MCO Security

[Lewisc]

People ask what time to arrive at MCO.
5:15a today.

SW curbside checkin. One person ahead of me. Minutes. TSA pre took exactly 20 minutes. Regular security was 40 minutes.

Posters who ask supply departure time. That's not relevant

Southwest starts boarding 30 minutes before departure. Important if you pre board, family board or have an A BP.

Frontier closes the door 15 minutes prior to scheduled departure time.

Time you need, want to be at the gate is the relevant info.

 

[jo-jo]

After last trip through MCO, we bought precheck ( even if we only use it once) and arranged to be picked up 3 hours ahead.

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

I usually think about the following:

• Flight time
• Boarding time
• Possible traffic
• TSA/Security
• Checking bags or not
• Time for restroom
• Time to get quick snack/drink

Usually leave WDW around 2 1/2 - 3 hours before flight.

 

[EACarlson]

Posters who ask supply departure time. That's not relevant

Southwest starts boarding 30 minutes before departure. Important if you pre board, family board or have an A BP.

Frontier closes the door 15 minutes prior to scheduled departure time.

Time you need, want to be at the gate is the relevant info.

Most of the posters that come here to ask those questions don't know how much before posted departure time they need to be there. You and I know and understand those things, which is why they are asking the question here to begin with. With all of my generic answers I'm aiming to make sure the poster is at the gate 35 minutes before scheduled departure. That is when the vast majority of airlines start boarding.

 

[SkyGuy]

I flew out of MCO yesterday - 3/6, a Saturday on a 1:45pm flight. We generally fly on the first flight of the day (usually around 6am) with TSA pre, so our norm is to pull into the rental car return 75 minutes before our flight. I wasn’t sure what to expect midday on a weekend, so we got to the airport 2 hours early. Terminal B security was insanely busy, but Terminal A (thankfully ours) was a complete walk through for TSA pre and only listed as a 15 minutes wait for regular. The line to check in bags, which we never do, did look rather daunting though, and there were so, SO many people just sitting in the airport prior to security - what are these people doing?! We ended up sitting in the restaurant by our gate for over an hour, but at least it was a leisurely trek to the plane.

 

[sam_gordon]

People ask what time to arrive at MCO.
5:15a today.

SW curbside checkin. One person ahead of me. Minutes. TSA pre took exactly 20 minutes. Regular security was 40 minutes.

Posters who ask supply departure time. That's not relevant

Southwest starts boarding 30 minutes before departure. Important if you pre board, family board or have an A BP.

Frontier closes the door 15 minutes prior to scheduled departure time.

Time you need, want to be at the gate is the relevant info.

I disagree. Departure time IS relevant. If an airline starts boarding 'x' minutes before departure or closes the door 'y' minutes before departure, the departure time tells you both of those times.

The variables are:
* TSA times (obviously pre-check will USUALLY be shorter than regular lines)
* How long to check luggage (if applicable- can use sky caps if the airline/airport has them)
* Distance from doors of airport to gate area.

Those times will vary by airport, by day, and by time of day.
For major airports (MCO, ATL, LAX, etc), I'd recommend arriving 2 - 2 1/2 hours before your flight as a general rule.
For moderate airports (TPA, CVG, LAS), I'd recommend arriving ~2 hours before.
For smaller airports (DAY, MLB, HSV), I'd recommend 60-90 minutes before.

Not checking bags? Subtract 15 minutes. TSA Pre? Subtract 15 minutes. Even with those, I would not show up inside of 60 minutes at ANY airport.

YMMV.

 

[Minnie1222]

I'm aiming to make sure the poster is at the gate 35 minutes before scheduled departure. That is when the vast majority of airlines start boarding.

Yes

 

[Lewisc]

Most of the posters that come here to ask those questions don't know how much before posted departure time they need to be there. You and I know and understand those things, which is why they are asking the question here to begin with. With all of my generic answers I'm aiming to make sure the poster is at the gate 35 minutes before scheduled departure. That is when the vast majority of airlines start boarding.

Agreed. I never experienced a 20 minute TSA pre line. I posted, in part, to inform experienced flyers. Thise who like to minimize time at the airport. I've read a person who's never missed a flight is a person who's wasted too much time in airports through the years.

