MCO - New Enhanced Security Screening, Eff. 04.23.2019

[shoreward]

MCO is recommending more time for departing pax, due to TSA's new enhanced passenger security screening. It's suggested that departing pax arrive at least two hours prior to scheduled departure, effective immediately.

https://orlandoairports.net/press/2...-processing-at-orlando-international-airport/

I wonder if DME will adjust resort pick-up times, based on this advisory.

 

[Kaytie]

Unlikely, because the three hour pickup is expected to get guests to the airport two hours prior to flight departure.

 

[sam_gordon]

MCO is recommending more time for departing pax, due to TSA's new enhanced passenger security screening. It's suggested that departing pax arrive at least two hours prior to scheduled departure, effective immediately.

https://orlandoairports.net/press/2...-processing-at-orlando-international-airport/

I wonder if DME will adjust resort pick-up times, based on this advisory.

Hasn't it always been 2 hours?

 

[AngiTN]

Is this from a time warp or something?
What is new info here?
2 hours prior to departure, standard advice already

From the article

To help expedite the screening process, travelers should remember to dispose of liquids prior to entering the security screening lines and should also be prepared to place all electronics into the bins for screening.
​

Is this not already what's in place for at least a year for electronics? and even longer for liquids

 

[goofy4tink]

Well, it does say 'no less than two hours'. Many travelers feel they don't need that whole two hours, and they are usually correct. But, who knows what the situation will be now. My dd is flying out of MCO on Friday morning. I'll have to ask her what, if anything, is different than usual.

 

[seashoreCM]

Various trip reports, some on The DIS, over the past 10 years have revealed getting guests into the airport terminal less than 2 hours before flight times. Magical Express' own irregularities have ranged from buses delayed by straggling guests to buses en route radioed back to pick up forgotten items or late guests to guests held inside the bus until the driver got the bags out from under.. For the latest MCO edict it might be necessary to revise the nominal DME bus resort departure time from 3 hours plus or minus 15 minutes to three hours plus 30 minus 0 minutes before flight time. Oh, such trip reports I have read have included guests running for their planes, particularly guests who received DME departures 2-3/4 hours before flight time.

 

[DLgal]

Does this apply even if you have pre check?

 

[AngiTN]

Does this apply even if you have pre check?

No there's no way you need 2 hours in precheck line.
Monday night we took 1 min through security ID check and another 2 min through the detectors.
Even if you did have to remove the electronics (which we have had to do even with PreCheck in some airports) it doesn't increase time.

 

[_19disnA]

That article doesn't state any new information. Airline websites all typically recommend you arrive at the airport 2 hrs before domestic departure. (If you have TSA-precheck, you will spend less time in screening, but that isn't the point of the article.) Magical express picks you up 3 hrs before departure to allow for transit time to the airport.

Even when there are signs or announcements made in the screening line, some people seem clueless or act like those rules don't apply to them.

 

[goofy4tink]

Various trip reports, some on The DIS, over the past 10 years have revealed getting guests into the airport terminal less than 2 hours before flight times. Magical Express' own irregularities have ranged from buses delayed by straggling guests to buses en route radioed back to pick up forgotten items or late guests to guests held inside the bus until the driver got the bags out from under.. For the latest MCO edict it might be necessary to revise the nominal DME bus resort departure time from 3 hours plus or minus 15 minutes to three hours plus 30 minus 0 minutes before flight time. Oh, such trip reports I have read have included guests running for their planes, particularly guests who received DME departures 2-3/4 hours before flight time.

Just for clarification, drivers are no longer allowed to hold passengers on the bus. They are to let the guests off as soon as they reach their destination. In all the times I've used DME since it started (has to be about 40 times), I have never been close to being late for a flight. Not once.

 

[goofy4tink]

Dd is currently standing in the security line. She said security for gates 1-69 is crazy bad...line is way long. 70-159 not as bad. Of course, I told her to make sure she arrived earlier than usual. So, she set up her uber ride last night, asking for a 5:30 p/u time. When she checked the app, the driver was sitting at MCO!!! So, she called the driver, who ranted for 5 mins about which side dd was on! She finally got a word in edgewise and said she was waiting to be picked up, to GO to MCO. Evidently, the driver misunderstood. So, she had to book a different driver, who said it would take him 20 mins to get to her. Then, he got turned around at a detour at the end of her street. But, it seems he is the same driver dh had back in March!!! So, he got her to MCO quickly, now I'm waiting to hear what changes, if any, have been made.

 

[focusondisney]

So, he got her to MCO quickly, now I'm waiting to hear what changes, if any, have been made

Please let us know what your daughter says. We fly home tomorrow. I figured this weekend will be busy because it’s the end of the holiday week. We have a 9 pm flight & a 6:30 towncar pickup scheduled. We have Precheck & I assume things will be a little quieter that late in the day. But it will be good to know what to expect.

