How do they fit all those people on the plane?

Nearly 1.2 million people traveled through Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers in March — the single-largest month for passenger traffic in the airport's 32-year history. That tally was also a 3% increase over a record-breaking March 2014.

But, surprisingly, the airport reported takeoffs and landings rose a negligible 0.5% in March compared with the same month a year ago.

“It's a real simple answer: Bigger planes,” says Lee County Port Authority spokeswoman Victoria Moreland.

Seat capacity is the key metric. For example, an airline that might have flown a 150-seat Airbus A-320 might have replaced it with a Boeing 757 with 215 seats because of demand.
That's why airline consolidation doesn't appear to have hurt the Fort Myers area, much to the relief of businesses that depend on tourists.

Another example of more people, bigger planes, comes from last year: In 2014, Southwest Florida International came close to beating the 8 million passenger record set in 2007; it missed it by just 79,000 passengers. But airlines flew 12,700 fewer flights to and from Fort Myers in 2014 than in 2007, Moreland says.

The outlook for the airport remains positive: Capacity is up 7% in May compared with May 2014, with an additional 47,500 seats. That's even with just 72 additional flights scheduled, Moreland says.