New nonstop seasonal flight to Texas available at Northwest Florida Beaches airport

Nathan Cobb, The News Herald
·2 min read

PANAMA CITY BEACH − A new nonstop, seasonal flight to Texas has been added at the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport.

According to Parker McClellan, executive director of airport, American Airlines from February to September will offer a weekly nonstop trip between ECP and Austin Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas. Flights will depart ECP about 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays and arrive in Texas about 2 p.m.

ECP, a regional airport that serves multiple Panhandle counties, sits north of Panama City Beach in unincorporated Bay County.

From February to September, American Airlines will offer a weekly nonstop trip between the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport and Austin Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas.
From February to September, American Airlines will offer a weekly nonstop trip between the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport and Austin Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas.

"We continue to work with our airline partners to improve the service choices to our residents and to our visitors," McClellan said. "We think this is a great thing."

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He noted the seasonal route was added because of high travel demand from Bay County to Texas.

"The airlines look at the data, and they know how many people are flying from Austin to Panama City," McClellan said. "Right now, they're connecting through Dallas, and they think they can stimulate enough of the market to fly direct, as compared to connecting."

The local airport recorded its second busiest year in 2022, servicing more than 1.52 million passengers. This was only about 77,700 fewer passengers than 2021, its busiest year, which experienced a dramatic uptick in traffic created from pent-up demand during 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Airport officials have said they expect for 2023 to be another booming year at the airport, producing passenger numbers comparable to 2022.

In addition to American Airlines, flights from Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines also are offered at ECP.

A press release from the facility states American Airlines' new nonstop seasonal flights will add to an existing nonstop seasonal route offered by Southwest Airlines from ECP to Austin Bergstrom International Airport.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: New nonstop flight to Texas added at Northwest Florida Beaches airport