Proud of their latest destination portfolio addition, Southwest Airlines included Panama City as one of their top stories in their first edition In A Nutshell email newsletter. “Grab your beach ball, it’s on!” the first sentence says. Other announcements in the newsletter include a Bags Fly Free Video Contest and an introduction to their “Green Plane”.
Thought this was cool as there’s no telling how many people saw this. My dad sent it to me, and he’s in Dallas, TX.
PCBDaily 
Why no Emerald Coast International Airport?
There is an Emerald Coast Taxi, Emerald Coast Parkway, Emerald Coast Dragway, Emerald Coast
Science Center, Emerald Coast Magizine, Emerald Coast Cleaners, Emerald Coast Vistor Map, Emerald Coast Corvette Club, Emerald Coast Comets (Girls Softball), Emerald Coast Wine Cellars, Emerald Coast Realty… etc. I could go on for hundreds and hundreds of companies that have Emerald Coast in their name…. just Google them. But guess what? Not one airport is named
Emerald Coast International Airport. The Airport will be renamed to this. Its just a matter of time.
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Poolside, I have answered this question. Please reference this article I wrote a few weeks ago. https://pcbdaily.com/airport/why-we-cant-use-emerald-coast-international-for-the-new-airport-name
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Your article mentioned that it “seemed” Emerald Coast International Airport couldn’t be used due to possible legal issues, branding and trade mark infringements. I have not located any adequate information on why Emerald Coast International Airport can’t be used. Rather, just vague language, such as “legal reasons” have been stated. If anything, I would think there would be a trade mark infringement, legal issues and name branding problems with using “Northwest Florida” in the new name. Another airport, Northwest Florida Regional Airport (VPS) already uses “Northwest Florida” in their name. As stated in Wikipedia, “A trademark infringement can occur when one party, the “infringer”, uses a trademark which is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark owned by another party, in relation to products or services which are identical or similar to the products or services which the registration covers.” If VPS has a trademark, I’m surprised they haven’t raised a sink. Perhaps they will. The relocation of the new airport has had untold “legal issues” that have arose but the airport authority has managed to work them out. This name issue could be worked out too. Regarding branding, if countless small business’s can use “Emerald Coast” in their name/branding I would think a multi-million dollar project (with the help of St. Joe) could pull it off.
You also recently wrote an artilce about “Emerald Coast Cruizin Classic Car Show”. How is it that a small group of guys running a car show can use “Emerald Coast” in their name?…. But our new airport can’t? I think Emerald Coast International Airport will be used. I feel the airport authority had an agreement with Southwest Airlines to have Northwest Florida in the name and are using the bogus legal and infringements terms as a cover up.
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I’ve never bought the argument that using the words “Emerald Coast” in the new airport’s name would lead to any legal issues. There’s more to it than that. Throwing out the term “legal” was only a way to discredit a name which someone did not want to use.
“Emerald Coast International” is short, sweet and right to the point. The right attributes you want when trying to help brand something.
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Emerald Coast International was always on the top of my list. Wish they would’ve used it. Poolside, my post on why they were not using it was based on information I received from Randy Curtis, the Airport Director. I’m no lawyer, nor do I pretend to know everything all the time, just telling what I know.
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Thanks so much for the “in a nutshell” ad. I just ordered my Southwest credit card!!
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My brother lives in Birmingham and he told me to get a Southwest credit card. He says they have the best system for earning flight miles of any company and they fly alot.
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I just read how 2 of the 4 cities getting non stop flights are Baltimore and Nashville.
I would have thought they would have picked another city other than Nashville, since there is already a non stop in TN with NWA.
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