I.agree with you 35 minute rule of thumb. There is a big difference between arriving 10 minutes before departure with Frontier, seeing.a closed door, and most airlines where you might lose your seat assignment or find no available bin space

 

[Lewisc]

recommend arriving ~2 hours before.
For smaller airports (DAY, MLB, HSV), I'd recommend 60-90 minutes before.

Frontier has a 60 minute deadline for checking luggage. I don't think Frontier flies from those airports but they fly from other small airports. 60 minutes, small airport, might be enough time to get your luggage back to your car, return, go through security and make your flight.

Airports post suggested arrival times. Occasional flyers should use those numbers. People who want to cut it closer need to do their own research. What's the deadline to check bags, Frontier is going from 45 minutes to 60. How is long are security lines. What time do you need to be at the gate. Scheduled departure time may not be the deadline

 

[Genie+]

Last Oct we used Laguardia on weekend midday. Pre-check backed up ~30 mins, regular looked well over 60 mins.

The unusual part was security pushing people through pre-check. Taking them and squiggling through the crowded ropes already packed with people/bags and bringing them to the front of pre-check. Like every 2 or 3 minutes, another couple or family. Why? These people were late for their flight.

Wasn’t sure what to think. Should I not have left my house 4 hours early in case of NYC traffic, or paid $250 for us to get pre-check? Just show up late instead lol. But maybe these people had connecting flights that cut close to delays, or they got stuck behind 2 different accidents, or whatever. Maybe it was nice these folks were helped.

 

[sam_gordon]

Frontier has a 60 minute deadline for checking luggage. I don't think Frontier flies from those airports but they fly from other small airports. 60 minutes, small airport, might be enough time to get your luggage back to your car, return, go through security and make your flight.

Airports post suggested arrival times. Occasional flyers should use those numbers. People who want to cut it closer need to do their own research. What's the deadline to check bags, Frontier is going from 45 minutes to 60. How is long are security lines. What time do you need to be at the gate. Scheduled departure time may not be the deadline

You NEED to be at the gate before they close the boarding door. They will close the boarding door 'x' minutes before departure. And you're right, Frontier requires checked bags by 60 minutes from departure, I didn't realize that.

My point is the only KNOWN variable is departure time. You don't know how long security will take (pre check or not), you don't know how long it will take to check a bag (unless you're not checking one in which case '0'). So it makes sense to to base the time on the airport to departure time.

How long does it take to get through security (which will vary by day, airport, and time)?
How long does it take to check a bag (which will vary by day, airport, time, and airline)?
How far ahead does a check bag need to be in the airlines hand (which will vary by airline)
How long does it take (outside of those events) to get from your vehicle to the gate?
Do you want to be at the gate when boarding starts (I recommend it) or do you want to minimize how long you wait?

If you want to figure all of that out every time someone asks "what time should I arrive at the airport", go ahead. The times I noted are guidelines. If you want to do the math and figure out "John Doe" who is checking bags on United and has pre-check, and is flying out of Dallas on a Tuesday morning at 6am should get to the airport one hour and fifty five minutes before departure, go for it.

 

[Lewisc]

Sam. Very simple. The airlines and airports suggest arrival times. When posting I stick to those, unless I'm willing to "do the math". Your rule of thumb could result in missing the deadline to check a Frontier bag.

Airport and airline suggestions are what the typical passenger should be using. Pax who want to cut it close need to know deadline
to check luggage, time boarding starts, time the door closes and the time their reservation may be given to a standby pax.

 

[EACarlson]

Agreed. I never experienced a 20 minute TSA pre line. I posted, in part, to inform experienced flyers. Thise who like to minimize time at the airport. I've read a person who's never missed a flight is a person who's wasted too much time in airports through the years.

I.agree with you 35 minute rule of thumb. There is a big difference between arriving 10 minutes before departure with Frontier, seeing.a closed door, and most airlines where you might lose your seat assignment or find no available bin space

I've had 20 minute Pre lines at MCO, MSP, TPA, LAS and DEN. Many flight schedules are compressed which leads to more unpredictability in TSA times compared to what it was pre-pandemic. I've never missed a flight, usually when I fly it's one of two reason, I either am flying for business. As an IC travelling OPM, I have to pay back the ticket if I miss it and can't work. Or I'm taking my family on a trip, being early is a lot cheaper than paying for a hotel room I can't use or losing say a day at Disney.

