Airport urged to halt Disney shuttle service

[seashoreCM]

I understand the normal charge for off-site luggage checkin is around $10/bag. Not sure if Disney will charge that much but it might be worth it if it allowed Disney to add other airlines.

Is this the extra cost over and above bag handling within the airport, or just the total cost that must be paid by someone -- the hotel, the guest, the airline, or the transportation service?

It seems to me that Disney contracts for the airline to help pay for that cost, hence the confusing term "participating airline" (which term applies only to baggage handling going home). And apparently Northwest has been reluctant to pay some kind of fee resulting in rumors if not actual occurrences of their being on and off the "participating airline list".

Just an FYI, you can have the best of both worlds - use the DME bus service and get your own bags. Just proceed to luggage claim as normal, get your bags, then check in at the ME counter.
.D.

If Disney charged some fee just for baggage handling, more guests would get and carry their own baggage. Currently Magical Express reserves the right to require that Disney bound guests surrender baggage to be transported on the trucks for automatic resort delivery.

If and when Disney starts charging for Magical Express (which it already does for the prototype, Disney Cruise Line ground transportation) would there be creative means to attract singles, couples, and families? Like a singles rate less than what Mears normally charges and a family rate less than what a taxi charges?

I have rented a car on all recent trips because I go offsite for dinner most nights.

 

[PlaneJoy1]

Is this the extra cost over and above bag handling within the airport, or just the total cost that must be paid by someone -- the hotel, the guest, the airline, or the transportation service?

It seems to me that Disney contracts for the airline to help pay for that cost, hence the confusing term "participating airline". And apparently Northwest has been reluctant to pay some kind of fee resulting in rumors if not actual occurrences of their being on and off the "participating airline list".

Airlines do not help pay for the cost of DME. Why would they? They don't care how your bag gets to the resort. It is paid for by Disney alone. The participating airlines have to agree to sort the luggage upon arrival for transfer to the site/warehouse used to get the bags to the resorts. They also have to store the luggage that arrives early for the days flight when people are returning home. There might be some other stipulations that the airline ground handlers have to use as well that could be cumbersome or restrictive making any airline weigh the value of participating under such a system.

 

[Lewisc]

Miss Jasmine--IF we believe what the livery owners are saying solicitation of business on level three is prohibited by the airport.


Seashore--Remote luggage checkin is becoming available at cruise ports, business hotels and convention centers. My understanding is the passenger normally pays $10/bag. I don't know if that covers the entire cost, some of the cost or all of the cost plus a profit margin. If Disney charged something some guests wouldn't use it but if that enabled DME to add missing airlines the net result may be positive. Checking my luggage at the resort would save me tipping a skycap in the airport, a bellhop for luggage storage and the DME driver for handling my luggage. Not $10/ bag but maybe $5. There is some fee that I'd be willing to pay, more than zero but probably less than $10/bag.

Planejoy1--Many of us think the airlines contribute something toward the cost of the resort checkin. Why else would NW be in and then out? The theory is that would free up airline employees at MCO that would otherwise to be checking luggage.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Miss Jasmine--IF we believe what the livery owners are saying solicitation of business on level three is prohibited by the airport.

Well there are GOAA Rules and Regulations for cabs, limos, shuttles, etc. but a contract can SUPERCEDE those rules and regulations. So that is what I am curious about. I haven't seen a copy of the contract (you would think that if there was such a provision about not being on the third floor, the livery owners would be parading around that contract as it is a public record. I haven't seen a copy of that contract, so I am inclined to believe that Disney has some special provisions). In addition, I still don't see the solicitation taking place. The people went up and ASKED Disney reps, the Disney Reps did not go and grab the people.

 

[helenk]

When I used DME in July, I had a hard time spotting the CM's with the Mickey hands as they were just standing in the crowd, not waving at all. I walked up to them and asked where I need to go and they ask me if i rec'd the DME booklet which I had.
I do not recall the bus driver checking to see if we had tickets to get on the bus at the airport, but they were checking them when they picked us up at the resort.
I did not mind using DME, but it did take nearly 2 hours from the time I landed until I got to the resort, and then of course there is the deluge of people checking in at the same time. Since I was by myself I was able to get off the bus quickly and went right in to the lobby to get in line, but there were numerous families in line behind me.
When I take my husband in December I've opted to use a town car service because this is his first trip and I want to get to the resort without too much of a wait.
I'm planning a trip next Spring and I will use DME then.

 

[PlaneJoy1]

Why else would NW be in and then out? The theory is that would free up airline employees at MCO that would otherwise to be checking luggage.

