By Kelly Murphy-Redd
The Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport’s eighth annual “Operation Home for the Holidays” campaign helped a “hero.” Every year the airport draws the name of one lucky entrant and pays for them to spend the holidays with their loved ones.
The campaign ran through December 5th and is open to active duty enlisted personnel (E4 and below) from any military base located in the 850 or 448 area codes. Each year, one lucky service member is randomly selected to receive round trip air fare to be used during December 2023 or January 2024.
Past recipients have expressed their gratitude. Many service members haven’t seen family members for months or even years. There are over 100,000 service members deployed around the world, many of whom won’t spend the holidays with their families. Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport can make sure one of them will.
This wonderful idea was born years ago when Airports Director, Tracy Stage and his wife were talking about their military sons coming home for the holidays. Operation Home for the Holidays is a way for the airport to give back to the military community.
“The Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport is the world’s only Joint Use-Commercial Service Schedule Facilitated Airport and the entire team looks forward each year to honor the servicemen and servicewomen in our local military community by offering them a chance to win a roundtrip back home during the Holiday season,” says Stage.
The Eglin-Hurlburt Community was designated A Great American Defense Community in 2016. One of the criteria is community building and integration whereby the community provides an environment in which service members, their families and veterans are welcomed and integrated into the community fabric.
The Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport lives up to the spirit of this designation every day. The entire airport is filled with tributes to our military. This annual promotion is just one of the many ways the airport strives to connect with and serve its community.
“We take great pride in our heritage and our strong military community. It is important to show our support and gratitude, especially during the holidays when so many young service members are far from family,” added Stage.
The Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) provides scheduled airline service to over 2.2M passengers annually, with five airlines flying to 48 destinations resulting in an economic impact that exceeds $2.9B annually. Okaloosa County has an enhanced use lease and joint-use agreement partnership with Eglin Air Force Base that has been secured to 2063.
The Okaloosa County Airports Department which operates Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS), Destin Executive Airport (DTS) and Bob Sikes Airport (CEW) is 100% debt free and the only three-airport system in the country that can make that claim.
President and CEO of the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce Ted Corcoran says, “The incredible success of the Destin – Fort Walton Beach Airport expansion and record-breaking travelers visiting our community can be credited to just one man. Mr. Tracy Stage, in his leadership tenure, has empowered his great staff to surpass the bar, time and time again. He has transformed not only the Airport, but all of Okaloosa County. “
For more information about Operation Home for the Holidays round-trip airfare, go to https://www.getthecoast.com/operationflyvps.
