Bay County Airport - Different Points of View (Cont.)

Along with any huge decision comes an immense number of pros and cons. There are always very compelling arguments to both sides of the story.

A reader sent me an email with some interesting input and included an article that was in the paper October 3rd. The article speaks into why the author believes air fare will not decrease when the new airport is built. Interesting.

A link to the article can be found here. In addition, Cathy had quite a bit of knowledgeable input on the subject as well.

"Obviously, you did not see the article in the News Herald By Pete Dial who is very familiar with airport operations. He states a new airport probably will not reduce airline prices but just the opposite. I believe that he knows much more than you do and that you by your own admission are not a frequent flyer. I, my husband and both of my adult children are and I can tell you that I am deadly opposed to the new airport. The need is not here yet. It is a proven fact. Look at the declining numbers of flights and passengers over the last five years. Figures don not lie, don't tell me it is because of everyone going somewhere else because the prices are cheaper and that once we have the new airport all this will change. I don't believe for a minute prices will be cheaper. Do you have any guarantees of that? Do you really believe there will be direct flights to somewhere from the new airport. There are no direct flights from VPS or PNS now either. Why would we have them here with a new airport. If there was a need for direct flights from here we would have them now. They use the puddle jumpers now because that is all they need to accommodate the air traffic here. They stopped late night flights coming in here because there was not a need. Our present airport is under utilized right now. I see no airlines beating the doors down to come here now because the need does not exist. What will make that change. Higher fees with a new airport is only going to discourage airlines not encourage airlines. . ."

A link to the rest of the email can be found here.

I apologize if I gave the impression that I am an authority on this subject. All I know is what I read and learn from others. Also, I think it should be said that I have no affiliation with the airport, the relocation board, or St. Joe.

By the way, there are direct flights out of VPS. I have family that fly direct from TX many times a year. And guess what, it's cheap AND fast.