Name the New Panama City Airport – Submit Here

Airport 1 Minute

Submit your names to be included in tomorrow’s regularly schedule Airport Authority Board Meeting.  The Airport Authority is considering new names and is asking for public input.

Up for debate for quite some time has been a new name for the new Panama City – Bay County International Airport, which is being relocated to an under construction site north of West Bay in Panama City Beach.  The new airport has been under construction for over a year now and is set to open May 18, 2010.

We’ve had discussions here and many in the community have recognized that essential to the success of the new airport is a new name that has a regional (or greater) connotation.  The potential of this airport can certainly capture a regional traveler.  Shoot, if we’d drive over to Ft. Walton’s Northwest Florida Regional Airport to save a few hundred buckaroos, certainly our friends to the west (and east for that matter) would do the same.

In order for this airport to best serve our needs into the future, visitors that fly into Panama City need to fly into an airport that encompasses all of Northwest Florida.  Talking to Mel Ponder from Coastal Vision 3000 – or THE Beach – not long ago, he was telling me that international travelers that fly into Orlando rarely stay in Orlando the whole time they are here.  Furthermore, they rarely travel here for less than 14 days.  International travelers will venture as far as up to 5 hours away from Orlando in their travels.

Our new airport will need to be a regional destination that will bring visitors within hours of some of the worlds most beautiful vacation spots from Apalachicola to Pensacola and beyond.

Submit your name suggestions below and email them to newpfn@gmail.com.

Here are some of the names that have been submitted on here in the past:

Northwest Florida International

Emerald Coast International

Gulf Coast International

Any others?

Published by Jason Koertge

Published

105 thoughts on “Name the New Panama City Airport – Submit Here”

  4. The airport identifier code, ICAO, does not always match what the airport is named. Chicago-O’Hare International’s code is ORD, which was carried over from it’s previous name, Orchard Field. The airport that this project is somewhat modeling after, Ft. Myers-SW Florida International’s is RSW.

    Also, some of these names such as Sugar Sands, Emerald Water, White Sands, etc Those are fine for condo, hotel, or subdivision names, but for a International Airport seems very odd and makes almost no sense. A simple, straight forward name like Panhandle, Emerald Coast, Panama City, are fine as they get to the point in a simple name.

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  8. Please, NO politician names, no famous people names… past, present or future!!! No founder names, No city councilman names. No paper company names.

    Here are a few suggestions…
    Seaside International
    Sky Marina International
    Beach Gateway International
    Emerald Beach International
    Sun Beach International

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  9. Panhandle Flordia Beaches International Airport

    Needs to have a bright looking forward to arriving name. Maybe add the words SUN and SAND. No boring named after someone no one knows – make it a name everyone wants to go to.

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  10. hey Jason, whats up. after really thinking about this and confronting a few friends we think and agree with ECI . it covers every thing , don’t name it after anyone,way to much drama. see u at dirty dicks during thunder beach.

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  11. Let’s call it GEM International and change the call letters to GEM. Makes it easy for everyone to remember, it’s fun sounding, which will pique the traveling public’s interest, and it’s true! It’s a GEM here! It’s fabulous, beautiful, and virtually undiscovered! Tourist dollars will roll in!

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  14. Redneck International Airport

    It needs a punch name. That all the spring breakers can relate to it as well as the business travelers.

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  18. I think a great name for our new airport would be the “Panama City Patronis International Airport”. The Patronis family has done so much for our area and the family has been here all this time as well. Jimmy in politics and the Patronis Elementary School just for starters.

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  22. I suggest “Panama City Beach International” for 2 reasons. First, I believe the word “beach” must be in the name, because the beaches are our area’s biggest draw. Second, there’s no better way to promote Panama City Beach than to have the name of the destination be part of the airport name. As a local, I want to promote Panama City Beach, not the emerald coast in general, not the Gulf Coast (which is huge and goes all the way down to Naples), not Destin, not Ft. Walton, and not Pensacola….just Panama City Beach. By naming the airport Panama City Beach International, we accomplish this end.

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  23. FYI: Airport code PCB is already taken–Pondok Cabe Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia!

    Fort Myers (RSW)is called Southwest Florida International Airport. They advertise international service to Toronto and Dusseldorf, Germany.

    Eglin (VPS) is called Northwest Florida Regional Airport. There are also a lot of references to Okaloosa County Regional Airport. Don’t know the origination of Valparaiso.

    Pensacola (PNS) goes by Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport in Florida.