Because there are numourous policies between Disney, the TSA and the airport that are cumbersome and create more red tape. If airlines are having to staff the Disney location with personnel, this would be another reason to need to decide if its worth the expense. Airlines can't afford to spend money money on a service that really doesn't add value to them. Bags at the airport aren't being reduced just re-routed. With most airlines having kiosk check-in and electronic ticketing, there is the employee savings. It takes less people at the ticket counter. NW would then have to decide to displace that worker, saving money, or move them to Disney property. Having not been to Disney in while, I don't know if these are contract or Disney workers or airline personnel. My guess, not having seen this, is they contract the work to one of the airline services companies in the area.

There is another company in Orlando and other cities that allow you to check in bags at different hotels. The airlines aren't paying for those locations. The airlines are getting the bags regardless of where they come from. With the current economic environment, I can't see them paying to get them to the airport. It just doesn't make business sense.

 

[Lewisc]

The company that handles the resort checkin is BAGS, Inc.

http://www.airportbags.com/

They're the company that handles remote baggage checkin in other Orlando locations as well as other parts of the country.

Reading between the lines some of us think Disney is having the airlines pick up part of the cost of the service. There really isn't any proof but some of the language implies they are. The airlines aren't staffing the resort checkin desk but I wouldn't be surprised if the airlines were being asked to pay part of their salary. NW no longer participating is certainly anecdotal evidence, the systems are in place and if it doesn't cost them anything why wouldn't they continue to participate?

I agree the service doesn't save the airlines much (if anything) and that's probably one reason SW hasn't done whatever systems changes that are necessary for them to participate.

Because there are numourous policies between Disney, the TSA and the airport that are cumbersome and create more red tape. If airlines are having to staff the Disney location with personnel, this would be another reason to need to decide if its worth the expense. Airlines can't afford to spend money money on a service that really doesn't add value to them. Bags at the airport aren't being reduced just re-routed. With most airlines having kiosk check-in and electronic ticketing, there is the employee savings. It takes less people at the ticket counter. NW would then have to decide to displace that worker, saving money, or move them to Disney property. Having not been to Disney in while, I don't know if these are contract or Disney workers or airline personnel. My guess, not having seen this, is they contract the work to one of the airline services companies in the area.

There is another company in Orlando and other cities that allow you to check in bags at different hotels. The airlines aren't paying for those locations. The airlines are getting the bags regardless of where they come from. With the current economic environment, I can't see them paying to get them to the airport. It just doesn't make business sense.

 

[WillCAD]

I agree the service doesn't save the airlines much (if anything) and that's probably one reason SW hasn't done whatever systems changes that are necessary for them to participate.

My thinking has always been, the fewer people who handle my suitcase between me dropping it off and me picking it up, the fewer chances that my suitcase will be lost, stolen, damaged, or turned into an unwitting drug mule. Maybe similar thinking plays a part in the decisions of some airlines to not participate in DME.

 

[Pedler]

Just a few thoughts on ME with regards to the speculation of if Disney is going to charge for it or not.

First I wouldn't speculate that just because they only extended the free offer two months to the end of 2006 that they are then going to charge for it after that. That is a long way off and I wouldn't expect them to announce anything for 2007 for quite awhile.

As for the argument that they have to charge for it because of the large cost. If you broke it down by passenger I don't think the cost would be as large as you might think. Many hotels offer free shuttles to thier guests. Its a way of capturing the business. In Disney's case its a way of keeping you on property and getting addtional revenue from other sources.

I could see them attaching the free part to booking a package or minimum stay. But so far it appears that the changes in marketing / pricing are having the desired effect of filling more rooms. An empty room costs them almost the same as a filled room so any incremental revenue from increasing occupancy rates helps the bottom line quite a bit. If you have to have free transportation to get that revenue then it makes sense. Remember hotel rooms are the ultimate in perishable inventory.

I have posted this before but we are a case in point. Prior to all of these changes we were going to stay off site, get a rental car and only go to the parks for a few days. With the changes, and ME being one of them that convinced us to go on site as opposed to the Nick Hotel, we ended up with 7 nights at the Wilderness Lodge. In short where Disney may have gotten 1,200 of our Florida vacation dollars for park tickets and food they ended up getting over 3,000. Not a bad deal for them. The litterally got every dollar we spent in Florida except for the tips to the bus drivers and the Pizza we had at MCO on the day we left.

Note: we booked with Disney and got the dinning plan before the free dinning promo. It was nice to get but it didn't swing our decision. If we hadn't done that they would have gotten close to 4,000. Like I said, quite an increase in revenue all due to the changes in the marketing programs this year.

Just my .02.