ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

'Orlando International Airport' ^[1] is a public airport located six miles (10 km) southeast of the central business district of Orlando, a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is the busiest airport in Florida (by the number of passengers) owing to Orlando's popularity as a tourist destination and its enormous residential and commercial growth.
The airport serves as a mini-hub for Delta Connection carriers Chautauqua Airlines and Freedom Airlines and a focus city for AirTran Airways, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways. The airport also hosts AirTran's corporate headquarters, though the airline maintains its main hub of operations at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. The airport will also be home to a JetBlue training facility.
In 2006 it was visited by 34.8 million passengers, making it the 13th busiest airport in the United States and the 23rd-busiest in the World. It is the nation's 15th busiest international gateway, behind Philadelphia International Airport; JFK International in New York City ranks first.^[2]
Floridians often joke that the airport code MCO stands for "Mickey's Corporate Office" or "Mickey and Co." – Orlando being the location of the Walt Disney World Resort – but it actually stands for the airport's former name, McCoy Air Force Base, named for Colonel Michael N. W. McCoy, who died during an annual competition held at the base.
The Greater Orlando area is also served by Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB), and more indirectly by Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB) and Melbourne International Airport (MLB). The Miami airspace, however, is still larger as it includes the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Miami International Airport, and Palm Beach International Airport.

Contents

History

Structure and function

Airside 1 (gates 1-29)

Airside 2 (gates 100-129)

Airside 3 (gates 30-59)

Airside 4 (gates 60-99)

See also

References

External links

History

Before 1974, the land the airport now sits on was largely owned by the United States Air Force, which operated an airbase there. The base was known as 'McCoy Air Force Base' and the civilian airport was known as the 'Orlando Jetport at McCoy'. Commercial service to the Jetport began in 1962 as flights were migrated from the old Herndon Airport, now the Orlando Executive Airport. The airport was turned over to the City of Orlando in 1974, and in 1975 the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) was founded. Their mission was to manage and build the Orlando International Airport and the Orlando Executive Airport. The airport gained its current name and international airport status a year later in 1976, but kept its old IATA airport code 'MCO' and ICAO airport code 'KMCO'. It became a U.S. Customs Service foreign trade zone in 1978, and an FAA large hub airport in 1979.
In 1978, construction of the North Terminal and Airside 1 began. They opened in 1981. The International Concourse, now known as Airside 3, opened in 1984. Funding to commence developing the east side of the airport was bonded in 1986, with Runway 17/35 (now 17R/35L) completed in 1989 and Airside 4 opened in 1990. Airside 3, which filled out the North Terminal, was completed in 2000, with the last additional gates added in 2006. Runway 17L/35R was opened in 2003.
In 1978, MCO handled 5 million passengers. By 2000, that number had soared to 30 million. Today, MCO covers 23 square miles (60 km²), and is the third-largest airport in the United States by area (after Denver and Dallas). MCO also has North America's second tallest control tower.
MCO is a designated Space Shuttle emergency landing site. The west-side runways, Runway Complex 18/36, were designed to accommodate B-52 Stratofortress bombers; and due to their proximity to John F. Kennedy Space Center, were an obvious choice for an emergency landing should an attempt to land at KSC fall short. [1]
Eastern Air Lines used Orlando as a hub during the 1970s and early 1980s, and became "the official airline of Walt Disney World." Following Eastern's demise, Delta Air Lines assumed this role, although it later pulled much of its large aircraft operations from Orlando, and focused its service there on regional jet flights, specifically with Comair, Freedom Airlines, and Chautauqua Airlines - all part of the Delta Connection system.
In 2004, Hurricane Charley caused some damage to the airport when it struck on the evening of August 13.
On February 22, 2005, MCO became the first airport in Florida to accept E-Pass and SunPass toll transponders as a form of payment for parking. The system allows drivers to enter and exit a parking garage without pulling a ticket or stopping to pay the parking fee. The two toll roads that serve the airport, SR 528 (Beachline Expressway) and SR 417 (Central FL GreeneWay), use these systems for automatic toll collection.
In October 2006, MCO opened a 100-space Cell Phone Parking Lot for drivers to use while waiting for passengers to arrive. The lot is set-up as a free Wi-Fi Hotspot enabling drivers to use their mobile devices to access the Internet, check e-mail, and monitor flight status. Around the same time MCO opened an Express Pickup service at each terminal allowing drivers to park their vehicles temporarily at a secure location just outside of baggage claim and meet their arriving party in person. A fee is charged for this service and is only available to E-Pass and SunPass users.
Plans to build a South Terminal, which initially would be dedicated to international traffic, and possibly more runways on the south side of the property, evaporated during the recession immediately following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Structure and function

Orlando International Airport has a single main terminal building, connected by people mover to four airside terminals. There are passenger check-in and baggage claim facilities on the main terminal building's north side (referred to as Terminal A), and on the building's south side (referred to as Terminal B). Airsides 1 and 2 use baggage claim "A", while airsides 3 and 4 use baggage claim "B." Unlike its smaller counterpart at Tampa International Airport, MCO's airsides are much larger in capacity.
Arriving ''international'' passengers who require immigration and/or customs clearance are processed through those checkpoints in the airside terminal where they arrive. After clearing US immigration, passengers collect their baggage and clear US customs. They must then turn in their baggage to have it transported to the main terminal. International passengers then ride the people mover to the main terminal, where they can reclaim their baggage a second time in one of the main terminal's baggage claims. Because the people mover is located inside the secure part of the airport, international passengers must go through a security inspection upon leaving the customs area.

