PSA: Plan for Lengthy Delays Flying to Disney World Quickly

When you’re planning a Walt Disney World journey this vacation season, you ought to be conscious that arrivals and departures at Orlando Worldwide Airport (MCO) are topic to vital delay and cancellation. This publish covers what’s already occurring, what to anticipate going ahead, and extra.

Air site visitors controller absences delayed or quickly halted operations at a number of main airports round america on Thursday. John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport in New York Metropolis entered a floor cease due to inadequate air site visitors staffing, ending a turbulent day of delays. At Ronald Reagan Nationwide Airport close to Washington, there have been likewise prolonged delays by way of the afternoon and night as a consequence of staffing shortages.

These are simply two main examples of an issue that’s solely anticipated to develop into extra pronounced in November. The administration warned of worsening disruptions whereas employees go with out pay because of the federal government shutdown. On Thursday, the worst of the staffing interruptions was at Orlando Worldwide Airport.

Flights into and out of MCO have been delayed final evening as a result of there have been no obtainable air site visitors controllers, based on U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisories. One indicated that MCO was underneath a floor delay program from 10 p.m. by way of 3 a.m. Friday as a consequence of staffing points.

Federal Aviation Administration warned in an advisory Thursday night that for a time frame, “no arrivals will be capable of land as there can be no licensed site visitors controllers obtainable.” By Thursday evening, the airport was reporting common delays of about 2 hours and 40 minutes, with some flights delayed for practically 12 hours, and several other cancelled fully.

As of Friday morning, the FAA’s Nationwide Airspace System Standing web page now not lists MCO amongst its closures or delays. On the time of publication, monitoring useful resource Flightaware has reported 32 delayed flights and 18 cancellations out of Orlando. Amongst arriving flights, one other 7 have been canceled and 12 have been delayed. Within the final 24 hours, there have been 99 impacted flights at MCO.

The federal authorities entered a shutdown at midnight on October 1st when lawmakers didn’t cross new funding payments. It’s unclear how lengthy the stalemate will final, however lawmakers don’t look like any nearer to coming to an settlement that might reopen the federal government.

The federal authorities shutdown means air site visitors controllers, Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) brokers, and different federal airport staff are working with out pay. In flip, this will increase the probability of staff calling in sick and leaving MCO and different airports understaffed.

These points at MCO adopted a warning that Vice President JD Vance and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had issued on Thursday of impending “catastrophe” if the federal government shutdown continued into November.

They argued that the elevated vacation season journey quantity and worsening winter climate would improve the calls for on air site visitors controllers simply as working with out pay may develop into untenable. They defined that many federal staff can face up to lacking one paycheck, however none of them can get by way of two lacking paychecks.

Air site visitors controllers have been already overburdened earlier than the shutdown, with widely-reported points at main East Coast airports as a consequence of staffing shortages and antiquated methods. There are reportedly 3,000 vacant jobs in a 14,000-position workforce, which had created a staffing crunch and obligatory time beyond regulation for a lot of. That meant that many air site visitors services didn’t have sufficient staffing to accommodate absences, whatever the trigger.

Air site visitors controllers instructed NBC WESH 2 in Orlando that, between the stress of unpaid work and staffing shortages, when security is in danger, there’s no alternative however to gradual issues down on the airport.

“Meaning delays, which means floor stops, which means cancellations. No one goes to work eager to delay a flight. No one. However no one additionally desires to go to work and never receives a commission,” Dan McCabe with the Nationwide Air Visitors Controllers Affiliation instructed WESH.

Again when the shutdown began, the Better Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) issued the next assertion:

The Better Orlando Aviation Authority doesn’t anticipate that operations at MCO can be affected; nonetheless, we now have developed contingency plans ought to there be a dramatic lower within the variety of TSA brokers processing passengers. We’re in conversations with native TSA, CBP, and FAA businesses and hope there can be a decision quickly.

Air journey is a necessary a part of the tourism sector, which helps to gasoline our area; and we stay dedicated to the most effective in traveler security and safety.

MCO additionally suggested that federal companions have contingency plans in place to keep away from disruptions. In fact, that was 30 days in the past and the GOAA probably didn’t anticipate the shutdown dragging on this lengthy. Particularly on condition that their assertion doesn’t even ponder air site visitors controller staffing shortages, solely TSA brokers.

To be taught extra about these plans from our federal companions, go to the next:

Throughout the federal government shutdown, MCO is encouraging passengers to make use of the FlyMCO web site or Orlando MCO app to remain present about airport operations. We’d second this suggestion, and advise using these sources throughout any busier dates, storm season, college breaks, or any time the climate forecast suggests there may be delays–so in different phrases, just about at all times!

