Eagle headed to Gulf Coast – Fort Walton flights

Once-upon-a-time northerners paid scant attention to the Florida Panhandle. When they packed up and headed to Florida, it was for the southern tip of the state, Orlando perhaps - or Tampa. The Florida Panhandle was for locals, Alabamians, maybe folks from Georgia. No longer. The Panhandle is on the radar screen now – and Fort Walton Beach (VPS) is a prime destination.

To that end, American Eagle is launching nonstop regional jet service from its Chicago O’Hare hub to Fort Walton Beach come September 5. This will be a once-daily deal, and a 50-passenger ERJ-145 regional jet is the conveyance.

The flights—north and southbound—are nicely timed to connect with a slew of American Airlines and American Eagle service out of ORD. The southbound ERJ departs O’Hare at 12:45 p.m. each day, and gets to Fort Walton Beach at 3:08 p.m. – in plenty of time to get to the hotel, slather on the tanning lotion, and head to the beach. The return flight leaves VPS at 3:35 p.m. and arrives Chicago at 5:51 p.m. That leaves room to connect to a number of diverse departures out of ORD.

© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler