Realistic time to arrive at MCO????

[staceyj2]

Our return flight leaves at 6am. Ridiculous I know but it was super cheap. I'm guessing I don't need to be there 2.5 hours early that time of the morning, but I don't really know for sure. Would arriving at the airport at 4:30 am be adequate or is that pushing it? We will have to return a rental car and will be checking bags. Does anyone have experience with this? Thanks for your help!

 

[Lewisc]

Our return flight leaves at 6am. Ridiculous I know but it was super cheap. I'm guessing I don't need to be there 2.5 hours early that time of the morning, but I don't really know for sure. Would arriving at the airport at 4:30 am be adequate or is that pushing it? Does anyone have experience with this? Thanks for your help!

Are you taking DME? If so your pickup will be around 3am and I wouldn't play games with your flight.
Are you checking luggage? Are you TSA pre? What airline? Are you returning a rental car?

Checked luggage, regular security, Southwest. I'd get to the airport by 4am. Otherwise 4:30 maybe even 4:45 should work.

 

[sam_gordon]

Are you taking DME? If so your pickup will be around 3am and I wouldn't play games with your flight.
Are you checking luggage? Are you TSA pre? What airline? Are you returning a rental car?

Checked luggage, regular security, Southwest. I'd get to the airport by 4am. Otherwise 4:30 maybe even 4:45 should work.

I agree. I'd go to 4:30a if I didn't have bags to check, was being dropped off, AND have TSA -pre. Otherwise, 4a.

 

[staceyj2]

Are you taking DME? If so your pickup will be around 3am and I wouldn't play games with your flight.
Are you checking luggage? Are you TSA pre? What airline? Are you returning a rental car?

Checked luggage, regular security, Southwest. I'd get to the airport by 4am. Otherwise 4:30 maybe even 4:45 should work.

Sorry, I should have specified we will have a rental car. I will update my original post. We are flying SW and will be checking bags. So it looks like I need to be there at 4 am.

 

[jec6613]

IME, better a 6 AM flight than an 8 AM 9 AM flight, by the way. You'll mostly be with business travelers at that time, so security goes more smoothly, very business-like. I'd be comfortable arriving in the terminal at 5 AM and I'm pretty risk averse - but of course with a rental car that pushes it back considerably.

 

[pixiedustedme]

Our return flight leaves at 6am. Ridiculous I know but it was super cheap. I'm guessing I don't need to be there 2.5 hours early that time of the morning, but I don't really know for sure. Would arriving at the airport at 4:30 am be adequate or is that pushing it? We will have to return a rental car and will be checking bags. Does anyone have experience with this? Thanks for your help!

Returning a rental car & checking bags, and assuming no TSA pre-check, I'd want to arrive by 4am for a 6am flight.

 

[Lewisc]

Luggage should be checked 45 minutes before departure. Boarding starts 30 minutes before.

15 minutes to return rental car then get to a sky cap or luggage drop kiosk and check luggage. Very optimistic. 30 minutes to do that, get through security then get to the gate.

Good chance of getting to the gate as the C group is boarding.

 

[sam_gordon]

I'd be comfortable arriving in the terminal at 5 AM and I'm pretty risk averse - but of course with a rental car that pushes it back considerably.

Are you taking into account checking bags and no TSA-Pre?

 

[jec6613]

Are you taking into account checking bags and no TSA-Pre?

Yes. And though I have TSA Pre, it's not a guarantee that you'll get it. Last time I took a 6 AM out of MCO I was at the gate within 25 minutes of hitting the airport doors, and didn't get to use the Pre line (because TSA) and checked a bag. And since I got there 1:15 before the flight, that meant I had time to grab coffee and breakfast.

 

[barbliny]

MCO is an anomaly in and of itself - it doesn't operate the way other airports do.

There is a lot of business travel with it being a big convention destination, etc. But, there is also a high percentage of inexperienced family travelers that can throw check-in desks, security, car rentals, etc into pure chaos. A 6:00 am flight is one of the earliest flights leaving MCO - you will have a build-up of travelers waiting for desks and security to open (most rental car companies are 24 hours in MCO - please check your company, there are a couple that do not have overnight hours and it will effect your decisions).

Check the hours of your airline's check-in desk. If 6:00 am is the first flight - you will likely have a line of people waiting for the desk to open or be moving through the line when you arrive.

