Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, located close to Panama City, FL, opened this past Sunday with flights operate by Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines. The airport, who claims it to be the first global airport, built in the U.S. in more than a decade, offer service to Atlanta, Memphis, Baltimore, Houston-Hobby, Nashville and Orlando.

What's an airport so little doing with carriers so big? The St. Joe Co., the real estate developer that donated 4,000 acres for the airport, has offered to cover Southwest's operating wounded for three years. Financial support, typically from smaller regional airports, has helped lure airlines in the past to test-drive the market. Could Northwest Florida's latest airport be a victim to the Southwest Effect? Southwest will fly eight round-trip flights to Baltimore, Orlando, Houston-Hobby, and Nashville from Northwest Florida global.

Delta Air Lines, the world's biggest airline, offers regional and mainline service to the airport, just as they do to many other lesser regional airports in Florida, like Daytona Beach International Airport and Melbourne. The carrier flies eleven round-trip flights out of Northwest Florida global to Atlanta (Delta Mainline, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Comair) and Memphis (Pinnacle Airlines).

In addition to the seven gates 105,000 sq. feet terminal, an air cargo ability is planned for the airport.

Could the timing be any worse? said St. Joe CEO Britton Greene (source: Business week). A primary anxiety for the airport is the B.P. oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Florida beaches do not emerge to be major affected by the spill. If oil blackens Florida's beaches, the state of Florida is expected to act punctually on the matter. The beaches will be cleaned up and tourism will persist, said Greene.