With airlines expecting a 4 percent jump in passenger travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, Southwest Florida International Airport is gearing up for the first real test of its new baggage-handling system, which will deliver luggage directly to planes as opposed to the old way of loading each bag by hand.
"With all the changes and upgrades, it'll be interesting to see the new system up and running under these conditions," said Barbara-Anne Urrutia of the Lee County Port Authority. "It's going to be a very busy holiday weekend."
Last season, the one-year-old original $30 million baggage system failed. The problem occurred in the outgoing baggage belt, causing long departure delays and lost luggage. The county spent $13.1 million to upgrade the system. County Commissioner Brian Bigelow, who serves on the Port Authority board, isn't so sure it's going to be smooth flying.
"Do I expect problems? I hope not, but I won't be surprised if there are," Bigelow said. "Am I concerned? Absolutely I'm concerned."
Bigelow said he recently toured the airport's updated baggage-handling system and isn't quite yet sure how to feel.
"I don't think anyone's satisfied yet," he said. "The original system was designed pre-9/11, and it's been retrofitted from there. I don't know it it'll be able to bear the load. The times it's failed us have been when a greater number of travelers come through our gates, and Thanksgiving is definitely one of those times. I'm really concerned, but I'm getting assurances from (SWFIA Executive Director) Bob Ball and the managers that everything's being addressed, so I'm going to have to go with that for now."
SWFIA spokeswoman Victoria Moreland said Ball wasn't available for comment. She said the airport is well-prepared for the Thanksgiving rush.
"Absolutely we're ready," Moreland said. "We're prepared and the baggage-handling system is working beautifully. There've been no problems at all. We'll have plenty of parking, extra staff and maintenance on hand to keep everything clean, and we'll have extra exit lanes open for the holiday. We're anticipating beautiful weather here in Southwest Florida also, so overall we're expecting a very good Thanksgiving travel experience for our customers."
Domestic carriers are expecting about 27 million passengers over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Urrutia said SWFIA readies itself for an increased influx of passengers each holiday season, but is taking extra preparatory measures this year, including having more Transportation Security Administration personnel on hand to speed up baggage-handling operations.
"The TSA is adding staff because there will probably be longer lines, and since some travelers only travel during the holidays, we want to be there to help them in any way we can," Urrutia said, adding that the TSA checks 100 percent of bags that come through SWFIA. "The new baggage-handling system is great for the passengers because it all takes place behind the scenes. It's more efficient now, and we feel ready to go for Thanksgiving."
Loretta Kehoe of Baltimore arrived at SWFIA on Wednesday en route to her date with a cruise ship over the Thanksgiving holiday. Kehoe experienced no delays at SWFIA, she said.
"It was great - I zipped right through," she said.
Heather Railing of Fort Wayne, Ind., and Steve Welsh of Indianapolis had a similar experience.
"It's pretty good here," said Railing, who was in town on a business trip. "No delays at all."
Welsh was in Florida for a few days of golf with a friend who lives in Estero.
"I've only come through this airport twice, but it's been good both times," Welsh said. "I have nothing negative to say about this airport at all."
With many more passengers on their way to the concourse beginning Wednesday, Urrutia is hoping the trend of customer satisfaction continues over the holidays.
"We want people to be able to come right in, check their bags and be on their way," she said. "That's what we're hoping for."
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Contact John Osborne at [email protected]
