getting out of orlando international,how long

[mozzman]

seems a stupid question i know but i am from the uk and we have news paper reports of long waits to go through security checks to get out of the airport,so much so that people were not going so much,is this true and how long roughly have you waited,thanks

 

[AJKMOM]

A lot depends on when you go, we waited over an hour in line to go thru the security checkpoint, but that was 2 days before Christmas. We arrived at the airport 3 hours in advance, and we had enough time. You should look into arriving 3 hours early, check your baggage at the curbside check in if available (that saves time) and find a kiosk to print your boarding pass without waiting in the line with the others. Every airline is different, but with USAirways, we saved a bunch of time this way. We needed the credit card we used to purchase the tickets because it was linked, and the machine spit out all 5 boarding passes without waiting in line.

 

[OhMari]

I'm going to move you over to transportation board, I'm sure you will get a lot of answers to your question.

Welcome to the DIS Boards.
OhMari-Co-moderator Trip Reports

 

[Figment2]

I fly down 3-5 times a year. The longest I've waited is 1-1/2 hrs, the shortest about 30 mins. In early May, we waited about 45 mins. and that was a Tuesday afternoon.

Cyn

 

[HayGan]

I have to say that security lines are very long at Orlando. When we went in early December last year, we waited over 1 hour to get through the line even though they had over 15 x-ray machines in operation. I have to say that it is one of the most inefficient security airports (in terms of organization and ability to move people thru lines NOT overall safety/security) I travel alot and rarely experience lines that bad!

There are also exceptionally long lines at check-in so I would recommend checking in on-line if you can.

 

[rparmfamily]

All I can say is if you are going out on Delta's gates then pack a lunch. I have personally been through the line when it took a tad bit over an hour. CaralA knows this topic pretty well by the way she talks so hopefully she will add her information.

Rex

 

[safetymom]

They have added more TSA agents to the security checkpoints recently. They still have very long lines at certain times of the day. I would allow at least 1 1/2 hours at the airport.

I have seen many many people running to their gates to catch their flights.

 

[debbiedoo]

arriving 3 hours prior in Orlando enough time??? -- or 2??

and I thought Atlanta was bad with 2

 

[safetymom]

2 is good. Atlanta has been much better than Orlando in recent months.

 

[debbiedoo]

2 is good. Atlanta has been much better than Orlando in recent months.

thanks!!

 

[juligrl]

I think it depends on when you travel. We flew out of MCO on a Monday night in January and waited no more than 5 minutes in security line. They do have a huge queing area though, so I imagine that they can get really crowded.

 

[Lizzy Lemon]

seems a stupid question i know but i am from the uk and we have news paper reports of long waits to go through security checks to get out of the airport,so much so that people were not going so much,is this true and how long roughly have you waited,thanks

From the UK also. I posted a similar question on the UK trip planning board. Most people said there was not a problem. Ranged from about 45 mins to 1 1/2 hours from landing to getting out of the airport.

 

[mozzman]

thanks you lot thats really cheered me up,only kidding its best to prepare for the worst and hope for the best i think,thanks everyone

 

[DebbieB]

Alot depends on the time of day. I've found later in the day to be better. We went through the 60-129 line last Friday around 4:00pm and it was only about 10 minutes.

 

[RI&BMOM]

We were in the 60-129 yesterday (Tuesday) around 11:30am and it took about 10 minutes. We were quite surprised. We arrived about 2 1/2 hours early just in case. Glad we were there early, because you never know.

 

[slbeaute]

We also used 60-129 last Sunday around 6:30 pm. There were many lanes open without anyone in line. We didn't have to wait at all. We were the only ones in our line! I thought we were very lucky considering the wait times people had posted. It seems the later the flight, the shorter the wait. Our longest wait was to check our baggage. We had printed our passes before arriving but our airline didn't have curbside baggage check. I think we waited about 10-15 minutes to get through, so not a long wait in the evening.

 

[mozzman]

hey i like that time i will arrive around 4pm so i hope i am as lucky as you were,i have 2 impatient kids so the sooner the better.thanks

 

[drogerstn]

We must have been lucky as well. Yesterday (Wednesday; 28-June), we only waited a couple of minutes at 8:45 in the morning going to gate #71.

 

[bavaria]

seems a stupid question i know but i am from the uk and we have news paper reports of long waits to go through security checks to get out of the airport,so much so that people were not going so much,is this true and how long roughly have you waited,thanks

Just to point out that the OP is flying from the UK. The question pertains to 'getting out of the airport', and if I assume correctly, not 'how long will it take to clear security for my flight home'. I don't know if they will be clearing customs in Orlando, but I suspect that will be the case. (US Customs does have pre-clearance in certain Canadian cities, but I don't think that there is pre-clearance on UK flights)

I am just pointing this out as this WILL have an impact on the time that it takes from landing at MCO to retrieving luggage and exiting.

As an example, at my home airport (a very large international airport outside the US) customs lines can be 1-2 hours during the peak midday rush.

Hopefully someone with recent experience can assist the OP and confirm based on customs clearance, if required. Perhaps this question should also be posed on the UK Trip Planning forum, if not already asked.

 

[bavaria]

OP, here is some info on clearing customs and security for international travellers at MCO

MCO customs and security

It seems that you must clear US immigration, collect your luggage, and then clear customs. Then you turn in your luggage, pass security, and reclaim luggage in the main baggage claim area. (If this sounds rather tedious to anyone, I invite you to fly from the US through Toronto and connect to another Canadian city)

Again, I have not experienced this myself but point this out as travelling internationally can be quite different than travelling within a country.