First flight to Destin, FL takes off in Jackson

MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — Families and friends looking for a Gulf Coast getaway boarded the first flight from Jackson to Destin, Florida on Thursday.

Needless to say, passengers are happy about the short flight time.

“It was going to save us time going to see my mother-in-law. My wife likes to go visit her mother in the panhandle, and it’s a 16-hour round-trip drive. Now, it’s just going to be a two-and-a-half hour flight down there. We get to go on a short week, and be back Sunday,” flight passenger Nathan Spencer said.

“There are a lot of people in this area that have second homes in the Destin and Panama City areas, so there is some need for a flight year round,” Executive Director of the Jackson-Madison County Airport Authority Steve Smith.

The flights from Jackson to Destin run Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday. For now, the flights are seasonal.

Workers with Air Choice One says the round-trip ticket prices start around $450.

Many say this is a huge money saver.

“By the time you factor in gas, hotel, wear and tear on your car, parking at the Memphis or Nashville airport, overall, and you can go on a short week. For me, being able to work the first part of the week helps,” Spencer said.

The other flights to Atlanta and St. Louis have been going well, and leaders say the sky is the limit.

“We’re hoping that as the Atlanta flight continues to grow, maybe the Destin flight will grow. The St. Louis flight continues to do as well as it’s been doing, in the next couple of years, we will see that bigger aircraft,” Smith said.