At the beginning of World War II, the US Army Corps of Engineers built a combat training base on land about 2 miles south of the Peace River. They named the airport the Punta Gorda Army Airfield. Following the war, the US Government transferred the land and improvements on the property to Charlotte County. The Airfield for most of its life had catered to private and business aviation. Then coinciding with Punta Gorda's own resurgence after Hurricane Charley, the airport known up until this year as the Charlotte County Airport, began full-scale commercial aviation. A few months ago it was rechristened using its original affiliation and became the Punta Gorda Airport.
There something special and oh so convenient about having an airport within a short drive of your home and being able to to park across the street from the departure terminal and get on your plane, which endears the Airport to me personally--as well as others living or spending time in Punta Gorda. But more important to the region is that the Punta Gorda Airport, as well as being within a ten-minute drive to downtown Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor, is centrally located between Sarasota, Naples and Fort Myers, making it ideal for travelers coming from and going North or West for that matter. Now with the additional flights being offered from Allegiant Air and Direct Air, the Airport is positioned to bring more and more traffic to Charlotte County and the rest of Southwest Florida making Punta Gorda a true tourtist destination like the railroad did in the early part of the 20th century.
Some of the recent announcements foreshadow a robust travel market. Allegiant Air said this week that it is adding three new routes in and out of the airport. Starting Nov. 18, Allegiant will fly passengers to and from Grand Rapids, Mich.; Greensboro, N.C.; and Lexington, Ky. There will be one flight in and out of each of these cities every Sunday and Thursday. Moreover, Allegiant announced new, nonstop jet service between Lexington, Ky.,with introductory fares as low as $44.99* each way. Allegiant already has flights to and from Knoxville, Tenn., and Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.
Don Lee, Airport Authority Commissioner for District 2, told us today that DirectAir, the other airline with flights to and from the Punta Gorda Airport , has also announced additional flights — going from about 16 flights in and out to about 22 or 23 each week. DirectAir carries travelers between Charlotte County and Plattsburgh, N.Y. (one hour south of Montreal); Worcester, Mass. (just west of Boston); Niagara Falls, N.Y. (serving Buffalo and Toronto); Kalamazoo, Mich.; Rockford, Ill.; Springfield, Ill.; Toledo, Ohio; Allentown, Pa.; Melbourne, Fla.; and Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The airport has all the services of a larger facility, including an outstanding onsite restaurant, The Skyview Cafe. Four rental car agencies support local transportation: Avis, Hertz, Enterprise and Budget. And when you arrive, you'll know you have come to a boating community -- a large wall mural bolding and colorfully announces that you've arrived by a harbor.
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