Okaloosa County BOCC — November 5, 2013 — 134-1 Okaloosa Airport Positioning and Naming (F1252013) — reading text

flights.  On the other hand, there were also travelers who said they had flown into Panama City or Pensacola but visited a beach in the Okaloosa County area. In these cases the motive was also flight schedules or costs. Travelers are occasionally confronted with last- minute planning that precludes flying into the most logical airport due to prohibitive prices or simply sold-out flights.  First-time travelers to the area learn about VPS from airlines, booking websites, and local word of mouth. Many VPS visitors have friends or family who live or own property in the area – some employed by Eglin Air Force Base – and rely on these connections for helping to plan their travel.  These VPS visitors say they selected the airport based on what they had been told or had found while searching travel websites. While searching for VPS online can present some challenges due to the various ways the airport is listed, this did not seem to cause any serious confusion. Those with local connections to the area were far less likely to have considered flying into an alternate airport, choosing instead to trust their friend’s or relative’s advice and fly into VPS. 11 Airport Selection  The airport does not significantly impact the overall leisure or business travel experience, but can still play a memorable role if it causes significant inconvenience or discomfort.  For the most part, VPS visitors said the airport did not play a large role in their trip as a whole. These travelers expect the airport to be at least somewhat of a hassle, and do not expect it to enhance their trip.  On the other hand, there were travelers who said it is the airport’s job to be exceptionally smooth so that they do not have a memorably bad experience. At least one respondent remarked that a particularly bad experience at the airport – whether it is a long trek between gates that causes a missed connection or overly lengthy security lines – could mar the trip somewhat.  The convenience of the airport does not seem to play a role in selecting beach destinations to visit.  While convenience to their final destination is usually most important in choosing an airport, the inverse – convenience to an airport when choosing a destination – is not a factor. VPS visitors said they choose beach destinations for a variety of factors and then determine how they will get there, rather than choosing a beach destination based on its convenience to transportation. 12 In Their Own Words “It was really cut and dry. This “I always fly to the Panhandle because my family is is the airport that my friend here. But I do have three different airports to told me to fly into.” choose from. So, at that point it becomes some sort of cost analysis. This is relatively the closest one, but I have flown into Pensacola and I have flown “I fly United all of the time and into a smaller one in Panama City once. Overall, it is it is really convenient for me to a balance between the cost and being able to get get a flight here, especially to picked up by one of my relatives or getting a car.” and from San Diego because San Diego has a ton of flights to Houston and Houston flies “Proximity [is #1], but obviously if an airport is a through [here] very quickly.” little further but costs $200 less, that is something I would look into. … I wasn't sure what [VPS] was and I remember trying to look and make sure I picked an “I think there is another airport that was closer. But I spoke to someone from [airport] in Pensacola, but this the area who said [it was].” one is closer to where my daughter lives. That’s why I use “I am always going to fly into wherever is closest to Fort Walton Beach [Airport].” my destination.” 13 Detailed Findings Airport Selection  Perceptions of VPS and Competing Airports Naming Perceptions of VPS and Competing Airports  VPS is known as a pleasant airport that is easy to navigate. While it is not an airport travelers go out of their way to visit, it does exceed expectations.  VPS has short lines, pleasant staff, and enough amenities to impress most visitors. The restaurant near the TSA checkpoint was mentioned by a number of travelers, as were the plentiful electrical outlets. Some respondents who regularly travel through VPS said they found the staff very accommodating and preferred to fly there if they could.  Like other small airports, VPS features shorter lines for checking in and going through the security checkpoint, shorter distances between gates and baggage claim, and easier rental car facilities. All of this combines to make VPS a very easy airport that is known for its quick “in-and-out.”  VPS visitors say they like flying into smaller airports, but that this is not a truly distinguishing factor for VPS because of the similarly small size of the competing airports in Pensacola and Panama City.  Travelers say VPS is clean and well maintained, and features the amenities they would expect from any airport – quality food options, stores that sell travel items, and plenty of electrical outlets. This is contrast to some other small airports.  