What is the closest large airport for the Panhandle region of Florida? I have tried both Pensacola Airport and VPS (Fort Walton) but airfares now posted for April 2002 are totally outrageous considering the airlines' need for passengers.

Any suggestions on alternatives to these two?

Grab a map and look at the next largest city in the area. Possibilities include Tallahassee or Mobile, and a rental car.

Have you tried fares with Air Tran?
They are going to be the cheapest fares you will find no matter where you fly out of.
Air Tran was in VPS, but now they are starting in PNS as of November.

I think you will also be surprised that the fares will come down from what they are now. We are all expecting big changes once Air Tran comes in.

I guess it will come down to where you are flying in and out of.
Worse case scenario you can try the prices out of New Orleans, only problem is it is 3 hours by car from PNS and about 1/2 hour more from Fort Walton.

Don't forget Mobile like the above post says.

Is AirTran leaving VPS?

Airtran just announced service plans for Tallahassee this afternoon, and last week announced new service to Pensacola. Details at www.airtran.com

yes, they are leaving VPS for PNS.