Top Upgrades at Southwest Florida International Airport- #2 Is Our Favorite

Southwest Florida has upgraded many amenities at the Southwest Florida International Airport will enjoy while traveling into and out of Southwest Florida. What is your favorite upgrade to our RSW airport?

1. Grab a Cup of Coffee

With the addition of a Starbucks coffee stand on Concourse D this year, all three RSW concourses and the pre-security area of the terminal have a full complement of food and beverages from the popular retailer.

As a temporary measure, the Port Authority has worked with existing concessionaires to add grab-and-go kiosks, particularly those serving bottled beverages and snacks, until the terminal expansion..

Flyers don’t choose an airport for such little comforts and conveniences. But there’s a “high correlation between satisfaction and the amount people spend at an airport,” said Michael Taylor, travel practice lead at J.D. Power. He provides business improvement recommendations to the company’s clients in the airline, airport, and car rental industries.

People who rate an airport 10 out of a possible 10 in J.D. Power surveys “spend twice as much as people who rate it a six or a seven,” Taylor said. “That’s across all airports we measure,” he said.

In its most recent North America Airport Satisfaction Study, J.D. Power ranked Southwest Florida International third – behind Buffalo Niagara International and Indianapolis International – for medium-size U.S. airports.

2. Fill Up Your Water Bottle

Who hasn’t had to pitch a bottle of water or soda before entering a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint?

Staying hydrated is important when traveling. However, sometimes we don’t want to buy replacement beverages after clearing security. And refilling bottles at drinking fountains can be messy.

“This is my absolute favorite amenity upgrade at the airport! Besides coffee in the morning, my favorite beverage is fresh cold, water. I always have a water with me, keep a cooler in the back of my car, and keep my favorite Yeti filled with water at all times. I talk a lot throughout the day as I am showing homes, and talking about real estate in Southwest Florida, and water keeps me going. This was a fantastic upgrade to our airport.”

— Janet Berry is the team leader of the Janet Berry Luxury Home Team at Premiere Plus Realty

Southwest Florida International Airport traveler Robin Jenkins fills her water bottle in the new dispenser in one of the terminals on Wednesday. The airport has made minor upgrades that include more cell phone charging stations among other ammentities. (Photo: Andrew West/The News-Press)

Now, all three airport checkpoints sport wall-mounted hydration stations.

Place your water bottle on a flat platform under the spout. An automatic sensor stops the flow of water when the bottle’s full.

Southwest Florida International Airport has more cell phone charging stations among other minor upgrades. Andrew West/The News-Press

3. Charge Your Phone

After leaving security checkpoints for the air gates, look for stanchions topped with the airport logo and holding outlets for recharging mobile devices.

They’re a little more visible than the banks of outlets and USB ports that hang just below seats where you wait for a boarding call. Those also have increased in number.

“We’ve doubled the number of plug-ins in the terminal and gate areas,” Mulder said.

4. Care For Your Baby

Changing tables have been added to the terminal’s gender-neutral “companion care” restrooms.

A lactation room — where a mother can nurse her baby or pump breast milk in a private, tranquil atmosphere — will open in late January in the airport’s pre-security, public area near the Concourse D entrance.

A concept drawing the airport provided shows an upholstered rocking chair with arms and a separate footrest among the room’s furnishings.

A ”Friendly Airports for Mothers Act” was included in the five-year re-authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration that President Donald Trump signed Oct. 5.

Although many airports already have them, these rooms will become a requirement for medium- and large-hub airports as of Sept. 30, 2022.

The law says a lactation room must be in the area past security checkpoints, which means RSW will have at least one such room post-security, after its terminal expansion.

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