Holiday travel season underway, RSW already seeing long lines

Friday kicks off the holiday travel season and it’s already well underway at RSW.

Long lines were spotted this morning at the security checkpoint with one line funneling into another and anxious travelers wondering what was taking so long.

“I was shocked,” said Katherine Kali. “I’ve flown out of this airport every month for the last year and it has never been this long.”

TSA said thanks to additional security lanes and increased staffing, the long lines moved quickly. The longest wait time, they said, was 19 minutes.

“They’re really doing it well. Like I said, I’ve never seen this before, but they’re handling it well,” said Kali.

The airport sent a warning earlier this month to arrive early as construction is underway.

Fast forward to this afternoon: no lines and no worried travelers.

“I think that’s certainly an advantage if you can get here early and get through the checkpoints,” said Cheryl Fraser.

“It was smoother than I expected. I’ve been through different airports,” said David Guertler.

If you want to fly stress-free, the TSA says avoid peak travel times.

“Typically, the busiest parts of the day will be the early mornings and mid-afternoons into early evenings,” said TSA Regional Spokesperson Mark Howell.

And to get to the airport early.

“We don’t want you to leave the house two hours before. We don’t want you to get into the parking lot and start looking for parking at two hours. We actually want you in the doors of the airport,” said Howell.

So even if you have to wait in line, you’ll have plenty of time to get to your holiday destination.

For more travel tips right from TSA, click here.