Southwest Line at MCO

[jpurnell]

I've read about the long lines on May 15th (Sunday) but I'm curious if anybody knows what the lines are like for Southwest and security on weekdays, especially on Tuesdays say around 5:30 p.m. since that will be the day and time we fly out. Just trying to get an idea to see if we need to be at the airport even earlier than the 2 hour recommended time.

 

[liznboys]

We flew out of MCO this past Monday, our flight was at about 7:30, so we arrived to the airport at about 5:30pm. At the Southwest curbside check-in, we had a couple groups in front of us, and that went fast. The security line looked long, but it went fast too. We got to our gate at about 6pm, and waited for an hour before they started preboarding.

 

[ducklite]

Anything can cause lines to get unexpectedly long, cancelled flights, a convention ending, etc.

As long as you have checked-in online and have A boarding passes, I wouldn't worry about it, two hours should be enough.

Anne

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

I commonly fly out of MCO on one of the evening flights, requiring me to get to the airport mid to late afternoon. The line for Southwest has never been long at all. My last flight, I had to be at the airport at 10:30, and it was JAM PACKED then. However, I still only waited 15 minutes in line.

Arriving to the airport 2hrs prior to departure time is a good rule for MCO, even when crowds are light. You never know when you might have a security back up, or get pulled aside for extra screenings.

 

[kra623]

We flew SW Friday the 13th. Be careful if you are renting a car. When we dropped off the rental, it was very very far from where we had to check in our bags. Drop off your bags first is my advice!!!! The line for baggage was pretty long inside. So we moved outside! It took us about 20 minutes. Security didn't look long but it was deceptive because there are rows inside the initial line. We flew out around noon and it took us 30 minutes for security. They even had to search my bag because my batteries were giving off a weird signal. We made it to the gate with about 15 minutes to spare. I was seriously stressed but it all worked out!!!