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Orlando International Airport

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Orlando International Airport (IATA: MCO, ICAO: KMCO) is an airport located in Orlando, Florida. It is the busiest airport in Florida, owing to Orlando's popularity as a tourist destination and its enormous residential and commercial growth. The airport serves as a hub for Delta Connection carrier Chautauqua Airlines and a focus city for US Airways, Southwest Airlines, and AirTran Airways. In 2004 it was visited by 31.1 million passengers, making it the 14th busiest airport in the United States and the 24th-busiest in the World.

History

View of the interior of MCO, showing the on-site hotel rooms

Before 1974, the land the airport now sits on was largely owned by the United States Air Force who 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 under control of the city of Orlando for just one year, 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.

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 tallest control tower.

Eastern Airlines 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 most of its large aircraft operations from Orlando and focused its service there on regional jet flights.

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 and SR 417, use these systems for automatic toll collection.

Structure and function

People mover stop

Orlando International Airport has a single main terminal connected by people mover to four airside terminals. Airsides 1 and 2 use baggage claim "A", while airsides 3 and 4 use baggage claim "B."

Airside 1 (gates 1-29)

People mover infrastructure

Airside 2 (gates 100-129)

  • AirTran Airways (Akron, Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, Bloomington, Charlotte, Chicago/Midway, Dallas/Fort Worth, Dayton, Detroit, Flint, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Moline, Newport News, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Rochester (NY), Washington/Dulles - starts Feb. 15, 2006)
  • JetBlue (Boston, Newark, and New York/JFK)
  • Southwest Airlines (Albany, Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Birmingham (AL), Buffalo, Chicago/Midway, Columbus, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Hartford, Houston/Hobby, Indianapolis, Islip, Jackson, Kansas City, Louisville, Manchester (NH), Nashville, New Orleans, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Providence, Raleigh/Durham, St. Louis, San Antonio, San Diego)

Airside 3 (gates 30-59)

  • Air Canada (Calgary, Halifax(starts Feb. 4), Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto)
  • Excel Airways (London/Gatwick)
  • Hooters Air (Scranton)
  • Independence Air (Knoxville and Washington/Dulles)
  • Northwest Airlines (Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids(starts Jan. 2006), Indianapolis, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul)
  • Spirit Airlines (Atlantic City, Chicago/O'Hare, Detroit, Ft. Lauderdale, Montego Bay, Nassau, New York/LaGuardia, San Juan)
  • United Airlines (Los Angeles and San Francisco)
    • Ted (Chicago/O'Hare, Denver, Washington/Dulles)
  • US Airways (Albany, Baltimore, Buffalo, Charlotte, Columbus, Fort Lauderdale, Harrisburg, Hartford, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Syracuse, Washington/Reagan)

Airside 4 (gates 60-99)

  • Aeroméxico (Mexico City)
  • British Airways (London/Gatwick)
  • Condor (Frankfurt and San Jose (CR))
  • Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Salt Lake City)
    • Atlantic Southeast Airlines dba Delta Connection (Dallas/Ft. Worth, Oklahoma City, Tulsa)
    • Chautauqua dba Delta Connection (Asheville, Birmingham (AL), Charleston (SC), Columbus, Dayton, Fort Lauderdale, Greensboro, Greenville (SC), Huntsville, Key West, Knoxville, Lexington, Little Rock, Louisville, Miami, Mobile, Nashville, Nassau (Bahamas), Panama City, Pensacola, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Tallahassee)
    • Comair dba Delta Connection (Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Columbia, Greensboro, Greenville (SC), Huntsville, Kansas City, Miami, Nashville, Nassau (Bahamas), Norfolk, Panama City, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, San Antonio)
    • Freedom Airlines dba Delta Connection (Akron/Canton, Austin, Baton Rouge, Birmingham (AL), Columbia, Dayton, Fayetteville, Jackson, Knoxville, Little Rock, Louisville, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Tri-Cities (TN))
    • Song (Boston, Hartford, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Newark, New York/JFK, New York/LaGuardia, San Francisco, San Juan)
  • Frontier Airlines (Denver)
  • Icelandair (Keflavik)
  • Midwest Airlines (Kansas City, Milwaukee)
  • Sun Country Airlines (Minneapolis/St. Paul)
  • Virgin Atlantic (London/Gatwick and Manchester (UK))
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Orlando International Airport.

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