Vision Airlines expanding service, seeks to partner with local businesses

FORT WALTON BEACH — Vision Airlines in the coming weeks will expand its service to 17 new destinations and the airline is looking to partner with local companies to make sure the new service is successful.

The leadership of Vision Airlines held a panel discussion with various representatives from the local restaurant and lodging industries Friday morning at the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors’ headquarters.

“We knew we wanted to work with everyone in the community,” said David Meers, executive vice president of Vision Airlines. “We have the opportunities to do that. Something we’ve been working hard on the last several months is putting the technology in place that would allow us to distribute other products, hotel accommodations, condominium accommodations, restaurant reservations, rental cars, golf tee times, spa visits, charter fishing events. All of those things can be sold through our website.”

Vision Airlines has developed a partnership with Tourico Holidays, one of the largest hotel wholesalers in the world, that would allow local businesses to promote themselves and offer specials to people who are looking for airfare on Vision’s website. Meers said Tourico Holidays has not focused on this area in the past because they were not partnered with any local lodging properties, but they did have 1.6 million inquiries about the area last year.

Another example Meers gave for future partnerships would be allowing local restaurants to sponsor flights and then provide discounts to everyone aboard the flight, which would help draw people to the restaurant.

“People aren’t buying the airline, they’re buying the destination,” said. “So if you look at our advertising and the upcoming advertising, we’re advertising the destination and we’re going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars doing that.”

State Rep. Matt Gaetz helped organize Friday’s meeting.

Gaetz said he believed Vision Airlines coming here will ultimately create 4,000 new jobs in the area. While some of that will be at the airport, Gaetz said most of that growth will be from the restaurants, lodging properties and tourists attractions which he hopes will see a large increase in their business due to the new airline.

“I believe Vision Airlines will be one of the most significant driving forces in the economy of Northwest Florida for the next decade and beyond,” Gaetz said. “They’re going to be driving dollars to your businesses.

“Most airlines live or die based on their ability to get briefcases on airplanes and that’s not really the Vision model,” Gaetz added. “I think that Vision’s recipe for success is to put beach bags and flip flops on airlines and make sure folks come here and spend three or four days and spend their money and spend their time in the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area.”