 

[LadyBeBop]

Last Oct we used Laguardia on weekend midday. Pre-check backed up ~30 mins, regular looked well over 60 mins.

The unusual part was security pushing people through pre-check. Taking them and squiggling through the crowded ropes already packed with people/bags and bringing them to the front of pre-check. Like every 2 or 3 minutes, another couple or family. Why? These people were late for their flight.

Wasn’t sure what to think. Should I not have left my house 4 hours early in case of NYC traffic, or paid $250 for us to get pre-check? Just show up late instead lol. But maybe these people had connecting flights that cut close to delays, or they got stuck behind 2 different accidents, or whatever. Maybe it was nice these folks were helped.

Since this is LaGuardia, here is another thought. I've seen connections in which one flight terminates at JFK and the connecting flight originates at LaGuardia. Usually international, but I was on one such flight from Manchester, NH to CVG. We had to deplane at JFK, grab a cab (fortunately, all carry-on), travel through slow traffic to LaGuardia, go through security and run to our gate. Made it, but not by much. We probably would have missed it if we had luggage.

Warning. Do not do this if you have less than a four hour layover. I think ours was about 3 1/2 hours.

 

[Lewisc]

I've had 20 minute Pre lines at MCO, MSP, TPA, LAS and DEN.

Good to know. Many of us are used to 5 minutes. I think casual flyer are best served using airport and airline guidelines.

 

[sam_gordon]

Sam. Very simple. The airlines and airports suggest arrival times. When posting I stick to those, unless I'm willing to "do the math". Your rule of thumb could result in missing the deadline to check a Frontier bag.

Airport and airline suggestions are what the typical passenger should be using. Pax who want to cut it close need to know deadline
to check luggage, time boarding starts, time the door closes and the time their reservation may be given to a standby pax.

Wait a second. The airport/airline suggestions will be based on departure time. If all you're going to do is tell someone "look at the airline/airports website", it doesn't matter what time boarding starts, what time the door closes, what time baggage needs to be checked, etc. Look at the website (which will say 'x minutes before departure'), and use your departure time to do the math.

 

[Lewisc]

Wait a second. The airport/airline suggestions will be based on departure time. If all you're going to do is tell someone "look at the airline/airports website", it doesn't matter what time boarding starts, what time the door closes, what time baggage needs to be checked, etc. Look at the website (which will say 'x minutes before departure'), and use your departure time to do the math.

We probably agree. I may not be clear or you might not be reading carefully.

The 2, and sometimes 3, hours listed on MCOs site should be conservative enough to cover anything.

People who want to allow less time need to."look at the fine print" Time you need to be at the gate vs departure time

Assume a pax has no checked luggage and has both Clear and TSA PRE. Flying a legacy airline which closes the door at time of departure. 30 minutes could be enough if your gate is near the APM and you have a high risk tolerance. 45 minutes would be more reasonable.

 

[Psymonds]

People ask what time to arrive at MCO.
5:15a today.

SW curbside checkin. One person ahead of me. Minutes. TSA pre took exactly 20 minutes. Regular security was 40 minutes.

Posters who ask supply departure time. That's not relevant

Southwest starts boarding 30 minutes before departure. Important if you pre board, family board or have an A BP.

Frontier closes the door 15 minutes prior to scheduled departure time.

Time you need, want to be at the gate is the relevant info.

I had two very different experiences this month. 15 minutes for general security once and 50 minutes once. I can also say that I haven't waited more than 30 minutes at any California airport for security in 20 years. I feel bad for folks who regularly had to fly out of MCO

 

[disney-inspired]

This past January, my friend and I had similar flight times but two different airlines - United and Southwest.

My friend arrived before I did and was flying SW. She waited a very long time to check her bag with SW and then barely made it through regular security and to her plane on time.

I flew with United and had clear - walked through in less than 10 minutes and I had already paid for my checked luggage (free w/ my United CC) so went to self service kiosk, printed my tag and dropped off with bag check - maybe another 10 minutes.