PIE Host Veterans Honor Flight Welcome Home Reception Tuesday September 10th at 8 pm

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) Welcomes West Central Florida Veterans Honor Flight Welcome Home Reception-September 10th 8:00 PM

On Tuesday, September 10th, PIE's 49th Honor Flight with 77 Veterans will depart St. Pete-Clearwater Int'l Airport on an Allegiant charter for a day long visit to Washington D.C. and the war memorials. St. Pete-Clearwater Int'l Airport hosted its first Honor Flight for WWII Veterans in 2011. Originally, PIE was Pinellas Army Airfield, a base for training WWII fighter pilots. After the war, the land was returned to the county for use as a civil airfield in 1946.

This is the 51st Honor Flight for the West Central Florida chapter. The Veterans return to St. Pete-Clearwater at approximately 8:15 pm. The Welcome Home celebration is open to the public and various groups, military, and government leaders will be at the airport to greet the veterans. Additional Honor Flights for 2024 are October 22.

Our restaurant, The District Pub, will open from 5:00-8:00 PM before the Veterans arrive. The restaurant is in the pre-security area located on the 2^nd floor between Ticketing A and B.

Free parking will be available to attend the welcome home event for guests parking in our Short or Long-term Parking Lot. The Gateway Expressway is now open and presents new options for those traveling to and from PIE.

Media trucks with identification may park in the Ground Transportation Lot adjacent to Baggage Claim or in the Service Delivery Lane for the Veterans arrival with advance clearance only.

Honor Flight of West Central Florida President Tracy Luchtenberg states "Honor Flight of West Central Florida continues the 2024 season with Mission 51 on September 10th. We are honored to transport our heroes at no charge to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect on their memorials. We appreciate the partnership with Allegiant for the safe transportation of our treasured Veterans. A special thank you to the staff at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport for your graciousness in making the Welcome Home a wonderful celebration. We encourage you to wear your patriotic garb and join us in giving these Veterans an uplifting Welcome Home!"

Airport Director Tom Jewsbury states, "PIE started as a military base, so we are doubly pleased to host the Honor Flights at PIE, so our community can welcome home and honor our Veterans. Please join us for this celebration to thank Veterans."

For more information about the Honor Flight, CONTACT Honor Flight of West Central Florida at: [email protected] www.honorflightwcf.org Telephone: (727) 498-6079

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport General Airport Information 727-453-7800