TSA in Orlando?

[dancin Disney style]

My last two flights out of MCO were in March and December. The TSA lines were the longest I've seen yet. December in particular was really bad but it was shortly after the Paris and California shootings. With that in mind we just thought that the security level had been raised. We waited approx. 40 minutes just to get up to the body scanners. This was around 7:30am. It didn't cause any time issues for us as we had planned to be there early so that we could get breakfast while waiting for the flight.

In March we had a 9:30pm flight. That time we were using DME to get to the airport and I called them the day before to get on a bus 30 minutes earlier. Which the lady on the phone thought that was very wise because of the longer wait time at security. I think we waited about 25 minutes to get through that time.

The longest wait I've personally heard of has been 60 minutes. I think 3 hours would cause a huge backlash from the airlines at MCO.

 

[ascardino]

Yes.... From the TSA website:

• Family members ages 12 and under traveling with an eligible parent or guardian with a TSA Pre✓® indicator on their boarding pass can participate in expedited screening.

 

[AngiTN]

TSA in MCO was one of the reasons DW and I spent the money to get TSA Precheck status, yes it's bad. Usually not 3 hours bad but can rival any WDW line for wait times.

Same here. DH and I breezed through PreCheck line last Tuesday when the lines for the rest were really long

 

[Coloradomom]

We just flew home from MCO yesterday, went through security about 5pm. It was a 40 minute wait, but beyond that it was a disorganized mess. We were in the wheelchair lane, and we're told to the line next to it. Well, turned out they should not have told us that as it created a log jam. Then she going through scanning, you are told to put your items on the conveyer belt when you are no where near the scanner yet. (Meaning that your stuff sits there for anyone to walk off with). I replied that I was not comfortable with that and got snapped at, though not forced to put my items in until I was ready. When I was scanned they needed to check something but no one said anything just " move her" and then "move away we cannot see the scanner" . And please DO NOT touch me without telling me why and then only the area you need to check. The TSA staff in MCO is consistently rude on top of the delays and crowds. It was a terrible experience overall.

 

[jo-jo]

We flew home on Wed evening. Had precheck. I'd say 10 mins tops.. We had maybe 15- 20 people ahead of us. The regular line had a few hundred at least.

The difference is enough, we may consider purchasing precheck and we don't flight that often. A few times a yr at most.

 

[AngiTN]

We flew home on Wed evening. Had precheck. I'd say 10 mins tops.. We had maybe 15- 20 people ahead of us. The regular line had a few hundred at least.

The difference is enough, we may consider purchasing precheck and we don't flight that often. A few times a yr at most.

The good news is it's only $85 for 5 years. $17 a year is nothing in the grand scheme of things. It really pays for itself fast if you fly out of MCO even once a year.

 

[AngiTN]

We just flew home from MCO yesterday, went through security about 5pm. It was a 40 minute wait, but beyond that it was a disorganized mess. We were in the wheelchair lane, and we're told to the line next to it. Well, turned out they should not have told us that as it created a log jam. Then she going through scanning, you are told to put your items on the conveyer belt when you are no where near the scanner yet. (Meaning that your stuff sits there for anyone to walk off with). I replied that I was not comfortable with that and got snapped at, though not forced to put my items in until I was ready. When I was scanned they needed to check something but no one said anything just " move her" and then "move away we cannot see the scanner" . And please DO NOT touch me without telling me why and then only the area you need to check. The TSA staff in MCO is consistently rude on top of the delays and crowds. It was a terrible experience overall.

Right!?! It's not that MCO has the large volume of guests, even many who are infrequent fliers.
It's that they are a mess when it comes to organization. They may always have lines but they don't have to be the mess that they are with how they handle them.
Anyone with eyes can see that MCO operates their check points differently. At least they do from other airports I've flown out of

 

[Ranger111]

Hey, if we are all lucky, and I doubt it, but again, chant "I believe, I believe," with the new action in Washington, D.C., we may not have to put up with TSA much longer....

Time to Get Rid of the TSA - Bloomberg View
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/.../to-shorten-airport-li.
Are private screeners able to do better? Despite longstanding efforts by the TSA to keep such comparisons out of the public eye, the data strongly suggests they are. On safety, a classified 2007 TSA study showed private screeners were better able to detect bombs than TSA inspectors (a result attributed to more frequent training).

In 2011, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee also released a report showing that private screeners in San Francisco were more efficient than their TSA counterparts in Los Angeles, processing an average of 65 percent more passengers while receiving the same wages and benefits. Among the possible explanations cited were higher employee retention rates in San Francisco. Indeed, subsequent government hearings have found persistently low morale at TSA -- due, among other reasons, to a persistent culture of "fear and distrust" at the agency.

