New flight added to AirTran lineup

Florida Keys News - Key West Citizen

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

New flight added to AirTran lineup

BY TIMOTHY O'HARA Citizen Staff
tohara@keysnews.com

Southwest Airlines has added another daily route to Key West.

The airline, which has taken over AirTran Airways, announced Monday it would offer daily service between New Orleans and Key West starting March 9. For the past three years, AirTran has been offering direct daily flights between Key West and Tampa and Orlando.

Southwest is still flying to Key...

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Criminals Fly Southwest?

Submitted on Fri, 08/31/2012 - 9:46am by ktl

I can't remember the last time I flew Southwest to a vacation destination and committed a crime (other than mixing stripes with plaids and having an issue with the fashion police).

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What is wrong with you people ?

Submitted on Thu, 08/30/2012 - 11:01am by dalton2kw

Am I the only person who ever leaves the rock ? Why are you guys griping & complaining about Virginia P. & tourists ? We should be celebrating cheaper airfare ! Starting in November, they will also fly to/from Birmingham, AL. The airfare competion will, hopefully, heat up . Thanks Southwest/AirTran !!

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Agree.

Submitted on Fri, 08/31/2012 - 2:18pm by *.* CLEARLY the original

When I'm forced to fly, I'll be flying Southwest if at all possible. The poor treatment and high costs offered by Delta and American and the rest are disgusting. We've been held hostage by them for years.

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"Knock-Knock"...YOUR taxes....ARE going UP!

Submitted on Thu, 08/30/2012 - 7:55am by none

For the blind out there among us.....it's BUDGET time....here in peaceful, sunny Key West. Are YOU aware....that DIRECTLY DUE TO THE LOSS OF JUST A LITTLE CRUISE SHIP REVENUE......from disembarkation fees alone.....YOUR TAXES.....are about to go up....to cover a $418,000.00 shortfall......just from that? The MONSTER ships...will never come here. It's physically impossible. This STUDY.....is simply to determine if a slightly more modern , newer cruise ship....can come here. The actual ships....that are....as we speak...replacing the current ones visiting our town. YOU.....will be the first ones....to COMPLAIN....when your taxes "SUDDENLY" go up....because the "current" sized cruise ships....bypass us for other ports. There are much more attractive ports of call actively working to attract this business....than this dump, that doesn't even provide public restrooms within 5 miles of the docks. And....want to know a secret? Your "favorite" Duval T shirt shops.....will still be here. Don't believe it? Just visit....Orlando. They're everywhere! No ocean there. Don't be stupid.

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Huh?

Submitted on Wed, 08/29/2012 - 9:25pm by

Can one of you geniuses explain to me how a few hundred tourists are going to "transform our community into a crime-ridden" one?

Mac, your points are (sometimes) informative but your generalization of how people from New Orleans are cheap is beyond ignorant. So, nice try.

It's fairly obvious that at least two of the posters are unaware of how the City of Key West survives: tourists; please correct me if i'm wrong here. And if you're going to correct me, please include examples of where most of the City's income is provided otherwise.

For what it's worth, I visit Key West 3 or 4 times a year to catch up with family and let me tell you there is no such thing as a "bad" neighborhood in Key West. All of you take this for granted.

Do us all a favor and keep your idiotic generalizations to yourselves.

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Mr By Bye

Submitted on Thu, 08/30/2012 - 6:16pm by Elvis

Did I mention no one can swim in the beaches because your toliet flushes directly into the gulf stream along with 300 other bars and restaurants and cruise ships? Something the chamber does not seemed concerned with and makes sure is conveniently hidden.... Except when Bill has a 10 sec mention on the radio.

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By

Submitted on Thu, 08/30/2012 - 6:06pm by Elvis

Bye. The point is at what point do you continue to have oversized jets come in multiple times of the day, unregulated cruise ships that have no regard for the environment and the port they visit bringing in relatively low revenue, and continue to pile on hotels on top of each other before this island sinks in it's own cesspool? We are being reported to have "record" tourism revenues. We have the Mexican drug cartel and their violent crime and over built vacation spots to thank for this .... Let learn from them, maybe? Let's balance quality with success. Not one thing that comes out of Virgina's mouth and very few commissioners with tourist interest businesses really seem to care. On the flip side, I have never seen old town so deserted with 'residents'. Now there is a study worth doing.