    I think “Northwest Florida Emerald Coast International Airport” tastefully says it all but VPS could have some problems with us using that name. Airport code ECI appears to be available.

    I would absolutely think we can draw some Canadian and European flights that make us international. You would think the authorities have already determined if we will have federal customs services at the new airport.

    This is the real deal–long term identity linked to this naming decision!

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  25. SUNSET INTERNATIONAL
    (DUE TO MOST TRAVEL TO SEE THE SUNSETS)

    PARADISE CITY INTERNATIONAL CALL IT PCI FOR SHORT- SHORT SWEET AND WE ALL KNOW IT…I CAN SEE PCI ON THE LUGGAGE TAGS

    SEA ENCHANTED (OR A BETTER E-WORD) AIRPORT SEA FOR SHORT- SEE SEA ON LUGGAGE TAGS ALSO

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  26. Just got word that due to overwhelming response the airport authority board is putting off discussions of a new name until the first part of octoer.

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  27. I agree with some of the above – please NO person’s name, past, present or future! Keep it about the area not someone. This represents a broad spectrum of the panhandle geographically, keep that in mind.

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    1. I agree no names of individuals, companies, etc.
      I really like Emerald Coast International Airport.
      If we want this to be a vacation destination, and we are trying to entice tourist with money to visit here, spend here and more importantly return here, we need to start by naming our new international airport with something that will make sense in international markets, and shows some class.

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  31. North Florida – Gulf Coast International Airport
    North Florida – Emerald Coast International Airport
    Florida North Coast International Airport

    Please do not use the words “Panama City Beach” in the name of the new Airport. Those three words have a negative impact on this city because people immediately associate PCB with the world’s largest beer bash, wet
    T-shirt contests and out of control Spring Breakers.

    The new airport should be advertised as the Gateway to
    the North Florida Coastline The name should make people think of North Florida as a Fun Vacation Destination for everyone to enjoy. The College kids already know where Panama City Beach is located. Now put out the welcome mat to the rest of the world without the drag of those three words, Panama City Beach.

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  33. I agree that there should be no ego naming, i.e. after some politician, airport board member, or whatever. We would have to change the ICAO code to EGO if we do that.

    Emerald Coast International is a keeper and a favorite.

    I know there are still some who would call it “White Elephant International” but we have to get past that.
    Not using a good old boy name would very much help.

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  36. We Should keep it like everyone is used to. Panama City International Airport seems to me – the only one that really makes since

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  38. I suggest “Panama City Beach International” for 2 reasons. First, I believe the word “beach” must be in the name, because the beaches are our area’s biggest draw. Second, there’s no better way to promote Panama City Beach than to have the name of the destination be part of the airport name. As a local, I want to promote Panama City Beach, not the emerald coast in general, not the Gulf Coast (which is huge and goes all the way down to Naples), not Destin, not Ft. Walton, and not Pensacola….just Panama City Beach. By naming the airport Panama City Beach International, we accomplish this end.

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  39. After doing some research on PCB, I discovered that many of the local cities and landmarks were named by spanish explorers hundreds of years ago.
    Both of my children are currently taking spanish in school so I was able to get their input about the language. These are the names I came up with;
    Blanc-Arena (white sand) Airport
    Arena(sand) Airport

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  40. I suggested Sunshine Gateway International, easy to remember, the airport is, in fact, the gateway to the Sunshine State, with an identifier of BAY–not in use in the world….

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  41. If the new airport hopes to be successful the name must reflect the area it hopes to serve. To be successful it must serve a much larger area than just Panama City and Bay County. I believe those with the task to select a new name will have the wisdom to know this and will select a name that appropriately reflects the larger area. Therefore I believe the new airport will be successful.

    What I frequently see in comments is a gross misunderstand of our competition. PC’s competition is not Destin or other areas in our area, but beaches in other states and other areas of Florida. We will not be successful in pitting our areas against each other, but by building up the attributes all our areas share. Discounting is rampant throughout our area and hurts us all. Only by the new airport being successful and our areas working together can we all be successful.

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  43. I concur with #40 that NW Regional Airport has already been named for the Ft. Walton Airport. I think they dropped the ball and not calling it Florida Emerald Coast Airport.
    Will this airport be truly international? Is it that they will just have flights to Mexico?
    Can’t wait for the finished project no matter what they call it. I hate having to travel across the MidBay Bridge and its 2.50 each way toll.

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  45. Pingback: NEW NAME for the Panama City Airport | Northwest Florida - Panama City International Airport | New Panama City Airport Name | pcbdaily.com
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