Winter storm disrupts RSW flights, passengers sleep at airport

A historic winter storm led to a headache for travelers, causing several flight cancellations at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) Monday morning.

At least 15 departure flights were canceled to destinations including Baltimore, Boston, and Charlotte. Meanwhile, 19 arrival flights from Newark, New York City, and Boston were also canceled.

Some passengers expressed frustration over their canceled flights, while others held onto hope that they might still depart today.

Courtney Vali, who is trying to return to Toronto, shared her experience of sleeping at RSW after her flight was canceled.

"Air Canada wasn't willing to extend my stay at the hotel, and I didn't want to pay for an extra night just to have the 50/50 chance of them reimbursing me," said Vali. "So I slept on these chairs last night."

Dan Buckland, who is heading to Kansas City for a work trip, said he checked the Southwest Airlines app frequently to see if his flights were still on time.

"It just makes you antsy, because you don't know if you're going," said Buckland. "If you're not going, then you have to call your corporate travel agency. It's just a lot of moving steps to rebook everything, because you have flights, cars, hotels."

RSW advised travelers to check with their specific airlines for more information on cancellations and rebooking.

U.S. airlines are required to provide refunds, even for non-refundable tickets, if a flight is canceled. Some airlines, including Delta, are offering travel waivers to allow changes to flights without an extra cost.