 

[goofy4tink]

Other than having to remove all electronics larger than her phone, nothing seemed different. She did overhear an older lady, boarding the plane behind her, complaining that even though she had precheck, they made her take her shoes off. She boarded on the A side, and waited about 40 mins to get through (the MCO app stated a 25-30 wait time there, but the line on Side B was awful she said....all the way to the A side!!!!!

 

[AngiTN]

Other than having to remove all electronics larger than her phone, nothing seemed different. She did overhear an older lady, boarding the plane behind her, complaining that even though she had precheck, they made her take her shoes off. She boarded on the A side, and waited about 40 mins to get through (the MCO app stated a 25-30 wait time there, but the line on Side B was awful she said....all the way to the A side!!!!!

Then she did not get on the precheck line. Easy to do at MCO if you don't pay attention
Or her shoes set off the scanner
I do see that often. Folks have their shoes on but if they set off the scanner they make them take the shoes off

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Does this apply even if you have pre check?

We did the pre check line the other day and it took us 4 minutes to get through. I over heard folks saying they spent and hour in the security line. I believe them the line was incredibly long for the reg. line. A guy ran online our flight last minute carrying his shoes. Said he ran all the way from the security line.

 

[NH-to-FL]

DW and I went through MCO security on 4/24. We hadn't heard about the warning and timed our pick up for our usual 90 minutes early arrival at MCO. Our neighbors who were providing the transport heard about it that morning and showed up 15 minutes early to give us a few extra minutes.

Traffic was a bit heavy through Champions Gate and we arrived at MCO about 100 minutes before our scheduled departure. The security time was posted at 13-18 minutes when we arrived at the ID checkpoint.

It took us about 20 minutes to get through security. My suitcase was selected for special inspection. Apparently three passholder magnets stacked together made an interesting shadow on the X-ray. The TSA officer smiled when he saw the cause of the offending shadow. Other than my suitcase being selected the rest of the security experience felt typical to me.

After the ride on the tram and a couple of stops to pick up fluids and snacks we arrived at our gate about 60 minutes early.

 

[goofy4tink]

Then she did not get on the precheck line. Easy to do at MCO if you don't pay attention
Or her shoes set off the scanner
I do see that often. Folks have their shoes on but if they set off the scanner they make them take the shoes off

I imagine that’s what happened!

The funny part of my dd’s experience was that I had told her to be sure to get there no less than two hours early! So she arranged her uber p/u the night before, asking for a 4:45 p/u time. No problem. So she got up, around 4 am, checked to make sure someone had picked up her request, and saw that a woman driver had accepted. Terrific. So she goes outside to wait. She doublechecks the driver’s whereabouts. Saw that she was 30 mins out!! At MCO! Dd called the driver who had evidently been circling mco, trying to find dd. When my dd was able to get a word in edgewise, she said she wasn’t at a terminal, she was in Kissimmee! Oh. So that got canceled. She put in another request. A guy picked it up. Then he got turned around in a detour 1/4 mile from her house! The poor kid never left Kissimmee until close to 6am!! She was a wreck! Especially since I had told her to be there early!!

 

[OKW Lover]

She boarded on the A side, and waited about 40 mins to get through (the MCO app stated a 25-30 wait time there, but the line on Side B was awful she said....all the way to the A side!!!!!

When referring to the security checkpoints at MCO its best to mention what gates you are headed to. For example, the B side could refer to gates 1-30 which are on the west end of the building or 70-99 which are on the east end of the building.

 

[focusondisney]

We flew home last night on Southwest. Our flight was at 9; I had a towncar scheduled for a 6:30 pickup. He got there at 6:26. No issues on the drive to MCO. Walked right up to a self serve kiosk to print our boarding pass & tag our luggage. A group was just finishing up at the bag drop off, so we had no wait there. Suitcases on the scale, had our IDs out to show agent & we were on our way in about 40 seconds. Really. The lines at security were about to the back of the ropes. We have TSA Precheck. There were 4 lanes with 2 agents staffing them. One line had a family of 3 being checked. Walked right up to the other agent who was just waiting there for us. Again, on our way in less than a minute. Our biggest slow down was the above mentioned family going thru the metal detectors. Took a few minutes for them to get all their carryons on the belt (and they set one down & would have left it there if I hadn’t called to the father). Then the mom set off the alarm with all her bracelets. Lucky for us, the agents pulled her aside right away & didn’t have her try the detector multiple times. A transport tram was there as we walked up. We were seated at our gate (103) at 7:10.

So a total of 44 minutes from hotel pickup to gate. We had great luck with no lines at all for check in or security. From the Precheck view, there was nothing different from our previous experience.

 

[Simba's Mom]

On the other end, I requested a 3 1/2 hour pick up on my last trip, and it's a good thing I did. On the way to the airport, we were in a traffic jam because of a car accident. Fortunately, I still got to the airport about 2 hours ahead of the flight, but if I'd had a 3 hour pick-up, as originally scheduled, it would have been closer.