MCO security lines....hmmmm

[hsmamato2]

Just back.... lines on Tuesday 12/19 at about 6:30 p.m. were a madhouse. Just confirming for anyone who doubts the madness of the TSA lines at MCO.... it can take a while to get through. I had wrongly assumed that it would be a quiet evening time to fly. At least we had plenty of time, but wow they are pretty much the worst setup I've experienced in any airport. That said, at least no one was being unpleasant or anything but the lines! oh the humanity! I will always allow at least 3 hours with Uber before our flight,and I have to think those bus pickup times,with different stops might be right on track too.

 

[charmed59]

I just flew out of MCO this morning, terminal B (American). Got to the airport at 9:30, curb to club (or gate) was 15 minutes. That was with checking luggage and with TSA pre-check. The pretty light up sign said the regular line wait was 20-25 minutes.

Is it possible terminal A, the Southwest side, is slower for the regular line?

 

[thegoof121]

I got though TSA in around 30minutes a few weeks ago around 5:00 on the Southwest side.

 

[AngiTN]

MCO is why we bought PreCheck. It's the worse run TSA of any airport I've ever seen. At any time of day.

 

[ncc1701]

MCO is why we bought PreCheck. It's the worse run TSA of any airport I've ever seen. At any time of day.

Agreed

 

[BLLB]

MCO is why we bought PreCheck. It's the worse run TSA of any airport I've ever seen. At any time of day.

Ditto

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Well I'd expect it to be pretty crowded for the next couple of weeks.

But going at non generally crazy times of the year I've found MCO to be rather pleasant in recent visits.

The last 2 times I've flown home (Labor Day 2016 and 2017) there was pretty much no one in the TSA line flying SWA both times.

I'm sure the electronics rule and food rule have made the lines longer even though it really shouldn't. People should just know take your carp out and it won't be a problem.
I doubt that it will be terribly crazy by the time I go in mid February.

 

[jdisnut]

MCO is why we bought PreCheck. It's the worse run TSA of any airport I've ever seen. At any time of day.

And with PreCheck, the wait times, even at MCO, are never longer than five or 10 minutes at absolute most. That's worth my $17 a year.

 

[goofy4tink]

MCO is why we bought PreCheck. It's the worse run TSA of any airport I've ever seen. At any time of day.

Absolutely!!!!

 

[NotUrsula]

I also got PreCheck primarily for dealing with MCO (... and Midway. The line can be out into the parking garage at Midway.)

I find that the SWA side of the terminal is never all that bad at MCO; long and crowded, yes, but it moves at a steady pace. This year, however, the OTHER security checkpoint (for Gates 1-29, which includes Frontier, JB, and several smaller int'l carriers, including charters) is a nightmare. That's the side with the tram construction, and it's messing with everything over there.

Even with PreCheck, at one point this summer it took me nearly 90 minutes to get through that line on a Monday morning. The charters bring in busloads of passengers all headed out at the same times on the same flights, and when that happens that can send the line back to the food court. At least 3 of the small airlines on that side serve Brazil, and that adds to the delay; Brazilians often do a lot of shopping when they visit the US, and their bags can take a while to scan.

 

[DebbieB]

We had a flight at 3:15pm on December 8th. Security lines for the SW end were not long. We have pre-check so it was like 5 minutes. We were at the gate 3 hours early even taking time to redistribute carryons before going through security.

 

[hsmamato2]

I guess you never can tell. Better early than late I guess..... I still maintain they have the worst TSA experience of any airport I've flown through. Just warning,it can happen!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Well I'd expect it to be pretty crowded for the next couple of weeks.

But going at non generally crazy times of the year I've found MCO to be rather pleasant in recent visits.

The last 2 times I've flown home (Labor Day 2016 and 2017) there was pretty much no one in the TSA line flying SWA both times.

I'm sure the electronics rule and food rule have made the lines longer even though it really shouldn't. People should just know take your carp out and it won't be a problem.
I doubt that it will be terribly crazy by the time I go in mid February.

I flew home from MCO on September 18th-it may have not been really long but the TSA were the worst out of any of the various airports I've been to. It had nothing to do with the electronics rule though I went through just prior to the food rule being looked at. They were just the silliest TSA I've ever seen. They were actually having everyone move their feet centimeters on the yellow foot prints and raise their arms centimeters, etc. That's why it took so long to get through. No other airport (and I've been to Denver, Vegas, Newark and Orlando this year and out of my home airport all 4 of those times too) has done that. Last year I flew to Baltimore 3 times and Hawaii one time and out of my home airport those 4 times) and it still wasn't as asinine as MCO's TSA were.

*On a random side note just got back from Newark airport last night--they did not inspect the Biscoff cookie package my husband had (half eaten too) in his backpack.

 

[palhockeymomof2]

The last 2 times we’ve flown SWA out if MCO the security lines have been 50 minuteson 11/1 and 65 minutes on 12/10 ..both times around 2-3 in the afternoon. The TSA pre check lines were 5 minutes ...my husband and I have pre check my 27 yr old daughter does not.
On the flip side we flew out of PBI on 11/27 and the tsa pre check line was longer than the regular line

 

[MrKnight]

Just back.... lines on Tuesday 12/19 at about 6:30 p.m. were a madhouse. Just confirming for anyone who doubts the madness of the TSA lines at MCO.... it can take a while to get through. I had wrongly assumed that it would be a quiet evening time to fly. At least we had plenty of time, but wow they are pretty much the worst setup I've experienced in any airport. That said, at least no one was being unpleasant or anything but the lines! oh the humanity! I will always allow at least 3 hours with Uber before our flight,and I have to think those bus pickup times,with different stops might be right on track too.

MCO is one of the busiest airports in the region, it does not just handle tourist traffic but it also a significant amount of business travel, Monday and Tuesday evenings in particular are very busy with business travelers catching flights to their next destination and convention attendees arriving to Orlando for conventions.. A MINIMUM of two hours prior to flight departure time is the rule of thumb of domestic flights at MCO, and for international flights add another hour..

 

[AngiTN]

MCO is one of the busiest airports in the region, it does not just handle tourist traffic but it also a significant amount of business travel, Monday and Tuesday evenings in particular are very busy with business travelers catching flights to their next destination and convention attendees arriving to Orlando for conventions.. A MINIMUM of two hours prior to flight departure time is the rule of thumb of domestic flights at MCO, and for international flights add another hour..

ATL (Atlanta) is much busier than MCO.
TSA lines aren't anywhere near as bad

 

[NotUrsula]

Yep, MCO does struggle with incompetence issues. Sheer volume doesn't account for it, though. To give them a fair shake, language issues do often cause problems at MCO, because they spread the overseas carriers around the airport. A larger than usual ratio of young children (and the gear that goes with them) contributes as well.

MCO was at it's most efficient during the TSA's short-lived "ski resort" line plan; when for awhile they had 3 lines: Family, Regular, and Black Diamond. That shunted out the young families and the business travelers, leaving just the regular adult casual travelers in the standard line.

I will say that IME, the TSO's at Denver tend to be unmatched for being drunk on their own power; they have a tendency to pretend that they have law enforcement authority. The MCO folks just seem really distracted most of the time.

 

[hsmamato2]

IDK, We fly SWA,and it seems like there just isn't physical room for all the lines and nonsense to fit well and stay in order....it's just way too tight!

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

*On a random side note just got back from Newark airport last night--they did not inspect the Biscoff cookie package my husband had (half eaten too) in his backpack.

Completely off topic, but I just discovered Biscoff cookies and they instantly became my new favorite! Have you tried their cookie butter? That stuff should be regulated by the FDA! It is so addicting!

 

[keishashadow]

Just back.... lines on Tuesday 12/19 at about 6:30 p.m. were a madhouse. Just confirming for anyone who doubts the madness of the TSA lines at MCO.... it can take a while to get through. I had wrongly assumed that it would be a quiet evening time to fly. At least we had plenty of time, but wow they are pretty much the worst setup I've experienced in any airport. That said, at least no one was being unpleasant or anything but the lines! oh the humanity! I will always allow at least 3 hours with Uber before our flight,and I have to think those bus pickup times,with different stops might be right on track too.

Xmas week's Thursday eve is a zoo in general at most airports

Problem with precheck is many are designated 'trusted travelers' & funneled thru (for free), often don't catch they don't have to take off shoes, etc.

Every single flight this year (not just when traveling thru MCO), have had at least one person in line ahead of me who was going thru the regular procedures & slowing down the line.

To MCO's credit, there is always a roving TSA agent loudly proclaiming the precheck policy. Could be ESL issues or that many people are just plain unaware/don't travel often & are overwhelmed, especially tourists who likely make up a large percentage of traffic @ MCO.