Pensacola International Airport was the scene of a festive ribbon cutting ceremony Monday morning as Southwest Airlines made its first flights into the city.
Bob Montgomery, Vice President of Airport Affairs for Southwest Airlines met with the press then hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for members of the community at the airport. Southwest will be taking the place of Air Tran airways, flying two nonstop flights a day into Nashville and one a day into Houston. They offer one stop flights to 69 different locations, 22 more than were offered by Air Tran. Montgomery says there are no immediate plans for additional nonstop flights in the near future.
Monday morning's ceremony at the airport drew a few hundred members of the press and the community to witness some of Southwest's first flights coming into Pensacola. Mayor Ashton Hayward spoke to the crowd, calling it a " big win" for business and tourism in the region. Heyward also spoke about the so-called Southwest Effect...where prices for most air fares drop whenever Southwest enters a market.
There was a party atmosphere at the airport as people spoke to the crowd awaiting the first flight of the morning.
Southwest's Bob Montgomery also made a special presentation to a local nonprofit. A donation of ninety thousand dollars to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Florida.
The Pensacola City Council were invited up for an official ribbon cutting and then a band starting playing as the first Southwest Airline passengers made their way through the jet way and into a pretty festive at Pensacola International Airport.