There are a ton of places to eat and sit and relax beyond security at MCO (and before if you arrive really early) - I am way more comfortable spending an extra 30 minutes in the airport, than in a state of stress sitting on a couch waiting to go to the airport. You never know what you will encounter on the way to the airport. Just a couple of weeks ago on the way to PBI on 95, we encountered a 30 minute backup due to a major accident on the road - we arrived with enough time, but there were tons of stressed people on the rental car company shuttle to the airport who had obviously not built in any extra time for surprises ...

If it is a Saturday or Sunday - way more families that move slowly through security. If it's a business day 6:00 am flight - more business travelers who are more likely to have pre-check or a clear routine for moving smoothly through security. Orlando has way more rules about what gets removed than other airports. If you are going through security with international gates, there will inevitably be language barriers that slow progress down in the security lines with Orlando being a worldwide destination.

Arriving at the rental car return at 4:30 am for a 6 am flight out of MCO is personally pushing it.

 

[writerguyfl]

Arriving at the rental car return at 4:30 am for a 6 am flight out of MCO is personally pushing it.

I strongly agree. That's especially true for open-seating Southwest, as your seat will get progressively worse as time passes. Being the last person to board a flight on another airline means you probably will not have overhead space for a carry-on bag. On Southwest, the last to board means no overhead space and a middle seat near the bathrooms.

 

[sam_gordon]

Yes. And though I have TSA Pre, it's not a guarantee that you'll get it. Last time I took a 6 AM out of MCO I was at the gate within 25 minutes of hitting the airport doors, and didn't get to use the Pre line (because TSA) and checked a bag. And since I got there 1:15 before the flight, that meant I had time to grab coffee and breakfast.

I don't doubt your experience, but I personally wouldn't take a single data point and use it as general timeline. JMO of course.

 

[nkereina]

If your flight is at 6am, Southwest will begin boarding at 5:30am, so you'll want to be at your gate at 5:30. I would not chance a 5am arrival. By the time you get through security and ride the plane train back to the terminal, and then find your gate, it would be cutting it close. So my vote is a 4am arrival.

 

[jec6613]

I don't doubt your experience, but I personally wouldn't take a single data point and use it as general timeline. JMO of course.

I've had a few others, both at MCO and lots at LGA and ORD. 6 AM flights I always find to be nice for this reason, and I'm definitely not a morning person. But if I had a family, rental car, et cetera, I'd of course build in much more time as well, at least an hour or so.

 

[sam_gordon]

I've had a few others, both at MCO and lots at LGA and ORD. 6 AM flights I always find to be nice for this reason, and I'm definitely not a morning person. But if I had a family, rental car, et cetera, I'd of course build in much more time as well, at least an hour or so.

Gotcha... one person, no rental car, yea, I can see maybe 1 hour before.

 

[jec6613]

Gotcha... one person, no rental car, yea, I can see maybe 1 hour before.

Or a couple people so long as they're experienced travelers. When I go through an airport with my wife, for instance, no issues.

 

[staceyj2]

Thanks for all the help! Looks like the consensus is to arrive at 4am which is probably smart. I am traveling with older teens so I was trying to get them as much sleep as possible . We are staying at a hotel near the airport the night before so it won't be too bad.

 

[bumbershoot]

Yes. And though I have TSA Pre, it's not a guarantee that you'll get it. Last time I took a 6 AM out of MCO I was at the gate within 25 minutes of hitting the airport doors, and didn't get to use the Pre line (because TSA) and checked a bag. And since I got there 1:15 before the flight, that meant I had time to grab coffee and breakfast.

Next time pre doesn’t show up on your boarding pass, go through the online checkin process again, this time manually entering your KTN. I’ve never once had that fail, when the airline (usually United) didn’t pop up pre on a boarding pass. My now ex traveled half the year from 2009 to 2016, and had global entry for most of that time. And with my trick of manual entry, he got precheck for every single one of those flights from the US.


As for 25 minutes to the gate, I’ve been in line 40 minutes before. Maddening. MCO is impossible to predict.

 

[jec6613]

Next time pre doesn’t show up on your boarding pass, go through the online checkin process again, this time manually entering your KTN. I’ve never once had that fail, when the airline (usually United) didn’t pop up pre on a boarding pass. My now ex traveled half the year from 2009 to 2016, and had global entry for most of that time. And with my trick of manual entry, he got precheck for every single one of those flights from the US.


As for 25 minutes to the gate, I’ve been in line 40 minutes before. Maddening. MCO is impossible to predict.

No, this had my KTN on it (and online check in doesn't work for me anyway), I was just selected for the normal line. It happens every couple of years, always on a one way booked with almost no notice.