FORT MYERS, Fla. — Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) is a major gateway for winter and holiday travelers heading to the Fort Myers area and nearby beach communities.
According to statistics published by the Lee County Port Authority, RSW handles millions of passengers each year, and the holiday period is consistently among its busiest, as airlines increase service to meet demand from visitors escaping colder climates.
Watch Fort Myers Community Correspondent Miyoshi Price's report:
Delays and cancellations stretched into hours for travelers, meaning those who picked up loved ones also had to wait.
Bert Horton, who was at the cell phone lot, said the amount of delays really put a wrench in holiday plans.
“If he would've waited I don't think he would have gotten a flight this morning because there was so much confusion," Horton said.
His son was flying in from Minneapolis, a city where winter weather often has the final say on whether flights depart on time — or at all.
“It started snowing heavy snow midday. They kept an eye on it and later in the afternoon they said we need to make a decision now to cancel it today and that was a wise decision on their part," he said.
Connie Spears’ family members were coming from Detroit.
“I was looking on Flight Tracker and FlightAware. You can see exactly where the plane is, you can see when it lands, you can see when it’s dark, you can see everything," she said, tracking her family members.
Public sites like FlightAware and similar aviation trackers aggregate data from air traffic control feeds, airline status systems, and aircraft transponders. They allow passengers and those waiting to:
- See the real‑time location of an aircraft
- Track when it pushes back, takes off, lands, and arrives at the gate
- Spot developing delays before they appear on an airport’s flight information display
For Spears, that meant she didn’t have to rely solely on the RSW arrival board. Instead, she could follow her family’s flight from Detroit in real time — and wait to head to the airport until she knew the plane was truly on its way.
As a reminder, make sure to check your flight before you head to the airport.
And for those picking up family or friends — you should do the same.
