New flight options at RSW as they prepare for holiday travelers

Reporter: Emma Heaton Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:
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Travelers at RSW. (Credit: WINK News)

Southwest Florida is bracing for tourists to head south for the upcoming holidays. There are multiple new non-stop flights preparing to fly here.

Seventy-three percent of rooms are back open in Lee County, and the airlines at RSW are following that demand.

The beaches, restaurants and warm weather are all reasons people at RSW International Airport told WINK News they came to the area.

“Give me beaches and warm sunshine,” said Arrie Mitchell, a part-time resident of Southwest Florida.

“I love Florida. I mean, if I had to retire, I’d like to come here,” said Norman Meis, a man visiting from Denver.

“It was great. We had a wonderful time,” said Clyd Mason, a man visiting from Denver.

And they all told WINK news they’ll be back. A welcomed response after a year of low tourism following Hurricane Ian.

“It really bodes well in this community of resilience. That, you know, we are definitely on our way back,” said Pamela Johnson, the deputy director of the Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau.

Johnson told WINK News the Southwest Florida area is more of a fly destination than a drive destination, especially considering 71% of visitors fly into RSW.

“The airlines follow the demand, so if there’s traveler demand, they’re definitely going to put a flight into the destination,” said Johnson.

Good news for locals and visitors: multiple RSW airlines are adding non-stop locations in and out of the airport. Frontier Airlines now offers nonstop service from Fort Myers to Buffalo, Detroit, Long Island, Minneapolis-Saint Paul and Syracuse.

On Spirit Airlines, you have Charleston, Norfolk and Richmond as potential destinations.

That means fewer layovers, which is great for anyone traveling. In addition to more locations, RSW welcomed two new airlines from Canada.

Click here to see the travel tips offered by RSW.

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