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Market · 30A, FL

Flying private to 30A

30A has two airports, and the right one depends on which end of the beach you are staying on and what you are flying. Here is what a pilot who works it every summer would tell you before you book.

Airports

The airports, and when each one wins.

Airport locations, north up. This schematic is not a navigation map. Check road traffic and the exact FBO address before travel.

DTS · Destin Executive

When it wins

The airport for Destin, Sandestin, Miramar Beach and the west end of 30A: Grayton Beach, Blue Mountain Beach, Seaside and WaterColor. Its runway is about 5,000 feet, so it wins on a turboprop or light jet and works for a midsize jet with a lighter fuel load. Super midsize and heavy jets go to ECP.

FBO: A small terminal and a ramp that fills on summer weekends. Cars meet the aircraft. On a Friday afternoon in July expect company on the ramp and a few minutes of waiting; on a Sunday afternoon the departure line is real. No customs.

Ground travel: Sandestin and Miramar Beach about 10 to 15 minutes. Grayton Beach about 25 to 35 minutes. Seaside and WaterColor about 35 minutes. Alys Beach and Rosemary Beach about 45 minutes, longer on a summer weekend.

Any drive times are approximate; traffic and FBO location affect the journey.

Depart from DTS View ground directions

ECP · Northwest Florida Beaches International

When it wins

Panama City Beach. It wins for the east end of 30A: Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach, Seacrest and Inlet Beach, where it is closer than Destin. It also wins for any aircraft that does not fit Destin's runway, and for a full cabin with a week's worth of bags. Its runway is 10,000 feet.

FBO: One FBO on a large, quiet field with easy parking and hangar space. It is an airline airport but a small one, so the taxi is short and the waits are rare.

Ground travel: Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach about 35 minutes. Seaside and WaterColor about 45 minutes. Grayton Beach about 50 minutes. Destin about an hour.

Any drive times are approximate; traffic and FBO location affect the journey.

Depart from ECP View ground directions

The season

When 30A is busy, and what it does to price.

The season is summer. It runs from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, and the week of July 4 fills first. The spring break weeks in March are the second peak, followed by Thanksgiving week and Christmas week. In the summer weeks the Destin ramp fills on Friday afternoons and empties on Sunday afternoons, aircraft sell out days ahead, and prices sit in the upper half of the range. September and October are warm, quiet and easy to book. Winter is the value season: aircraft are easy to find and prices sit lower in the range.

Routes

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Nashville to Destin and 30A

Light jet, round trip · 6 to 8 seats

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Route

30A to Nashville

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Route

Dallas to Destin and 30A

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Route

Atlanta to Destin and 30A

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Houston to Destin and 30A

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Route

Chicago to Destin and 30A

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Aircraft

What fits the runway and the mission.

Destin's runway is about 5,000 feet. Turboprops and light jets use it all day. A midsize jet can, with limits on fuel and a wet runway, and super midsize and heavy jets go to ECP and its 10,000 feet. Nashville to 30A is under 400 miles, so a light jet does it in about an hour and a turboprop in about an hour and a half; for four people and beach bags the turboprop is often the sensible answer. Dallas and Chicago are light or midsize legs of about an hour and a half to two hours. A group of eight or more with a week of luggage is a super midsize jet into ECP.

Local notes

Details to plan before you fly.

Rosemary and Alys: fly into ECP. Seaside, WaterColor and Grayton: fly into DTS. On a July weekend the difference in the drive is bigger than the difference in the flight.
Friday afternoon arrivals in summer stack up at Destin and the ramp fills. The aircraft often drops you and repositions to a nearby field for the night; that positioning is in the quote.
Sunday afternoon is when everyone leaves. Book the Sunday departure first, and if you can leave Monday morning instead, the price and the wait both drop.
Summer afternoons bring storms along the Gulf. A morning departure from Nashville lands you before they build.
Hurricane season runs June through November. We watch the tropics, and if a storm week is coming we tell you early and move the trip without drama.
Beach chairs, strollers, coolers and golf bags add up. A light jet holds about six bags; tell us the count and we pick the aircraft with the space.
Destin Fort Walton Beach (VPS) shares Eglin's long runway and is the other option for a large aircraft headed to the west end. It is an airline airport with the waits that come with one, so we use it only when the aircraft needs it.

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Guides

The aircraft category guides.

Our standards

Every airplane has to fit the trip.

We review the airplane, its condition, the pilots’ experience and the requirements of your trip.
Our starting preference is an airframe from 2005 or newer. An exception comes with an explanation.
Your written quote identifies the airplane, what the price includes and the terms that could change it.

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Fair questions

Flying private to 30A questions.

Destin or Panama City Beach for 30A?

Destin (DTS) for Destin, Sandestin and the west end of 30A through Seaside and WaterColor, on a turboprop or light jet. Panama City Beach (ECP) for Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach and Inlet Beach, and for any aircraft larger than a light jet. Tell us where you are staying and we pick the field with you.

What size aircraft can land at Destin?

Turboprops and light jets every day. A midsize jet with a lighter fuel load and a dry runway. Super midsize and heavy jets go to ECP, where the runway is 10,000 feet. We do not send an aircraft into Destin that needs a wet runway waiver or a hot day to work out.

How far ahead should I book for a summer week on 30A?

Two to four weeks for Memorial Day, the week of July 4 and Labor Day, and for spring break in March. A week is usually enough for the other summer weeks. In the fall and winter a few days is plenty.

How much does a private jet from Nashville to 30A cost?

Your emailed planning estimate shows the current range by aircraft category once you enter your dates. It is a short leg, so a turboprop or light jet sits at the lower end and a midsize jet costs more for the stand up cabin and the bags. Summer holiday weeks sit in the upper half of the range. Your quote will be exact.