Orlando International Airport once advised all passengers to arrive three hours before departure. While that guidance has changed, the response it triggered highlights a bigger issue—why security at MCO feels especially difficult compared to other airports.
Until their most recent website refresh, if you looked at the upper-right corner of Orlando International Airport’s main page, you would have seen something you don’t typically see.
Yup, they advised passengers to arrive 3 hours before departure time. That wasn’t for international travelers; that was for everyone.
Nowadays, if you look at their website (or their app) and follow the links to Security Wait Times, it says to arrive at the security checkpoint 2 hours before departure.
Which still means you may need to arrive at the airport 2.5 hours (or more) before a domestic flight if you’re checking bags or need extra time to get to the checkpoint.
I mentioned that fact online and never expected to get so many responses about how horrible people thought that airport was. I mean, we heard things like:
“Orlando airport is the worst!!!”
“We went through MCO last Wednesday and it was insane, took almost an hour.”
“In November we were over 2 hours!”
“I flew out of Orlando the other week and it took us around 2.5 hours…”
“MCO is always packed.”
MCO queue, Terminal A, not that long ago. Zig-zag queue 100% full and overflow reaching towards the food court that’s halfway between Terminal A and Terminal B // PC: Jamie K.
Granted, my husband and I have lived in Central Florida for over 23 years and yes, it’s gotten more and more crowded as time has gone on. But with having TSA PreCheck for the past decade or so, and CLEAR for a few less years than that, we haven’t paid as much attention to the regular line. Well, short of a “Wow, look how long the regular line is!” in passing. But when you think about it, there are plenty of reasons why MCO can sometimes be more challenging, and take up more time, than other airports:
Rapid growth has changed everything
In 2008, MCO ranked 22nd busiest in the U.S. By 2018, it was Florida’s busiest and 10th busiest nationally. In 2021, it hit #7 — and in recent years it’s hovered near the top 10, including #7 in 2023 and #9 in 2024, depending on the dataset used.
MCO just opened a huge, multi-billion-dollar third terminal (Terminal C – here’s how it looked on opening day) a couple of years ago, which they’re already expanding. They also completed a massive multi-year renovation of terminals A & B, which included putting in as many scanners and TSA officers as they could. Even the in-airport Disney store got relocated to make more room for TSA.
It’s not a businessperson’s airport
Orlando International Airport isn’t a business-heavy airport in the way places like Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles are. The majority of its passengers are leisure travelers—many of whom fly only once or twice a year.
That matters at the security checkpoint. Infrequent flyers are more likely to move slowly, search for documents at the last minute, and miss instructions they haven’t internalized through repetition. None of that is intentional, but multiplied across thousands of passengers, it adds significant time to the screening process.
Infrequent flyers slow the line (even when they’re trying)
Many travelers passing through MCO aren’t familiar with TSA procedures, which creates friction at every stage of the line. Jackets stay on until the scanner. Liquids are buried deep in carry-ons. Boarding passes and IDs are retrieved only when it’s finally their turn.
Each small delay is minor on its own. But when most of the line consists of travelers learning the process in real time, those seconds compound quickly.
A lot of the people who go through MCO are children
Orlando is one of the most family-heavy airports in the country, and that changes the pace of security screening. Children’s items—strollers, car seats, toys, blankets—still need to be scanned, even if kids themselves have fewer screening requirements.
Managing multiple bags, multiple people, and sometimes emotional children inevitably slows the process. Multiply that across dozens of families in the queue, and it becomes clear why security at MCO rarely moves quickly.
And yes, MCO is one of the airports that offers the new (ish) queue specifically for families, but many families might not be aware of it and end up in the regular line anyway.
Traveling is stressful. When you’re stressed, you shut down
Travel is stressful, especially in crowded environments like major airport security checkpoints. When people are tired, overstimulated, or rushing to make a flight, their ability to process instructions drops sharply.
In that state, repeated announcements and shouted directions don’t always register. Travelers may hear the instructions, or see the signs they passed, but not fully understand or act on them until the last moment—often when a TSA officer intervenes directly. That delay doesn’t just affect one passenger; it slows the entire screening process behind them.
This is where frustration on both sides tends to peak. TSA officers are trying to keep the line moving, while travelers are struggling to keep up. The result can feel chaotic, even when everyone is technically doing what they’re supposed to do.
And at an airport like MCO, where crowds are large and turnover is constant, that tension shows up more often than at business-heavy hubs.
None of this means MCO is poorly run—it means the airport is designed around a very different passenger mix.
Our take on it
MCO is clearly under pressure—but not because it’s failing. Its long security lines are the product of rapid growth, a tourism-heavy passenger mix, and the challenge of moving millions of infrequent travelers through a complex system. It may be frustrating, but it’s also understandable, and preparation remains the most reliable way to make the experience easier.
For travelers who want to reduce stress, our guide to getting through TSA and X-ray screening more efficiently may help.
Feature Photo: MCO/Twitter
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