55.8% of the contract time used.

• Underground utilities are being installed in the General Aviation area.
• Fine grading along the runway is continuing.
• Seeding is ongoing in the North section of the site.
• Installation of the centerline lighting cans is approximately 75% complete.

Approximately 115 pieces of heavy equipment are in operation at any one time with approximately 160 personnel on site for the heavy civil (contract 1) and utilities (contract 3) contracts.
Contract 2: Terminal Building, ATCT and Support Buildings
Approximately 18% of contract work is complete with 25% of contract time utilized.
Terminal:
All shoring has been removed from Area A.
Installation of re-steel on Level 2 of Area B is complete.
Beginning to prep the slab on grade between areas B and C.
Air Traffic Control Tower:
Pile cap complete using approximately 350 cubic yards of concrete.
Beginning to form up the 1st level.
Air Maintenance Facility:
Backfilling of maintenance pit is complete. Preparing for slab on grade.
Air Cargo Facility:
Installation of pre-engineered metal building is ongoing.
Public Safety Building:
Completed concrete pour of perimeter footings/elevator footing.
Rental Car Facility:
Completing installation of underground utilites.
The average manpower on site for Contract 2 per day is 105 people based on a five day work week. Manpower on Saturdays is approximately 31 people.

Contract 3: Utility Contract
Approximately 18% of contract work is complete with 15% of contract time utilized.
Main Access Road:
3W2” Power Distribution Duct Bank: 53% complete.
Street light duct work: 65% complete.
Joyner Road:
24” water main: 90% complete.
GA Access Road:
30” water main: 45% complete.
Lift Station:
30% complete.
CR-388 & Main Entrance:
8” Directional Drill is complete.