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In the years before the pandemic, a couple of airports were playing with the concept of allowing non-ticketed people past the TSA security checkpoint. The programs allowed such guests to apply for the opportunity and, once vetted and OKed by TSA, were permitted to enter the “safe” side of the airport.

Airports allowed this entry as a way for people to drop money at their respective shopping and dining opportunities (because YAAAAS Hudson News!). But I suspect that’s not why most people who took advantage, did. It was probably more like:

• People who had a loved one either departing or arriving, or
• Aviation enthusiasts who wanted to go plane spotting and explore other airport opportunities

Regardless, then the pandemic came and that was the end of that.

Fast forward a few years, though,, and the pandemic waned. Happily, several of the airports that previously had these “visitor’s pass” programs started them up again. In fact, by early 2025, there were 18 airports in the U.S. that offered these types of passes.

Unfortunately, nothing gold can stay, and the good times didn’t last forever.

Established on September 1, 2023, the visitor’s pass program at Orlando International Airport, Experience MCO has gone dark. As of a few days ago, if you go to the page that explains what Experience MCO was and how to apply for it, the top of the page has the following notification:

So suggesting the program is ‘too popular” sounds iffy.

Meanwhile, in The Florida Sun’s write-up in September 2024, they gave a quote from Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) CEO Kevin J. Thibault:

Experience MCO gives our guests the opportunity to enjoy Terminal C on their own time. Thanks to the cooperation with our TSA partners, the program is a success. We look forward to more reservations in the future whether it’s to explore the interactive Moment Vault or dine at one of the popular restaurant concepts.

That brings up a couple of interesting points:

1. Obviously, MCO’s goal was less “accompanying/meeting loved ones at the gate” and more “dine at one of the more popular restaurant concepts.” But of the 6,000 reservations they got during the pilot program, most cited “to explore Terminal C” (again, that’s the “new” terminal at MCO) as the reason to get a Visitor Pass. The second biggest reason was dining and shopping, and a distant third was loved ones coming or going through the terminal (plane spotters also apparently enjoyed using the pass). If these visitors weren’t “shopping and dining,” maybe MCO doesn’t think the time and effort is worthwhile. After all, “Based on the popularity of the program” could also translate into “Incoming revenue wasn’t enough for us to bother.”

2. Citing his wife’s illness and his need to focus on her care in the coming years, Kevin J. Thibault stepped down from his position as GOAA CEO on January 31, 2025. As of this writing, they are still searching for his successor. That being said, I question how much a new GOAA CEO would care if the Visitor Pass program was running or not.

For now, the MCO Visitor Pass is on the back burner. We’ll see if it ever gets revived or, like Tampa International’s TPA All Access program and Pittsburgh International’s myPITpass, just disappears forever.

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