This airport, serving Fort Myers and other major cities in southwest Florida, was not started until 1983. It was originally intended to be a regional airport that redirected traffic from the congested Page Field airport in Fort Myers. However, as early as 1984, Southwest Florida Regional Airport was hosting international flights to Europe. Finally, it was rebranded Southwest Florida International Airport in 1993, and facilities were upgraded to better handle overseas flights, including a longer runway for potential use by Concordes. However, today, the largest aircraft in regular service at the airport are Airbus A330-300s for flights to Munich and Dusseldorf.

Today, the Southwest Florida International Airport services some seven million passengers a year. The new midfield terminal, which currently holds three concourses with 28 gates, is undergoing renovation again to expand capacity to five concourses with 65 gates. There is also a construction project to build another runway, to open in 2010.

Long Term Parking - Long-term parking is located near the cell phone lot, just beyond the short-term parking garage. The rate is $2 per hour, with a daily maximum of $10, and a weekly rate of $56. The short-term parking lot may be used for multiple-day parking as well, but there is a daily rate of $18 and no weekly discount.

Discount Airport Parking - The cheapest long-term parking is the long-term parking lot. However, for stays under one hour, the short-term lot may be a better deal, as the first 20 minutes are free and each twenty minutes thereafter is $1. The airport also has a cell phone lot, where 30 parking spaces are available for free as long as drivers remain within in their vehicles.

Handicapped Parking - Handicapped parking is available at both the short and long term parking lots. Shuttles are provided from long-term parking to the passenger terminal as well.

Airport Hotel Parking - Several nearby hotels have shuttles going to and from the airport, but a few only run during specific hours. Some hotels less than five miles away are La Quinta Inn & Suites, Best Western Airport Inn, Comfort Suites, Country Inn & Suites, Hampton Inn, Sleep Inn and Wynstar Inn & Suites.

Southwest Florida International Airport RSW

Southwest Florida International Airport (IATA: RSW, ICAO: KRSW, FAA LID: RSW) is a public county-owned airport located in South Fort Myers, Lee County, Florida, United States. The airport's service market is Southwest Florida, particularly greater Fort Myers.

The designator RSW was originally assigned for "Regional South-West" (for Southwest Florida Regional Airport - see further information in the "history" section below); however, as the name of the airport has changed, the Lee County Port Authority has re-branded the airport as Southwest Florida International Airport. RSW currently serves as a focus city for AirTran Airways.

In 2007, total passengers numbered 8,049,676, approximately 5.3 percent more passengers than the 7,643,217 that passed through RSW in 2006. The airport is one of the top 50 busiest in the U.S. and in 2006 was ranked among the top ten airports in the 2006 Global Airport Satisfaction Study conducted by J.D. Power & Associates.[1]

RSW was first conceived in 1973, when it became apparent that the existing airport in Fort Myers, Page Field, would not be able to accommodate new aircraft and increased traffic. The government of Lee County, along with Page Field's two carriers National and Eastern, selected a site near Interstate 75, which was under construction at the time. Groundbreaking was held in 1980, and Southwest Florida Regional Airport opened on schedule, May 13, 1983, despite a sinkhole that cropped up in the middle of the runway during construction. Delta Air Lines performed the inaugural flight.

The airport was renamed Southwest Florida International Airport in 1993, although it had hosted international flights since 1984 and U.S. Customs since 1987, primarily for services to Germany and other destinations in Europe. Also in 1993, the runway was lengthened to 12,000 ft (3,658 m), designed to accommodate increased international traffic including potential use by the Concorde. However, while the airport has hosted Boeing 747s (and notably, the U.S. President's Air Force One), as of 2006, the largest aircraft to use the airport for regularly scheduled service are the Airbus A330-300s operated by LTU International Airways on non-stop flights to Dusseldorf and Munich.

Midfield Terminal Complex expansion

In 1988, the airport exceeded its annual capacity of 3 million passengers; by 2004, the airport was serving nearly 7 million passengers annually. The original terminal featured 19 gates on two concourses.

With the airport operating at more than double its intended capacity, construction of a new terminal dubbed the Midfield Terminal Complex began in February, 2002. After a five month delay, the $438 million[2] terminal opened on September 9, 2005. The terminal has three concourses holding 28 gates, and can eventually be expanded to five concourses with 65 gates. A second runway south of the midfield terminal will be built in the coming years.

However, the airport's facilities, including current 28-gate configuration at Midfield Terminal Complex, have a yearly design capacity of 10 million passengers. As the airport nears its design capacity - even with the new Midfield Terminal - discussion is already underway for future expansion. The new terminal building can sustain two new concourses and 37 additional gates (see below), but it remains to be seen how the airport will absorb the increased passenger traffic forecasted in the next twenty years.

Demolition of the former terminal, located north of the airfield, was completed in the spring of 2006. Plans are in place for a commercial and industrial park in that location, including airport-related business such as hotels and retail gasoline outlets.[3]

Southwest Florida International Airport occupies 3,431 acres (13.88 km²), 10 mi (16 km) southeast of Fort Myers.[1]

Runways

Runway 6/24: 12,000 x 150 ft (3,658 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt

Runway 6R/24L: opening 2010

Aircraft

For the 12-month period ending April 30, 2006, the airport had 88,391 aircraft operations, an average of 242 per day: 75% scheduled commercial, 12% air taxi, 11% general aviation and 1% military. There are 22 aircraft based at this airport: 45% multi-engine, 36% jet aircraft, 14% helicopters and 5% single engine.

Terminal

798,000 ft² (243,230 m²)

Design capacity is 10 million passengers per year, with 28 gates on 3 concourses (current B,C and D). The terminal buildings can be expanded incrimentally to 65 gates on 5 concourses (A-E)

Parking

11,250 spaces for hourly/daily parking

30-space "cell-phone lot" for customers picking up arriving passengers