FORT MYERS, Fla. — If you're flying out for the Fourth of July weekend, be ready for potential flight delays and cancellations. Between storms and worker shortages, FlightAware data reported 18,000 delays last weekend.
Passengers at RSW on Wednesday afternoon had mixed experiences. Some had flights that were on time, but not everyone could say the same.
"We just got to the airport, everything seems to be ok, other than my flight’s a half-hour late," said Jeff Lundstrom, who's heading to Dallas on American Airlines.
Nadine Lisica cannot say the same as she's dealt with back-to-back delays.
"So delay on the way out here and then delay on the way back," she said. "Landing in Dallas itself, the plane coming in was delayed and then we were told it was a pilot shortage."
Fox Business says the airline industry is short 12,000 pilots as many are demanding higher pay.
"Trying to get people in is probably going to take a while to replenish that workforce," Lisica explained.
While delays and cancellations are out of a passenger's control, there are steps RSW suggests passengers should take if they're flying out of the airport.
- Get to the airport two hours early
- Take I-75 to get to the airport as main roads will likely be busy
- Download your airline's app or check online for your flight's status
An RSW spokesperson says there will be adequate parking in both the long-term and short-term lots.
As of Wednesday evening, only one flight was canceled out of Charlotte and others were delayed.
"I got here two hours early, but I left before I was notified of a delay and wasn’t notified until I got here," Lisica said.
Though RSW is a smaller airport, weather and other delays could impact your flight. Lundstrom has more advice for passengers.
"Just be relaxed because you just never know what’s going to happen," he said.
