Orlando World Airport (MCO) has shared new stats about its year-to-date customer quantity in 2025, in addition to projections for height vacation trip from Christmas thru early 2026. With nearly all of Walt Disney Global visitors depending on MCO, we figured it’s price briefly overlaying this–in addition to sharing trip tricks to steer clear of meltdowns and ignored flights.
For starters, the Nice Orlando Aviation Authority simply shared MCO’s per thirty days document for September and the airport’s 2025 fiscal yr. Passenger visitors greater by means of 2.3% for the month, with home passenger visitors up 2.6%. That marked the 3rd consecutive per thirty days build up for home visitors, which was once a turnaround as contrasted with the year-plus prior.
World passenger visitors was once up by means of a extra meager 0.9%. On the other hand, it’s price noting that MCO has reported will increase for global visitors each month since April 2021, with a number of double-digit will increase. It’s been a captivating distinction with broader numbers, suggesting that Central Florida is a minimum of reasonably insulated from overarching developments.
The fiscal yr general for Orlando World Airport stands at 56.8 million annual passengers, which was once down 2.6% year-over-year. The common day by day quantity was once greater than 155,000 passengers in line with day. For the yr as a complete, home visitors was once down 4.4%; global visitors was once up 9.2%.
For the closing couple of years, MCO has in large part been treading water. The GOAA at first forecast a record-breaking 60 million passengers closing yr, or a ten% build up from 2023’s checklist 57.7 million passengers. Because of a slowdown in the second one part of the yr, the true quantity ended up being 57,211,628.
Partly, those numbers are because of infrastructure. Each the addition of the brand new Terminal C, which has given the airport the next ceiling, and capability barriers, that have avoided MCO from assembly natural call for all the way through classes of upper trip. This can be a giant motive force in the back of Orlando World Airport’s Large $6 Billion Enlargement & Enhancement Plan.
Orlando World Airport (MCO) is getting ready for what is usually a record-breaking vacation trip season, with just about 3.1 million passengers anticipated to reach and/or go away all the way through the Christmas and New Yr’s trip length.
The trip season, which runs from the weekend prior to Christmas (presently!) thru Monday, January fifth, 2026, presentations an build up of two.6% in total passenger visitors.
Right here’s a chart of projections from Orlando World Airport:
The busiest days for arrivals this coming week shall be Sunday, December twentieth and Monday, December twenty first. The next week follows a identical development, with Saturday thru Tuesday being consecutive days of 90,000+ arrivals. It’s as soon as once more a identical tale in early January 2026, with even upper arrival numbers from Friday, January second thru Monday, January 5, 2026.
Departures apply a nearly an identical development. All informed, the busiest day at MCO shall be Saturday, January 3, 2026 with roughly 196,212 general passengers arriving and departing MCO. Sunday, January 4, 2026 is available in 2nd with 195,960 vacationers.
None of this will have to be an enormous marvel to common readers. The following 3 weeks all make our record of the 10 Worst Weeks to Talk over with Walt Disney Global in 2025 & 2026. Actually, the weeks main as much as Christmas, New Yr’s Eve, and the primary week of January 2026 are all some of the worst weeks of the yr.
The week of NYE is sort of all the time #1 and by means of an excessively broad margin. The week main as much as Christmas is normally #3, with the primary week of January being #2. The ones ratings are for all of the yr. Handiest Easter is as regards to as dangerous as this trio, and perhaps Mid-Iciness Damage in 2026 because of the confluence of 2 vacations. However even that almost certainly received’t come as regards to the Christmas to early January stretch.
The heavy crowds within the first week or so of January frequently surprises folks. It’s because of vacation breaks being ongoing, decrease costs, and Annual Move blockouts lifting, amongst different elements. Be expecting height vacation crowds to relent on January 5, 2026. Crowd ranges received’t drop to low ranges instantly (as evidenced by means of ongoing prime customer quantity at MCO), however as contrasted with the previous couple of weeks, it’ll really feel adore it!
Crowds don’t in point of fact drop to low or reasonable ranges till the next week, normally across the Sunday of the Walt Disney Global Marathon weekend. That’ll be January 11, 2026. Even so, it’s no longer uninterrupted stretches of low crowds after, as the beginning of price ticket offers, vacation weekends, runDisney occasions, Mid-Iciness Damage, Mardi Gras and extra will throw monkey wrenches into Iciness 2026 crowd ranges. Be expecting much more up and downs, with (fortunately) a couple of lulls in between.
With anticipated checklist visitors at Orlando World Airport, passengers are inspired to heed the next ideas and tricks to assist save time and give a boost to their total trip revel in…
MCO is encouraging passengers to make use of the FlyMCO web page or Orlando MCO app to stick present about airport operations. We might 2nd this advice, and advise using those assets all the way through any busier dates, hurricane season, college breaks, or any time the elements forecast suggests there may well be delays–so in different phrases, just about all the time!
We flew into MCO lately all the way through what was once anticipated to be a hectic vacation trip length (a minimum of upon arrival–departure was once a distinct tale). Our revel in was once totally uneventful. Our flight landed early, deplanned briefly, and our suitcases had been at luggage declare in checklist time.
If I didn’t know any higher, I’d’ve idea it was once nonetheless the low season and issues had been trade as standard. Actually, all of my fresh stories at MCO were moderately uneventful since round August. Obviously I simply were given fortunate, because the stats inform a wholly other tale–and I accept as true with the ones over my very own anecdotal stories.
All the way through height trip classes, the Better Orlando Aviation Authority advises arriving a minimum of 3 hours prematurely of your flight at MCO to permit time for bags drop-off, ticketing and safety processing. You will have to be at your gate one hour prior to boarding.
