TSA wait times add to annual ‘March Madness’ at Fort Myers airport

March Madness is taking place in Fort Myers − and we’re not talking about basketball.

Between spring break tourists and snowbirds, March is historically the busiest month for the Southwest Florida International Airport.

This year has been a little more maddening. A partial government shutdown has led to long wait times at TSA security checkpoints at U.S. airports and it has been dominating the headlines this week. Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents have been deployed to airports to assist TSA officers who are not getting paid. Many have left their jobs or have opted not to work.

Airport spokesperson Victoria Moreland told The News-Press and Naples Daily News 31,791 passengers went through the TSA checkpoints on Saturday, March 21.

Southwest Florida International Airports (RSW) in Fort Myers is one of the locations ICE agents have been deployed and it is believed to be the only airport in Florida to get this added layer of support from the federal government. The ICE agents arrived at RSW on March 23. On March 25 they could be seen helping passengers with the bins used for items to be screende in the departure area at the security checkpoints.

Is it really bad at RSW?: TSA wait times at RSW appear less intense, say social media voices

Did you know?

Since 2011, RSW has handled more than 1 million passengers every March with the exception of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year won’t be any different and no one would be surprised if record was set when that data is released in April.

Here’s a breakdown of RSW’s past March statistics:

What does RSW stand for? Florida airports are numerous. Here’s a list of the letter codes for all of them

A history of busy springs at RSW

March has always been a busy month for South Florida as the weather warms up and people come to visit. The combination of spring break and snowbird season brings heavy traffic to our local airport.

Here’s a breakdown of the airport’s March passenger data in the last 12 years:

• 2014: 1,147,059 passengers

• 2015: 1,181,382 passengers

• 2016: 1,269,961 passengers

• 2017: 1,252,124 passengers

• 2018: 1,379,728 passengers

• 2019: 1,482,239 passengers

• 2021: 1,162,342 passengers

• 2022: 1,514,046 passengers

• 2023: 1,166,442 passengers

• 2024: 1,509,777 passengers

• 2025: 1,463,628 passengers

Challenges: What March brings to RSW’s support team

Though March brings great business to the airport, it also brings a unique set of challenges. This is what RSW says are some of the realities that underscore its busiest month on the calendar:

• The airport is constrained with gates, concessions, and the passenger concourse capacity during peak season

• RSW has more than 4.25 times the traffic in March than it has in September

• Security checkpoints are very congested and TSA needs additional screening space

New airport projects should help with March challenges

RSW is taking on several significant Capital Improvement Projects to handle further increases in passenger traffic not just in March, but for the entire year:

• Terminal expansion project

  • Creates single TSA checkpoint

  • Passengers can walk between concourses

  • Adds 164,000 square feet of remodeled space with 117,000 square feet of new walkways and concession space

• New concourse

  • Adds Concourse E with 14 gates

Concessions also changing at RSW: RSW’s new flyer friendly vending machines include White Castle burgers

Helpful traveling tips provided by RSW

ROADS: Local roads are extremely busy, so please allow extra time to get to the airport. To avoid congestion, use the I-75 Direct Connect to get to and from RSW. Airport roadways are busy as well, due to high volume and road construction near the terminal. Please factor in additional travel time.

TSA: We expect a busy Spring Break in Southwest Florida this year and want travelers to plan ahead. Please be in line at your security checkpoint a minimum of 2 hours prior to your flight departure.

PARKING: Parking lots may fill up more quickly. Please give yourself extra time to find parking and consider alternative ways to get to RSW. If necessary, we will post parking updates on the airport’s website and Facebook to keep travelers informed on availability.

PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE/CROSSWALK CHANGES: The ONLY crosswalks between the terminal and Short-term Parking Garage, Car Rental Facility and all ground transportation options, including shuttles to the Long-term Parking Lot, will be Crosswalk 2 on the upper level and Crosswalks 2 and 6 on the lower level. See map. It may take extra time to navigate to and from the terminal.

For more airport information, please visit flylcpa.com or facebook.com/flyRSW.

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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: What are the TSA wait times at RSW the Fort Myers, Florida airport?