Security At MCO Airport

[DisneyCruiseluvr]

We were totally frazzled when we encountered an <b>extreme</b> security check at MCO (Orlando) airport for our flight home. Please don't get me wrong, we are all for security checks, but we feel the people checking in our luggage should have warned us to allow sufficient time for this procedure. We assumed we'd be going through the same security check methods we experienced at BWI for the flight down to Orlando. Boy, were we wrong!

We arrived at the security post to enter into our gate area and expected to just whiz through as usual. We expected to take our shoes off and have them put through the x-ray machine along with our jackets and carry-on luggage. Instead, this ended up being very slow and inefficient. The security employees took their time moving things along and kept asking eachother, "Did you check his feet? Did you check this? Did you check that?" <b>Give me a break!</b> Like my husband said, everyone there should be in charge of one station. My son had to take his shoes off twice because no one could remember if he had already been checked. We put our carry-on bags through the x-ray machine, had our shoes tested, our feet and bodies scanned with wands and our bags were manually searched.

We are a family of four and had six bags to carry onto the plane. This process took about 25-30 minutes. It wouldn't have been a problem if we had known to make time for this procedure. While we were <b><i>running</i></b> to our gate, we heard our last name being paged to check in with our airline. We barely made our flight and there was another "frazzled" family who boarded our plane after we did with the same stories.

<b>I'm posting this thread to warn others who will be flying home from Orlando to give yourselves at least 30 minutes to go through the security posts at your gate areas.</b>

We're very happy that our airlines are going through these very detailed measures to ensure our safety, but passengers need to be aware of these new procedures in order to have a less stressful travel experience.

 

[CathyCanada]

That is a good tip. Whizzing through security is a thing of the past, I'm afraid. If you do, you're lucky, but always give yourself extra time to get through. I'd rather err on the side of caution and sit for the extra time relaxing reading a magazine than running through the airport praying I would make my flight!

Glad you made it though!
CC

 

[Favorite Auntie]

I think this is why nation wide the airline industry is asking people to get to the airport at least 2 hours before their scheduled domestic flight... I have been at the airport 2 hours before my flights out of Orlando and the security has not kept me from making my flight. Sorry you had to find out the hard way that they really mean it...

 

[martinez03]

We are flying from BWI to MCO on Friday so I am glad you warned us. Although I beleive just recently there was a hightened security alert for Highjackings of the 09/11/01 nature. I saw this on FOX news this am. When did you fly back?

 

[DisneyCruiseluvr]

We flew back on Saturday, 7/26/03.

 

[Cruise]

This story from two weeks ago might also explain why your trips through MCO might not be the same as before....

Teddy Bear gun

Airlines have been recommending a minimum of 90 minutes to go through security since September of 2001. In bigger cities, you may want to give yourself more time. It's not worth the hassel of missing your flight.

Julie

 

[CGBatch]

Cruise: Wow teddy bear gun!

Anyway I was going to say our trip to Oakland was the worst security we've ever been through. They check all your bags (even those not going on carry-on) before you get in line to receive your tickets and check your bags. But the way they do it involves chemical testing (I guess so no one brings poisons, cyanide or anthrax on the plane but maybe it could have been related to SARS too since this was in April) so when our family medical bag (non-carry-on) went through the scanning station something on the swab test set off the machine. Then it took them 10 minutes to go through everything in the bag for this simple answer and I quote "The hand lotions in this bag contain glycerin, a common ingredient, our test machine is set to go off if it finds nitroglycerin. When you use your lotion then zip the bag back up the lotion transfers from your hands onto the zippers of the bag to avoid this use rubbing alcohol to clean the zippers" and the rest of the day I was laughing about that. But then when we went through security scanners I have no clue what happened but I somehow made it through security without taking off my shoes (still a personal record that I have flown 7 (roundtrip) times and have gone through 14 security checks since 9/11 and have never taken off my shoes lol ) But my dad somehow had to take his off 3 times and they even began stripping him down because his belt set off the scanner. That security was the worst I've ever been through. The best is Newark (NJ), they are able to get you through even international security (I went to Canada) in less than 5 minutes (of course my dad wasn't with us so that may have had something to do with it )

 

[Minybear]

Thanks for the heads up on the security. That kinda reminds everyone not to get an early flight out of MCO after getting off the cruise (nothing before 11:30am). I guess security is really intense now since the news are saying we may have another attack like 9/11. See this link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,93153,00.html

 

[Verandah Man]

We are flying Spirit Airlines out of Atlantic City in three weeks. We were told by Spirit to be at ACI at least three hours before our scheduled departure time. I thought that was a bit much at first, but after reading this, maybe it isn't.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

Wow, I was wondering why it was so different from our departure on July 6. We just put our stuff through the machine and picked it back up after walking through--no shoe checks. I guess we can all curse whoever put that gun in the teddy bear.
Robin M.