Flying during the holidays is usually hectic, but thousands of passengers got more than they expected when they experienced long delays.
Travelers entering RSW, along with those leaving the Fort Myers airport experienced at least two hour delays Monday.
FAA spokesperson Kathleen Bergen says a heightened number of flights destined for Florida attributed to the delays as well as bad weather in parts of the Midwest and Northeast.
.In an email a spokesperson for the FAA released the following statement explaining the cause of some of the delays: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working to correct a problem with the air traffic control management system that allows the FAA Command Center to manage traffic flow more efficiently across the country. The FAA does not use this system to track or communicate with individual flights," Kathleen Bergen, FAA spokesperson.
"Our flight was supposed to be at 9:20, but we didn't end up leaving until 11:40," said Sarah Punke, who was traveling from Chicago to Fort Myers. "So we left the house at 6 o'clock this morning, central time," said Punke.
Traveling with her 5-month old, two-year-old daughter and husband, Punke says her flight was delayed for roughly two hours.
"The 5:00 a.m. was canceled and ours was on time literally until an hour before we were supposed to board," said Punke.
Some at the airport planned for the unexpected, including a mother and daughter who booked their departing flight from RSW a day early; just in case they ran into delays.
"If I were to have practice tonight I would have been in all types of panic, just freaking out, "said Maggie Mitter.
While others planned in advance, a Minnesota family came prepared to burn extra time at the airport by bringing along playing cards.
"There's really high winds up there about 45, 50 mph so that's never good for flying," said Nathan Mursch
