See the new plans for Southwest Florida International Airport

Getting you through Transportation Security Administration faster as part of its airport expansion. Southwest Florida International Airport will work on getting airport security to meet growth and demand. That means a new plan to make checkpoints more efficient.

From the outside looking in visitors, like Cristen Brannon, who is from Pittsburgh, prefers RSW’s unique design with three separate security checkpoints determined by your airline.

“It seems to be pretty organized, very efficient,” Brannon said. “We just came back into the airport and couldn’t believe how little foot traffic there seemed to be and just there’s not that huge traditional conglomeration of people in one spot.”

But during the season, the calm on Tuesday turns into a crush of people.

“The TSA line was extremely, extremely long through the terminal coming in,” said Josh Richardson, “passengers waiting out of this airport at arrivals.”

People can wait more than an hour to get through security. Jeff Mulder, the director of the Lee County Port Authority, said the board is rolling out a $1.7 million plan to cut back on those wait times.

The plan will create up to two additional security lines per concourse.

“It will be very congested and crowded,” Mulder said. “We think that will help speed the lines up.”

These changes are expected to be completed by October or November. It will allow passengers to board their planes much faster.

“Usually we go right through,” said John and Sue Evans from Chicago. “Maybe 5 minutes. Ten minutes.”

‘We have to stay ahead of the growth’