However, the convenience factor of using a small airport does not distinguish VPS from its competition in the area, as the airports in both Panama City and Pensacola are also considered small.  While some VPS visitors had also flown into Pensacola or Panama City in the past, few had strong impressions of either airport. Some said they did find VPS to be more organized, cleaner, or more updated.  Travelers who had been through the airports in Pensacola or Panama City said the experience was not memorable. In general, travelers said the airports they remembered tended to be those they also try to avoid – large, complicated, and busy airports such as Chicago’s O’Hare or Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson.  While respondents were reluctant to draw strong comparisons between VPS and its local competition, a few did say they had taken note of the updates to VPS and the fact that it was generally better maintained and staffed. 15 In Their Own Words “I don't remember it being this clean. It is a “All I know is that my sister suggested clean airport. And I am stuck here right now this [airport]. She suggested that, because of timing and stuff like that, so it is rather than fly into Panama City great that I can charge my phone.” proper, we fly into here. I don’t know if that one is a larger airport or if it is busier, but this seems to be a pretty “I like coming and going out of this airport. easy airport to get in and out of.” When I leave, security is easy. I don't have to wait a ton to get through the checkpoint. It is just so much more convenient. I just feel “The airports in those two locations like I am able to smoothly get through [Panama City and Pensacola] are security when I leave here.” almost identical to this one in how they look. The buildings, the parking, the process when you enter. So that is “It is rather clean. It looks very new, I think, not a factor.” and it is very modern looking. And actually, downstairs, some of the merchants and stuff – it is very attractive. It doesn’t look “I would like to fly into Panama City but like it is some backwater one that needs it is generally much more expensive. It maintenance or something.” seems easier to drive to and from.” 16 Detailed Findings Airport Selection Perceptions of VPS and Competing Airports  Naming Naming  Besides the IATA code “VPS,” the most common way to refer to the airport is “Fort Walton Beach.”  When asked how they would refer to the airport if describing their trip to someone back home, VPS visitors generally felt comfortable with “Fort Walton Beach.” This is what travelers are used to seeing and hearing from airlines, booking websites, and local family or friends. Some said this is simply what they had “always” called the airport.  This name also matches what travelers are used to – in their experience, airports take the name of the largest local municipality. Even those whose primary destination in the area was Destin (which is somewhat better known around the country) said they still identified the airport with Fort Walton.  There is a distinction between regular visitors and those visiting the area for the first time. Those who are more familiar with the area – either through habitual or long-standing visitation – more consistently use “Fort Walton,” while new visitors had a variety of ways of referring to both the airport and the area.  Some VPS visitors who regularly traveled to the area said “Fort Walton” was how locals referred to the airport, and that they had adopted this tendency. Because of their familiarity with the area, their perceptions and viewpoints of the airport may be similar to what could be expected from interviewing local residents.  Newer visitors, on the other hand, had not developed such consistency, instead utilizing whatever terminology they had picked up while traveling. Still, many agreed that “Fort Walton Beach” was a logical name for the airport, with more than one respondent pointing out that the presence of the word “beach” in the name was more attractive and potentially enticing.  While “Northwest Florida” is intended to cover the larger geographic area, the name is known to only a few VPS visitors and is not as popular. Respondents said it was too vague, generic, and wordy, and could be confused with the Panama City airport.  Travelers prefer to identify airports with a distinct municipality rather than a region. While they may use “Northwest Florida” to clarify where they are going when talking to people unfamiliar with the area, it is not specific enough as a name for the airport. Respondents also said they were more likely to use “Panhandle” or “Gulf Coast” to describe the region. 18 In Their Own Words “[Northwest Florida Regional] might “I spoke to someone from the area and he said not be distinctive enough. Probably most people fly into Fort Walton Beach. I don’t ‘northwest’ for an airport is kind of think he called it ‘Northwest Florida.’ But that is a generic. So if you want to distinguish little [confusing] – I mean sometimes you put in yourself or brand yourself, then I ‘Northwest Florida’ and that doesn’t come up, would probably try a different tactic. but ‘Fort Walton’ does.” … Some way where you would still distinguish the area but go with “As far as names go, I think ‘Fort