Travel Kit

Fast, easy access to the state capital? Not from here.

If you need to get to Tallahassee, be prepared for a challenge. Getting to the state capital from Southwest Florida requires extra time or extra money.

Airlines don’t offer direct flights between Tallahassee and Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), so connecting flights take travelers across the state—or even out of it.

Collier County elections supervisor Jennifer Edwards, who makes the trip a couple of times a year, usually flies from RSW to Atlanta and then south again to Tallahassee. "It’s kind of comical," she says. "I generally am required to be in Tallahassee for one day; however, I plan three days out of the office. My options are to drive for approximately seven hours or fly, which takes approximately six hours. When flying, I can at least get work done on my laptop or read."

Alternatively, local travelers can fly American Eagle, connecting though Miami.

Interest in direct flights between RSW and Tallahassee tends to be "very seasonal, when the Legislature is in session," says Carol Obermeier, director of marketing for the airport. "It’s very expensive to run a flight just two to three months at a time; there has to be more of a year-round presence and traffic to drive a nonstop flight
to Tallahassee."

Chartering a flight to Tallahassee cuts down significantly on travel time, but it can cost a lot more than a commercial flight. Naples Air Inc. can fly passengers to the state capital in a twin-engine, nine-passenger King Air in about an hour and a half, and the plane can leave from any local airport. The cost: $4,761, including a 6 a.m. departure time, a full day on the ground in Tallahassee and a 6 p.m. return flight. A more affordable option is its six-passenger Navajo plane, which makes the trip in about two hours and costs $3,546 for the same time frame.