Airport news: RSW terminal expansion project will impact passenger access to concourses
According to a press release from the Lee County Port Authority, as part of the work for the Terminal Expansion Project Phase 1, there will be changes to Concourse C access in the central main terminal.
More: Airport expansion: These four food and beverage options at RSW permanently closing
Starting Wednesday, April 23 at 8 p.m., temporary walls will be installed as part of the construction of a Temporary Checkpoint for Concourse C.
With this area closed, it will prevent passengers from transiting the terminal through the construction zone.
Access to the concourses will only be through the Ticketing Hall.
The East Atrium inside Door 2 is the only access to Concourses B and C.
The West Atrium inside Door 5 will be the only access to Concourse D.
Delta Air Lines and WestJet passengers will need to walk east through the Ticketing Hall toward Door 2 to access Concourse C. If Delta and WestJet passengers do not need to go to the ticket counter to check in, the best route is to enter from Door 2. The East Atrium inside Door 2 is the only access to Concourse C.
Due to these changes, it may take a little extra time to navigate through the terminal to your concourse, especially if you are headed to Concourse C.
Please look for new wayfinding signage posted throughout the terminal.
The Lee County Port Authority will continue to post updates on the airport's website and Facebook to help travelers and airport users become aware of changes due to construction.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: When will the new terminal at RSW be opened?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
‘I was gobsmacked.' They paid WestJet hundreds for a ‘premium' upgrade and ended up in economy with a glass of bubbly
Nancy Tennyson and her husband Paul arrived at the Vancouver airport hours ahead of their scheduled departure in May hoping to catch an earlier flight home to Toronto. WestJet confirmed it had room for them but no premium seats. 'We declined,' said Tennyson, a fitness YouTuber in her sixties known as Mama Tenny. 'I have been dealing with a back issue, and we purposely booked premium for the wider, more comfortable seats.' But what the Tennysons got when they boarded their regularly scheduled flight four hours later, was a laminated placard on the back of an economy seat titled: 'Aircraft reconfiguration coming soon.' WestJet's notice told passengers, who'd forked out hundreds of dollars more for wider, premium seats, that 'we recognize … that your journey with us today does not reflect the interior cabin experience you expect' and thanked them for their 'patience and loyalty' as the airline worked to reconfigure its planes. 'I was gobsmacked,' Tennyson said. 'They knew right from the get-go they weren't going to give me what I paid for.' The flight attendant, Tennyson said, carried on as if nothing was amiss, offering sparkling wine to the first couple of rows. Other passengers seemed equally confused, so Tennyson gently pressed the attendant for details. Why would WestJet have sold premium seats on a flight it knew had only rows upon rows of three small seats scrunched together? 'She said that soon this aircraft would have a premium cabin with premium seats,' Tennyson said. 'I said that currently this was 'an economy seat with a glass of cheap wine,' and she nodded in agreement.' The Tennysons reached out to WestJet to formally complain about what they described as a 'premeditated fraud.' The company initially offered each of them a $50 travel credit, which incensed Nancy even more. 'I want them to admit what they did was wrong.' The Tennysons were not the only ones complaining. Scores of other air passengers have shared similar stories on TripAdvisor, Reddit and Facebook, warning consumers to not fall for WestJet's 'premium scam.' The airline's unorthodox sales tactic 'has definitely generated a lot of public backlash,' said Alia Hussain, president of CUPE local 8125, representing WestJet and Sunwing cabin personnel. 'Our crew members felt the weight of this disappointment.' WestJet confirmed to the Star by email that between Nov. 4, 2024 and May 15, 2025, the airline sold premium and extended comfort products, 'on a subset of our Boeing 737 aircraft that are currently configured exclusively with 3x3 economy-only seating.' The airline told the Star it's sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. 'We recognized that this experience did not meet out guests' exceptions,' said Julia Kaiser, a WestJet media relations adviser, 'which is why we made the decision to roll the product back.' When a customer service rep from the airline called the Tennysons at 8:30 p.m. last week to ask about their experience, the 32-minute conversation did not go well, Tennyson said. WestJet told the Star it was 'under the impression that a resolution had been found.' The agent, Tennyson said, insisted the couple knew they were getting a 'modified premium' fare. But the email the airline sent them 72 hours ahead of their flight made no obvious mention of the word modified. The conversation continued in circles, Tennyson said. Passengers, he told her, 'were made aware that some amenities might be different.' Like the seat ?? Tennyson replied. 'You make it sound like we were trying to hoodwink you,' the agent told Tennyson, whose husband Paul was in the background on speaker. 'You absolutely did,' she said. Tennyson said she felt the agent's questions suggested she was complaining over nothing. 'Did you have anybody between you?' he asked. 'No,' she said. 'But I couldn't lift up the armrest.' 'Did you not get priority boarding? A cold meal? a drink?' 'Those things meant nothing to me,' she said. Tennyson said the agent told her not everyone who books a premium experience wants a wider seat. 'He's trying to suggest people are delighted to pay extra to board early, get a cold meal, cheap wine and free Pringles. 'Do you think if I knew that I was signing up for bogus premium economy — this hack — that I would be complaining now? Absolutely not.' WestJet told the Star that 'feedback from guests' prompted the airline to stop selling premium and extended comfort tickets on planes that have only smaller seats in groups of three. 'We are actively working to reconfigure these economy seating only aircraft to include the seat options that are available on the rest of our fleet for consistency,' Kaiser told the Star by email. 'In the interim, these aircraft remain in service with economy fare bundles only. Having these aircraft remain in service makes it possible to fulfil our schedule and meet the travel needs of all our guests.' Hussain said the union's intervention 'is what led to the network changes made to sell only economy fares in economy-configured cabins.' The Union, Hussain said, asked for a several meetings with the company 'and communicated our concerns on behalf of our guests and our members, emphasizing the need for better management of guest experience and support for our cabin crew — which is what led to the network changes made to sell only economy fares in economy-configured cabins.' WestJet has since provided each of the Tennysons with a $150 credit for future travel but the experience has soured them on booking another flight. 'I don't think I'll ever use that,' she said. Jamie Thornback, a partner at CFM Lawyers in Vancouver, which represents victims in aviation accidents and consumers in class actions, said the Tennysons and other airline passengers 'could sue WestJet using normal consumer protection legislation,' like Ontario's Consumer Protection Act or the British Columbia Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act, 'which generally prohibit companies from engaging in deceptive practices with consumers.' Depending on the number of passengers impacted, a class-action lawsuit could be in the cards. 'Whether they would be successful would depend on what WestJet disclosed when they bought the tickets,' Thornback said. 'Given the number of people who seem to have complained, it's likely that WestJet did not effectively communicate that these were not actually premium seats.'
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Yahoo
Travel news: TSA ends shoes-off policy at RSW in Fort Myers, all U.S. airport checkpoints
More than 11,000,000 travelers passed through Southwest Florida International Airport in 2024, a new record for that statistic. According to TSA security measures, all of them were required a checkpoints. Not anymore. Shoes off has gone to shoes on. As of July 8 you will no longer have to take your shoes off at RSW or any U.S. airport security checkpoints. 'TSA will no longer require travelers to remove their shoes when they go through our security checkpoint," said Kristi Noem, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Here's what you should know. Noem announced July 8 that a new policy which will allow passengers traveling through domestic airports to keep their shoes on while passing through security screening at TSA checkpoints. The new policy allowing travelers to keep their shoes on is effective immediately, the TSA said. "The new policy will increase hospitality for travelers and streamline the TSA security checkpoint process, leading to lower wait times," the TSA announced on its website. "Ending the 'Shoes-Off' policy is the latest effort DHS is implementing to modernize and enhance traveler experience across our nation's airports," Noem said. "We expect this change will drastically decrease passenger wait times at our TSA checkpoints, leading to a more pleasant and efficient passenger experience." "As always, security remains our top priority," Noem said. "Thanks to our cutting-edge technological advancements and multi-layered security approach, we are confident we can implement this change while maintaining the highest security standards." "Other aspects of TSA's layered security approach will still apply during the TSA checkpoint process," the TSA said. "Passengers must still clear identity verification, Secure Flight vetting, and other processes." The shoe removal policy was put into place in 2006 in response to a December 2001 attempt by an airline passenger to conceal a bomb in his shoe. Since then most passengers had to remove their shoes as part of the standard security screening. There were a few exceptions: You're 75 or older Children appearing to be 12 years old or younger Enrolled in trusted traveler programs such as TSA PreCheck However, if the alarm goes off during the security screening, "you may be required to remove your shoes for further screening or undergo a pat-down," the TSA said. On July 2, the TSA announced a program called 'Serve with Honor, Travel with Ease,' which provides special benefits to uniformed service members and their families, including a TSA PreCheck enrollment discount and expedited access lanes at select airports. The program is free for Gold Star families and a $25 discount for military spouses with expedited travel lanes for service members. REAL ID went into effect May 7. The TSA said there's been a 94 percent compliance rate, "which has led to a more efficient security process." A REAL ID is a federally approved, state-issued driver's license or ID that meets security standards enacted by Congress after 9/11. Enter nuclear power plants Board federally regulated commercial aircraft Access federal government facilities or military installations This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Are you still required to move your shoes at the airport?
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Yahoo
WestJet redeploys network to new locations after decline in demand for flights to U.S.
WestJet's schedule of direct flights is opening up to new locations in Mexico and Central America after the airline saw a descent in demand for U.S. destinations this year. On Monday, WestJet announced five new routes to warmer cities as part of its upcoming winter schedule. The new destinations include Guadalajara, Tepic and Cozumel in Mexico, as well as Panama City, and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. John Weatherill, WestJet Group executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said the new destinations come as the company makes network adjustments to account for "the geopolitical environment" this year. The airline has seen a decline in demand from Canadian travellers interested in flying to the U.S. "As a result, we've redeployed some of our capacity into domestic markets across the Atlantic and to [Latin America and] Caribbean destinations," Weatherill said. "We've seen that demand situation stabilize, but it's hard to say how it's going to develop going forward. But we have a lot of confidence in the destinations that we're offering today." A decline in consumer interest for U.S. travel has been recorded in Canada since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January and began commenting on a desire to make Canada the 51st state of his country. Many Canadians have opted not to visit their southern neighbour for a number of reasons, including the ongoing trade war between the two countries, increased scrutiny at the border or as a way to boycott the U.S. Instead, Weatherill said the company has seen more interest from Canadians this year in domestic travel, or visiting Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. "It's been meaningful, but it's stabilized and we hope to see it begin to improve," Weatherill said about consumer demand for U.S. travel. The new destinations are also part of the airline's overall strategy to reach more Latin American and Caribbean destinations, which it's pursuing regardless of Canada's relationship with the U.S. Balázs Bogáts, the chief commercial officer at the Calgary airport, also acknowledged the shift in demand WestJet has seen. "Due to the ongoing geopolitical challenges, WestJet decided to reallocate some capacity to some exciting new destinations," said Bogáts In May, WestJet paused nine routes between Canada and the U.S. as a result of declining consumer demand, including the route between Calgary and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., which was suspended for a month in June.