We skilled the want for this previous than commonplace arrival first-hand and documented it in Our Terrible Airport Studies at Walt Disney Global from closing Christmas. The ones had been main issues getting from Walt Disney Global 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 check my ID.
Passengers with out TSA PreCheck or CLEAR+ can guide a time to move thru airport safety the usage of the loose MCO Reserve provider. (We’ve by no means used this, however I’ve heard certain comments, albeit restricted. If somebody right here has used it, we’d love extra MCO Reserve evaluations!)
When touring with presents, the Transportation Safety Management (TSA) recommends no longer wrapping them previously. TSA officials will open wrapped applications for inspection. As all the time, adhere to the TSA 3-1-1 regulations. No fluids or gels over 3.4 oz, position them in a single quart-size bag, and just one bag in line with traveler.
Our extra generalized steerage (and it’s almost certainly too overdue for any of this to be appropriate because you’ve confidently already booked airfare), could be giving yourselves as a lot flexibility as imaginable.
The week prior to Christmas during the first week of January 2026 aren’t simply height season for airports across the nation, they’re additionally wintry weather. This implies snow, delays, and restricted extra bandwidth if one thing is going mistaken. One thing many travels realized the onerous manner a few years in the past when Southwest had a system-wide meltdown proper after New Yr’s.
When flying this time of yr, we propose nonstop flights every time imaginable. If there’s a significant airport with nonstop flights that’s slightly further from you, go for that versus a better regional airport with a layover. The less ‘shifting portions,’ the easier.
We additionally suggest the usage of a significant legacy airline, like Delta or United. Steer clear of extremely cheap carriers, particularly those that fly fewer routes, don’t have reciprocal relationships with different airways, and are much less responsive when problems rise up since they compete on worth and no longer customer support. There isn’t a possibility on earth that I’d be flying Frontier, Breeze or Spirit presently. Possibly you’ll get fortunate, however that’s simply taking part in with hearth.
In the event you’re eligible, use the loose Airport Baggage Switch at Walt Disney Global. No longer having to trouble with luggage drop-off or dealing with your personal baggage on the airport is each a time-saver and stress-reliever all the way through busier occasions of yr at MCO. (It’s actually too dangerous this didn’t roll out to extra lodges prior to height season!)
We might additionally warning towards the usage of Mears Attach for returning to the airport (from MCO to WDW is ok). Even though we’ve by no means had problems, we’ve heard horror tales, and with the chance of greater delays in getting thru safety, your margin for error is a lot more narrow.
As famous above, there are occasions all over the yr when Orlando World Airport is hitting a comfortable ceiling on its operational capability. Particularly all the way through overdue December and January, the airport is bursting on the seams and has unhappy call for. That’ll be even worse in 2025-2026, even because the airport units new data on customer quantity.
Somebody who has traveled thru MCO in the previous few years has almost certainly skilled this dynamic (except you trip all the way through the low season or have got very fortunate!). It doesn’t actually subject what time of yr, what time of day, and so on. The airport is sort of all the time busy–a lot busier than it was once again in 2019.
Seating spaces on the gates are so complete that they’ve added overflow seating to walkways, and the ones at the moment are complete. The parking quite a bit automatically are complete, there’s visitors congestion simply shedding folks off or making pickups, traces to get thru TSA are frequently 30+ mins–you get the theory.
Significantly, heed the airport’s recommendation and arrive 3 hours early all the way through height season. I are aware of it’s standard to forget about “standard knowledge” in the case of airport arrival occasions, and many of us will do exactly high quality chopping it nearer. However is it actually price rolling the cube?
I’ve encountered extra lengthy traces and delays attending to my gate at MCO than another airport. I will be able to safely arrive at SNA like ~half-hour prior to my flight. I’d by no means even believe anything else not up to 90 mins at MCO–even if I’m flying solo with out a checked baggage.
It’s simply no longer definitely worth the chance–and it is a chance, although you’ve been fortunate previously!
In the end, if you happen to’re flying into or out of Orlando World Airport as a part of a holiday-time travel to Walt Disney Global, you want to pack your persistence…and your politeness. A part of the rationale MCO is bursting on the seams is infrastructure, however any other section is staffing.
One ‘answer’ to all of this that we will be able to all agree on is Walt Disney Global bringing again Disney’s Magical Categorical. You could suppose I’m kidding, and that that is merely a tortured excuse for bringing up the defunct airport go back and forth provider, however even GOAA and MCO officers agree that DME will have to go back. In the event you don’t consider me, take a look at Will Disney’s Magical Categorical Airport Trip Ever Go back? I’m 100% severe! Obviously the go back of DME is the treatment for all that ails the airport!
Making plans a Walt Disney Global travel? Know about accommodations on our Walt Disney Global Accommodations Opinions web page. For the place to devour, learn our Walt Disney Global Eating place Opinions. To save cash on tickets or decide which sort to shop for, learn our Guidelines for Saving Cash on Walt Disney Global Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a singular have a look at artful pieces to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney Global Experience Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most productive position to begin is our Walt Disney Global Commute Making plans Information for the entirety you want to understand!
Your Ideas
What do you take into consideration the Orlando World Airport environment a brand new checklist for height season trip? Have you ever flown thru MCO this vacation season or all the way through the Christmas and New Yr’s rush post-2019? What was once your revel in? Ideas on GOAA and MCO recommending the promotion of a provider like Disney’s Magical Categorical and approving investment to subsidize it? Do you compromise or disagree with our observation? Listening to your comments–even whilst you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please percentage your ideas underneath within the feedback!
