Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport opened in May of 2010, making it the first airport in the United States to be opened after the September 11 attacks. It was built to replace Panama City-Bay County International Airport in Panama City. ECP Airport was built due to increased popularity of the area as a vacation destination. Despite the airport’s title it doesn’t currently have international flights and there are no plans for this to change in the future. Currently, the airport transports just under one million passengers annually.
ECP is located just north of Panama City Beach not far from West Bay. The terminal is considerably larger than its predecessor’s, with seven gates spanning 105,000 square feet. Both Southwest and Delta Airlines use ECP for various domestic destinations, Atlanta, Baltimore and Houston being the most traveled to cities. ECP Airport has a variety of parking options including economy, hourly, short-term and long-term. Currently, a covered parking structure is in the construction phase. There are two airlines that fly in and out of ECP serving many domestic locations.
There are two restaurants to choose from the Dive In Restaurant and Surf’s Up Bar & Grill. Additionally, there are several gift shops throughout the terminal if passengers need to pick up a quick gift. In terms of services available to travelers include computer workstations, fax service, Wi-Fi and ATMs.
Getting to and from ECP International Airport has never been easier with options including taxis, limousines, shuttles and seven car rental agencies to choose from. A majority of hotel accommodations are on the beach about 11 miles from the airport.