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Thank you for pointing out

Submitted on Fri, 08/31/2012 - 8:55am by 666

Thank you for pointing out the obvious. There is a carrying capacity on this island and we can fill it with cheap drunks flying Southwest, cruise ship passengers and low end tour busses, or we can say enough is enough and actually develop a sustainable tourism base and island for snowbirds, higher end visitor and people who actually live here. Virginia Panico is a dinosaur who comes from a time when people had never heard of Key West and town was deserted 9 months of the year. Guess what, that is no longer the case. We are the second most popular destination in The State and tourism is booming. How has Virginia's vision changed? It hasn't.

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Panico has got to go! She

Submitted on Wed, 08/29/2012 - 5:40pm by 666

Panico has got to go! She is a dinosaur with no vision for Key West. Get someone new to lead the chamber into the future rather then more drunks and cruise ships.

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Just what we need-- more tourists.

Submitted on Wed, 08/29/2012 - 11:26am by Mac

This is a good time to remind small businesses that they're getting zero value for their Chamber of Commerce dues. Sure Panico runs the city commission (and now the airport), but all you're getting are cheap-ass tourists who only spend their money in sleazy bars and sleazy T-shirt shops.

Cancel your Chamber membership now and let people know about why. The citizens will support your business!

Panico says, "They're a party town and we're a party town." Shows you the mindset of the powers-which-be in Key West. Sad.

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Whiner

Submitted on Thu, 08/30/2012 - 11:02am by dalton2kw

Mac, do you belong to a professional whiners association ?

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:-) I like that!

Submitted on Fri, 08/31/2012 - 2:22pm by *.* CLEARLY the original

I've lived here over 20 years and I can tell you that not that much has changed in KW during that time. It makes me wonder about people like Mac. He thinks there are so many changes? Really? Same old t-shirt shops, same old bars. Nothing has changed. Yet Mac acts as if his world has turned upside down. Amazing how tourists come here and like it, then buy a house here and want it to be just like where they lived in New York.

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CLEARLY

Submitted on Fri, 08/31/2012 - 10:53pm by Elvis

The original tunnel visionist. And I do not even agree with the bIG Mac.

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Changes in the bar

Submitted on Fri, 08/31/2012 - 7:38pm by Cake

Well, over the last 20 years we have lost Barefoot Bob's, Viva's, the "original" Turtle Kraals, PT's, Rumrunners, the Copa, the Strand, Reds, the Full Moon, Zamabawanga(where the monkeys have no tails)/Hideaway, and on and on. Now we're getting a Coyote Ugly?! Really? Things HAVE changed. Oh, and back when I moved here, I believe there were less than a dozen T-shirt shops on all of Duval. There are that many on every block now.

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Really? It is the same as 20 years ago?

Submitted on Fri, 08/31/2012 - 5:43pm by 666

20 years ago Fort Zachary was a peaceful locals beach, today it looks like coney island. 20 years ago there were 2 bike rental places and now there are 20. 20 years ago there were only a few Jet Skies, not there are about 1000 endlessly circling the island. 20 years ago an apartment in Old Town was $200 a month, now $2000 if you are lucky. 20 years ago there was no Jet Service to Key West, now there are several each day. 20 years ago Key West was authentic and laid back, now it is crass and commercial. 20 years ago watersports were run by small local outfits, today Fury has run almost everyone else out of business with cattle boats. 20 years ago concierges actually were paid by hotels and helped guests, now they hustle trips for commissions regsrdless of what is best for the guest. 20 years ago I caught fish off Mallory Square, now you catch feces. 20 years ago our reef had color and life, today it is grey and mostly dead. 20 years ago people here were nice, now they have nasty attitudes like "CLEARLY the original". Yes, nothing has changed. You must be Virginia Panico's soulmate.

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Amen

Submitted on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 6:50am by

Your post is accurate and to the point. This town has been whored out for far too long.

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That

Submitted on Sat, 09/01/2012 - 9:51pm by Cake

What he said......EXACTLY!

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Great comparison

Submitted on Wed, 08/29/2012 - 5:25am by Elvis

by Virginia. We are destined to be crime ridden and corrupt community as New Orleans is today. Oh... Wait, we already are. Again, great comparison by a brilliant 'leader'.