RSW is a popular 'diversion destination' for airplanes flying in Florida during the summer
There are numerous reasons why airplanes can be diverted from their destination airports to a different airport. An unruly passenger, a medical emergency, an equipment failure, low fuel (rare) and runway availability are a few of the reasons.
But the No. 1 reason for a diversion?
The weather.
And because it's summer and because of the numerous storms swirling in the skies above the Sunshine State, you could say this is "Diversion Season" in Florida. Airplanes flying in Florida airspace are constantly dealing with storms, and the pilots need options if they can't land safely where they were originally scheduled to when they took off.
If thunderstorms persist, holding aircraft will divert to alternate airports, wait out the bad weather, refuel, and fly again later to the original destination.
A perfect example happened here last week in Fort Myers at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW). On Aug. 17 a total of 23 planes (commercial and cargo) were diverted to RSW because of weather-related challenges in Florida, according to Victoria Moreland, chief communications & marketing officer for the Lee County Port Authority.
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The diverted airplanes were recognized on Southwest Florida International Airport's Facebook page with photos and a post that said: "Nothing like a diversion plane party at RSW last night."
"These planes came from Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach," Moreland said. "RSW gets lots of diversions during the summer when the weather is bad. Most diversions land, wait for the weather to get better at the destination airport and leave."
While that seems like a lot of diversions for a single day, it's not, and it is nothing RSW can't handle.
Moreland pointed out that during season (winter) here, the RSW's single-runway airport can see as many as 350 flights a day coming and going.
In general, the percentage of airplanes being diverted every year is small in comparison to delays (late arrivals and departures) and issues with equipment that slow down the process.
For example, a 2017 study by Statista revealed 12,530 flights from major U.S. carriers were diverted. While that seems like a lot, it's a small percentage of the total of more than 5.5 million flights that year.
Diversions are undesirable because of the magnitude of passenger delay and cost to airlines. The airline must get you to the destination airport on your ticket or reservation at no extra cost to you.
The diverted airplane that most likely made some heads turn in the RSW terminal on Aug. 17 was a Lufthansa flight from Germany heading to Miami International Airport. It was a 747. That is unique for RSW.
"We don’t have scheduled 747s operate at the airport, but the runway and international gates accommodate them, and they do come in like this occasionally," Moreland said.
As far as having to stay on the plane or getting off a diverted airplane, passengers should check with the airline on policy and procedures, including if the flight ends up being canceled. For domestic flights landing at U.S. airports, airlines are obligated to give passengers an opportunity to deplane before three hours. For international flights it is four hours, but as Moreland pointed out, if that were to happen, those passengers would have to clear customs.
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What's the difference: diverted flight, late flight, canceled flight?
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics:
DIVERTED: A diverted flight is one that left from the scheduled departure airport but flew to a destination point other than the scheduled destination point.
LATE: Late departures and arrivals are strongly seasonal and are affected by weather and heavy demand in winter and summer months. The term late is defined as 15 minutes after the scheduled departure or arrival time.
CANCELED: A cancelled flight is one that was not operated, but was listed in a carrier's computer reservation system within seven calendar days of the scheduled departure.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Diverted airplanes land at florida airports to avoid bad weather
