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Why YOU need to arrive early at the Orlando (MCO) Airport

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(In a word, lines.)

~ °o° ~There are a number of reasons you need to allow enough time to get to the airport, even when taking the Disney Magical Express*.

To depart the “bubble” of your magical Disney vacation for the air travel, you need to account for baggage check lines, rental car return, traffic to the airport, lines at the tolls, and if you take the complimentary Disney Magical Express* bus, the possibility that it may stop at other resorts to pick up other guests on its way to the airport.

But the biggest reason you need to allow at least more than an hour+ (I recommend 2 or 3) is because of the lines to get through the TSA Security checkpoint.

The wait time posted in the photo is an average during non-peak travel (non-peak vacation times). So during Spring break this year, wait times of over an hour, will be possible and have been. Holidays are just as bad.

In addition to heightened travel volume from vacationers, there is another reason for long lines. Airport director Phil Brown says that some of the reason for the increased traffic at the security lines is that very few of the passengers using MCO are on connecting flights, with most leaving or arriving in Orlando, (owed in part to the city’s thriving tourist-based economy).

With the airport handling almost 45 million passengers last year, the bad news is already long security lines are going to get even longer.

MCO is working to expand ticket lobbies which will increase the airport’s capacity even further, with the airport possibly hitting 46 million passengers annually very soon.

So allow time to get there early, and here are tips to make your wait time in line go a little faster and smoother....

TIPS:

  • Have your photo id and boarding pass ready to present to the TSA agent upon entering the line. Then put them securely in your bag as you will not be able to have them in your pocket when you go thru screening.

  • Know what has to be taken out of your carry-on bags for x-ray and be ready when you get in line at TSA:

  • 3oz is the max size for liquids and gels and they must be in a 1 quart clear Ziploc-type plastic bag

  • Electronic devices larger than a cell phone have to be off and placed in a bin

  • Be prepared to take off your shoes (unlace them as you inch up in line) and place in the bin

  • Nothing can be in your pockets, outer wear/jackets must be packed in a bin for x-ray.

For more details see the TSA Official web site for info on – screening prep, IDs requirements, Applying for RealID, and more.

What if you have lost your ID? For what you need to do in this case, visit my FAQ page.

*The Disney Magical Express bus advises and will pick you up 3 hours prior to your flight, and advanced reservations are required. This service is only offered to Disney guests at Disney Resorts.

Source/Images: Orlando Sentinel

https://www.tsa.gov/

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