Sunny, but empty skies: How winter weather up north is impacting travel at RSW

FORT MYERS, Fla — It was a picture perfect weather weekend in Southwest Florida. But the outlook wasn't so sunny for travelers trying to get in or out of town.

On Sunday, more than 80 flights were canceled at Southwest Florida International Airport. In fact, according to the airport's arrival and departure board, almost every flight was either delayed or canceled.

rsw delays — The flight arrival board on the RSW website on Sunday showed significant delays and cancellations

What happened over the weekend at RSW was just a ripple in a tidal wave of cancellations nationwide. According to the flight tracking website, FlightAware, more 11,000 flights were canceled across the country. That's the most since the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic.

A massive storm dumped snow, sleet and freezing rain on more than half of the U.S. population, according the National Weather Service. The storm stretched from the southern Rocky Mountains into New England, bringing air travel to a stop.

Significant delays are being reported at major airport hubs in Dallas, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and airports in New York. According to FlightAware, 99% of the flights were canceled out of Regan National in Washington D.C.

FlightAware reports American Airlines canceled the most flights, about 1,500. It says Jet Blue had 71% of it's flights canceled.