Airside 1 (gates 1-29)

★ Air Canada (Calgary, Halifax, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto-Pearson)

★ Air Jamaica (Kingston, Montego Bay)

★ Air Transat (Montréal, Toronto-Pearson)

★ Alaska Airlines (Portland (OR) [begins September 9], Seattle/Tacoma)

★ American Airlines (Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York-JFK [begins December 13], New York-LaGuardia, San Juan, St. Louis)

★ Bahamasair (Nassau)

★ CanJet (Moncton, Montréal, Québec City)

★ Continental Airlines (Cleveland, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark)

★
★ Continental Connection operated by Gulfstream International Airlines (Freeport, Key West, Miami, Nassau, Tallahassee)

★
★ Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines (Houston-Intercontinental)

★ Copa Airlines (Panama City)

★ Martinair (Amsterdam, San José (CR))

★ Midwest Airlines (Kansas City, Milwaukee)

★ SkyValue

★
★ SkyValue operated by Xtra Airways (Gary/Chicago) [seasonal]

★ Sun Country Airlines (Minneapolis/St. Paul)

★ USA 3000 Airlines (Chicago-O'Hare, Cleveland)

★ WestJet (Calgary [seasonal], Halifax [seasonal], Hamilton, Montréal [seasonal], Ottawa [seasonal], Toronto-Pearson)

Airside 2 (gates 100-129)

★ JetBlue Airways (Aguadilla, Boston, Burlington (VT) [begins January 10], New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Newark, Newburgh, Ponce, San Juan (PR), Syracuse, Washington-Dulles, White Plains)

★ Southwest Airlines (Albany, Albuquerque, Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Birmingham (AL), Buffalo, Chicago-Midway, Cleveland, Columbus (OH), Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Hartford, Houston-Hobby, Indianapolis, Jackson (MS), Kansas City, Las Vegas, Long Island/Islip, Louisville, Manchester (NH), Nashville, New Orleans, Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Providence, Raleigh/Durham, San Antonio, St. Louis, Washington-Dulles)

Airside 3 (gates 30-59)

★ Northwest Airlines (Detroit, Flint [seasonal], Grand Rapids [seasonal], Indianapolis, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul)

★ Spirit Airlines (Atlanta, Atlantic City, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Nassau, San Juan)

★ United Airlines (Los Angeles, San Francisco)

★
★ Ted operated by United Airlines (Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, Washington-Dulles)

★ US Airways (Baltimore/Washington, Bermuda, Charlotte, Columbus (OH) [seasonal], Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington-Reagan)

★
★ US Airways operated by America West Airlines (Las Vegas, Phoenix)

★
★ US Airways Express operated by Air Wisconsin (Key West) [begins October 7]

★
★ US Airways Express operated by PSA Airlines (Washington-Reagan)

Airside 4 (gates 60-99)

★ Aer Lingus (Dublin) [begins October 29]

★ Aeroméxico (Mexico City)

★ AirTran Airways (Akron/Canton, Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, Bloomington, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago-Midway, Dallas/Fort Worth, Dayton, Detroit, Flint, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Moline/Quad Cities, New York-LaGuardia [begins November 17], Newburgh, Newport News/Williamsburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland (ME), Raleigh/Durham [begins February 14], Richmond, Rochester (NY), San Diego [seasonal], St. Louis, Washington-Dulles, White Plains)

★ British Airways (London-Gatwick)

★ Condor (Frankfurt)

★ Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, Boston, Cancún [begins February 2], Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Hartford, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Salt Lake City, San Juan)

★
★ Delta Connection operated by Chautauqua Airlines (Columbus, Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, Greenville/Spartanburg, Louisville, Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Tallahassee)

★
★ Delta Connection operated by Comair (Birmingham (AL), Blountville/Tri-Cities, Charleston (SC), Columbus, Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, Greenville/Spartanburg, Knoxville, Lexington, Little Rock, Nashville, Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Tallahassee)

★
★ Delta Connection operated by Freedom Airlines (Asheville, Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Birmingham (AL), Blountville/Tri-Cities, Columbia, Dayton, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Walton Beach, Huntsville, Key West, Knoxville, Lexington, Little Rock, Miami, Nashville, Nassau, New Orleans, Newport News/Williamsburg [seasonal], Panama City (FL), Pensacola, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Tallahassee)

★ Frontier Airlines (Denver, Memphis)

★ Lufthansa (Frankfurt) [begins October 30]

★ Virgin Atlantic Airways (Glasgow-International [seasonal], London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK))

See also

★ B-52 Memorial Park

★ Innovation Way

References

1. Great Circle Mapper: MCO / KMCO - Orlando, Florida
2. http://www.bts.gov/publications/us_international_travel_and_transportation_trends/html/table10.html#1

External links

★ Orlando Airports (official site)

★ History of MCO's Terminals

★ Orlando Airport Shuttles

★ Orlando Airport to Port Canaveral

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