Orlando Worldwide Airport could have its first true take a look at of vacation season journey spiking quickly, because the arrival of Jersey Week, Veterans Day, and the beginning of the vacation season are proper across the nook. This confluence of circumstances trigger the approaching week to make our record of the 10 Finest and 10 Worst Weeks to Go to Walt Disney World in 2025. (On the “worst” aspect, clearly.)

On the danger of stating the plain, company fly into MCO earlier than their first park days, in order that airport stress take a look at will happen previous to the parks seeing elevated crowd ranges. We’ll be heading to Orlando very quickly (hopefully?), and can report again on our expertise on the airport.

As we’ve repeatedly reported, MCO has damaged passenger quantity data over the course of the final couple of years and virtually all of its busiest days, weeks, and months ever have occurred since 2022. The airport is simply simply beginning to decelerate and not see year-over-year development.

The present rolling 12-month whole is 56,737,251 passengers, which continues to be near document ranges and nicely above the 2019 baseline. That is largely as a consequence of a lower in home vacationers, because the worldwide quantity continues to indicate strong development and set new data.

Regardless, these numbers are actually extraordinary and reflective of the airport roughly hitting a smooth ceiling on its operational capability. (That means the low season has extra bandwidth, however there’s a scarcity of demand; peak season has unhappy demand, however the airport is already bursting on the seams.)

Anybody who has traveled by way of MCO in the previous few years has most likely seen this, and it doesn’t actually matter what time of 12 months, what time of day, and so forth. The airport is nearly at all times busy.

Seating areas on the gates are so full that they’ve added overflow seating to walkways, and people at the moment are full. The parking heaps routinely are full, there’s site visitors congestion simply dropping individuals off or making pickups, traces to get by way of TSA are sometimes 30+ minutes–you get the concept.

We skilled this first-hand and documented it in Our Terrible Airport Experiences at Walt Disney World from final Christmas. These have been main issues getting from Walt Disney World to MCO, after which on the Delta counter for self-service baggage drop. That line ended up taking me over an hour. Simply to drop off a bag and confirm my ID.

In the end, Orlando Worldwide Airport clearly has infrastructure points and badly wants each modernization of the present services and additional growth. The airport was constructed many years in the past when passenger quantity was far decrease and totally different, and Terminal C was a smaller swing than it ought to’ve been due to COVID.

MCO is now one of many busiest airports in america. It’s now rather a lot like LAX, which isn’t a positive comparability. We’ve mentioned this at size elsewhere. The federal government shutdown is simply going to exacerbate all of this, making the infrastructure cracks much more prounounced.

When you’re flying into or out of Orlando as a part of a holiday-time journey to Walt Disney World, you might want to pack your persistence…and your politeness. No matter your emotions on the federal authorities shutdown, I’d hope we are able to all agree that the frontline staff haven’t any say within the matter and that it’s very troublesome to work with out pay. We should always all be grateful that they’re there and doing their jobs, even when it comes with prolonged delays.

So be grateful and categorical just a little gratitude, versus rudeness over the delays. (Clearly, this is applicable to TSA brokers; you’ll be able to’t precisely thank an air site visitors controller.)

On the danger of stating the plain, we’d additionally advocate arriving at MCO sooner than regular to present your self ample time to get by way of safety and every other delays you may encounter. When you haven’t already booked flights, I’d additionally err on the aspect of earlier arrival and departure occasions, to present your self a buffer within the occasion of delays or cancellations. It could not assist, nevertheless it very nicely may.

When you’re eligible, you may wish to use the free Airport Baggage Switch at Walt Disney World. That is completely unrelated to the federal government shutdown; simply good recommendation throughout busier occasions of 12 months at MCO. (See the above about baggage drop-off delays.)

We’d additionally warning towards utilizing Mears Join for returning to the airport (from MCO to WDW is okay). Though we’ve by no means had points, we’ve heard horror tales, and with the probability of elevated delays in getting by way of safety, your margin for error is rather more slim.

For no matter it’s value, we’re monitoring the scenario on the subject of our personal journey and making ready to switch future plans; our regular late evening flights into SNA danger being diverted to LAX in the event that they’re too late and miss curfew. I’m additionally contemplating switching to LAX within the first place for the sake of nonstop flights and simpler pivots. Even when your circumstances are totally different, you may take into account the identical when you’ve got a number of smaller and bigger airport choices close to you. Good luck!

Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study lodges on our Walt Disney World Inns Evaluations web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Evaluations. To economize on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets publish. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys publish takes a novel have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Trip Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for all the pieces you might want to know!

Your Ideas

What do you concentrate on the delays and cancellations at MCO? Anticipate this to worsen earlier than it will get higher? Please keep away from any political or antagonistic feedback; clearly, that is attributable to the federal authorities shutdown, which is inherently political, however there’s a method to focus on the outcome and impacts with out dragging private politics into this. In any other case, listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!