OFFICIAL MCO Airport Status Report

[raven69david]

Please post your most recent (post 8/10/06) experience at MCO while arriving/departing the airport. This will give everyone an idea as to how long the delays at the security checkpoint (TSA) will be so others will plan accordingly.

The times posted at MCO's official site are general time-frames and i'd rather hear first-hand accounts of the wait time to pass through the security checkpoint. The MCO airport website can be found at this hyperlink: http://www.orlandoairports.net:/goaa/main.htm

 

[raven69david]

Anyone been to/from MCO within the past week? I'd really like to know how bad the security checkpoint is at the airport.

 

[BigTigger]

We're at Disney right now and all of the local stations have been reporting live from the airport since Thursday. Channel 2 here (the NBC affiliate) timed a family of four from NJ yesterday from arrival to when they got to the gate. It took 40 minutes for them to get luggage checked, boarding passes in hand, through the TSA checkpoint, through the security line, over to the terminal area on the train, and down to the gate. It was only 8 minutes from the drop-off area to the TSA agent that checks ID. The security lines didn't look that long, so I was surprised to hear it took even 40 minutes. Every day they have shown OIA, the TSA lines have not even extended into the area where the arrivals/departures board is. Orlando Sanford has been a bit different, but it is a smaller airport with 80% of it's flights going to the UK, so the screening is a bit tougher than OIA. The only major delays reported yesterday were two Virgin flights to the UK which were delayed 3 hours per the news. If you look at the OIA departures website, things look pretty normal:

http://www.orlandoairports.net/goaa...rt=&flighttime_end=&arriveordepart=departures

 

[mathgeek]

We flew home yesterday (8/12/06) afternoon from MCO, but we checked luggage and got our boarding passes at the resort so we didn't have to stand in that line at the airport. We got to the airport around 3:45, and it took us about 5 minutes to get through security, put our shoes back on, and take the tram to the gate. There was no line to speak of in front of us.

It took us longer to get from the ME drop off to the security checkpoint than through security. And we were thinking of trying to get on an earlier ME bus - glad we didn't bother!

 

[Mich Mouse]

Glad to hear the situation is improving. I was really worried about the MCO situation...We fly often during busy times and they just do not seem to have their act together during holidays/school breaks, and we have endured some extrmely long waits at MCO.

The set up is quite different than at JFK, where each carrier has their own security screening. At MCO all travelers go through the same security check point, This seems to make for larger crowds, and longer waits.

 

[safetymom]

MCO had issues with the security checkpoint before this latest issue. Allow plenty of time to get through security. That is why many of use purchased the Clear card so we can bypass the lines.

 

[ducklite]

Friday, August 11. No luggage to check, but lines for check-in looked VERY long.

Wait for security screening was about 25 minutes.

Chaos by gates with what looked like a lot of passengers trying to reschedule missed flights.

Anne

 

[raven69david]

That is why many of use purchased the Clear card so we can bypass the lines.

Could you please clarify this for me/us? What is a "clear card"? Are you referring to the background check? Any info appreciated.

 

[ducklite]

http://www.flyclear.com/

Anne

 

[raven69david]

http://www.flyclear.com/

Anne

Thanks for the info. I'm sure that will clear up alot of questions other may have. Too bad this isn't for me as i don't travel that often to MCO (or other CLEAR airport) to justify the price of enrollment for the service.

 

[raven69david]

Updates needed.

 

[MiaSRN62]

We flew out of MCO on Thurs 8/17. We were required to remove our shoes.....all liquids and lighters had to be discarded prior to going through security. Orlando TV stations were there filming. We got through security in about 10 min. We were pleasently suprised---this was approx 3-3:30 pm.
Checking our luggage at SW was a little different this time. Instead of them taking the bags right away, after they tagged them, we had to take them to an x-ray machine which screened them and then loaded them on to the plane. We lost maybe another 10 minutes doing this. We had checked in online and already had our boarding passes, so we were able to bypass the longer line of SW passengers needing to check-in.
All in all, we did not find it that bad at all.

 

[Edd]

Check the thread from this AM "At MCO right now waiting to depart to EWR." Had no problem with getting through security.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Channel 2 here (the NBC affiliate) timed a family of four from NJ yesterday from arrival to when they got to the gate. It took 40 minutes for them to get luggage checked, boarding passes in hand, through the TSA checkpoint, through the security line, over to the terminal area on the train, and down to the gate.

Thank you for sharing this information.

Because the TSA checkpoints at Orlando International sometimes (but not always) take a half hour or more, it's necessary to plan accordingly.

Someone who arrives at the airport curb an hour before flight time might make make it to the gate before the airline closes boarding — or maybe not.

It makes sense to leave your WDW resort approx. 3 hours before flight time if using DME or a rental car and 2 1/2 hours before flight time if using a towncar or taxi.

Check the thread from this AM "At MCO right now waiting to depart to EWR." Had no problem with getting through security.

Yes. Sometimes there's essentially no line at the TSA checkpoint. But other times it can be 30-45 minutes.

 

[MiaSRN62]

It makes sense to leave your WDW resort approx. 3 hours before flight time if using DME or a rental car and 2 1/2 hours before flight time if using a towncar or taxi.

I agree....we left about 2 hrs 20 min before our flight and it was fine. We had a rental car.

 

[mzlee]

We left MCO on 8/19 in the morning and it only took about five minutes to get through security. The lines for checking luggage were long but I checked mine in at the kiosk and it only took about 10 minutes so I had lots of time to waste while waiting for my 10am flight to board.

 

[iluvflorida8]

I dropped off my wife and DD curbside(Southwest) at MCO yesterday(8-22) at 11;30 AM for a 1:05 PM flight. We printed the boarding passes from home.They checked 3 pieces of luggage curbside in 5 minutes. Got through security in 5 minutes. There plane took off as scheduled 1:05 PM.

We always try to fly mid week in the early afternoon, at MCO and have NEVER had a wait or a problem.

 

[raven69david]

Thanks for the udpdates everyone. This is good information as i'll be department MCO on 8/31/06 at 3:30 so check in for me will be rather early. I'll also have a rental car, so hopefully one of the porters can help us check-in like they did last time. Check-in took about 10 minutes tops. Hopefully we'll be as lucky this time around.

 

[safetymom]

I would do curbside check in then return the car.

 

[alien]

Flew home from MCO on Sunday 8/20. We had a rental car and planned on being at the airport a little earlier than usual, but got tied up at MGM trying to eat our last CS meal and snacks! We had the Polynesian print out our boarding passes for Delta. Arrived at the Delta curbside around 5:15 p.m. for a 7:10 p.m. flight. Drove the rental up to the curb, took out our 8 pieces of luggage, and flagged down a Skycap. He checked our ID's and boarding passes, printed out the luggage tags, and handed us back our boarding passes w/ the luggage tag stickers on the envelope. DH returned the rental car, while the rest of us went shopping in the terminal at the Disney Store. (Luggage was on the curb as we walked into the terminal.) DH joined us and we went through security. Didn't bring any liquids, gels, etc. in our carry-ons and took off our shoes. Got through security in about 5-10 minutes. The person in front of us did have a cigarette lighter in his carry-on and they confiscated it. Waited an hour at the gate prior to boarding the plane. I found going through security this year faster than last year.