 

[AngiTN]

TSA is sure taking a beating lately.
I saw a report this morning about the 3000 checked bags that got left on the runway in Phoenix. Something about their bomb scanner being out of order
And then they said that 100 screeners walk off the job a day. At least I'm pretty sure they said per day. They get fed up with the belligerent customers and low pay. I'm sure I wouldn't want to do it either. People are downright ugly these days, manners are in short supply

 

[2binak]

MCO is the reason Dh & I paid to have TSA Pre-check. One year, we waited over an hour just to get to the area where you put your belongings in the bins. They were trying to funnel 6 podiums (12 lines) of people into one roped off line. The people closest to the start of the roped off line weren't letting anyone else in, causing those of us furthest from that opening to just stand there. Finally, one of the agents at the far podium realized that no one on our end was moving. He was able to clear up the backlog on our end but I'm sure it just continued to happen throughout the day. It was crowded, hot and the people who were missing their flights were stressed and angry. Kids were crying from being hot, hungry, thirsty and among all of the stressed out adults. After that, we decided to pay for Pre-check. The longest we've ever taken to get completely through Pre-check & the scanner at MCO is 20 mins.

 

[OKW Lover]

Living in the Orlando area we fly out of MCO very frequently. We have Global Entry and thus get pre-check when we fly. The longest we've every had to wait at MCO security has been 10 minutes. Just this past Saturday (5/7) we were through pre-check in less than 5 minutes. That was even with some people in front of us who apparently were unfamiliar with the pre-check protocol.

 

[Woodview]

Thursday afternoon ( 4.30 pm on the 12th ) at MCO

It took us 15 min from entering Security pre check line to line & collect bins ..... through Screen Check & collect x rayed bins

& off to Monorail

 

[LisaS]

We just returned from WDW on Thurs May 12. Arrived at MCO around 5pm. There were so many people crowded around the regular security entrance (A side) that at first we couldn't even see where the TSA Pre entrance was. I've never seen that many people queued up at MCO security! Once we managed to get around the large crowd, we saw the TSA Pre area and walked over there.

There were only a dozen or so people ahead of us in the TSA Pre line and the agents were very efficient. Once we got to the scanner area, the lines moved quickly. I think it took about 10 to 15 minutes from the time we got in the TSA Pre line to the time we were through security and on our way to the gate. It would have been faster but we were delayed due to the couple ahead of us in line who were not TSA Pre but tried for about two minutes to convince the agent to let them go through anyway. He eventually motioned them to the side so that the rest of the line could continue through.

 

[Unas]

But...but but but...2 hours prior to a domestic flight is what we SHOULD be doing. 3 hours before international. Yes there are some people who feel that a person who has never missed a flight isn't doing things right (a paraphrase of something I've read here many times) but if I"m going to miss a flight it's because I've been voluntarily bumped and am getting $300+ per person, a flight the next day, some money for food, and a hotel room that night.

We've experienced NASTY lines at MCO, but it never interferes with us much b/c we ALWAYS are entering the building at least 2 hours before our domestic flight.

No, we should be able to get to the airport closer to our flight time than that. Two hours is simply what has been foisted on us by security theater.

 

[fishermouse]

Might just be my flight times but I can't sayI've ever been in line more than 45 minutes. Usually 30 or less

 

[betterbutter]

Didn't PAY for the annual TSA precheck, but for some great reason, the last two flights both DH and I have received TSA precheck assigned by the airline, the most recent was end of October, '15. Line was "not short" but MUCH SHORTER than the normal and it was nice to not remove shoes, belts, all required in the regular security line. When we return from MCO this month, we will be timing our return trip AFTER returning a rental car to allow a full 2 hours for security check. I always allow extra since we like to relax and have a "bite to eat" before boarding, rather than stressing that we will miss our return flight.

the TSA was experimenting by giving people without status random access to the Pre-Check line, but once it was pointed out to them that a terror suspect had gained access to a Pre-Check line, that experiment quickly ended.

Now the only way into the Pre-Check line are pretty much enrolling in Pre-Check, Global Entry or Nexus. I flew through eight airports last week, and the only one that was as backed up as MCO gets was LAX. I got lucky that I missed the baggage fiasco in PHX by a few days.

 

[Unas]

Just had precheck assigned by airline. PHL term A did not have a special line for pre. All it got me was shoes on and WTMD . . . whoopee! Had to take the magic plastic Baggie out.

 

[Iowamomof4]

Y'all are making me re-think my plans to fly this time.

 

[betterbutter]

Just had precheck assigned by airline. PHL term A did not have a special line for pre. All it got me was shoes on and WTMD . . . whoopee! Had to take the magic plastic Baggie out.

PHL has been a disaster for years. Until they get rid of the company that directs the traffic into the lines (it's not TSA until you actually show your ID) it will only continue to get worse.

 

[Ranger111]

the TSA was experimenting by giving people without status random access to the Pre-Check line, but once it was pointed out to them that a terror suspect had gained access to a Pre-Check line, that experiment quickly ended.Now the only way into the Pre-Check line are pretty much enrolling in Pre-Check, Global Entry or Nexus. I flew through eight airports last week, and the only one that was as backed up as MCO gets was LAX. I got lucky that I missed the baggage fiasco in PHX by a few days.

WRONG-O

Supposedly, they are SUPPOSED to have quit funneling "real people" from the "real people" line into the Pre-check line when things get busy.

"Real people" are still getting Pre-Check "for free" on occasion without signing up for it. Just happened for my wife on both legs of her trip in the last two weeks. On the departure leg two weeks ago and on the return leg a day ago.