FORT MYERS, Fla. — On Thursday, armed with a Southwest Florida jobs promise, a small Texas-based airline said Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) will be their newest hub.
The airline is called Avelo and RSW is the newest airport they'll fly passengers and have 4 more flight operations.
The company said that not only mean new jobs just as tourism season is starting but by November 10 there should also be four new RSW direct flights.
Courtney Goff, the Communications Manager for Avelo Airlines said it was an easy decision to make the move to RSW.
“We see the demand is there,” said Goff.
Goff admitted that a November deadline for its four new flights has a connection with Southwest Florida's snowbird season.
“We know that Fort Myers has a big snowbird population that comes down from some of those cities that we are about to serve,” said Goff.
Those cities are:
- Raleigh North Carolina
- Binghamton, New York
- Kalamazoo, MI
- Lansing, MI
Goff said many of those locations already have travelers looking to travel to Southwest Florida for the warmer weather.
“It gets really cold up in Michigan and everyone is looking for an escape to get to the warm weather,” said Goff.
So, whether it's a beach vacation or calling Southwest Florida a second home, from April to June 2022, Goff points to Lee County Convention and Bureau numbers to see why they chose RSW.
More travelers last year, they say, meant Lee County saw around 12% more income.
At a time when more than half of Fort Myers flyers are traveling through RSW, local businesses like the Pink Shell Beach Resort were already reaping the benefits.
“ It's amazing to see those numbers just continue and just the airport traffic is amazing,” said Pink Shell GM Bill Waichulis.
Goff said the four new flights also mean 35 new jobs are also on the way.
