ORLANDO, Fla. – MCO is anticipating Monday will be the busiest day of the Memorial Day holiday weekend at the Orlando International Airport.
More than 176,000 passengers are predicted to pass through and that would be yet another record.
Since the pandemic, each holiday period at MCO has been busier than the last. This Memorial Day holiday travel period, MCO is expecting 6% more traffic than this time last year, which broke the previous record. AAA predicted Central Florida will yet again be the number one travel destination in the country.
One of the biggest challenges at MCO always during peak periods is finding a place to park at the airport.
Here are some hacks from News 6 anchor Erik von Ancken, who frequently reports on the airport.
Parking hack #1
There are several offsite places to park that usually have space. Check them out first - or as a last resort. Search South Semoran Boulevard, Narcoossee Road and Frontage Road.
Parking hack #2
If you want to park on airport property, the bigger the holiday, the trickier it is. So check MCO’s website before you leave your house!
MCO has a parking section on its website that’s always updated, so you’ll know which parking lots are open, which ones are full and how much they all cost. And there’s a detailed map showing where all the lots are so you’ll know exactly where to go.
On Monday morning, the parking website showed all lots were available except for Valet Parking in Terminal C.
Parking hack #3
Don’t forget about the new spots! MCO has added 2,000 more spaces over the past year, including several hundred across from the train station connected to the new Terminal C. There are three new surface lots there that most travelers don’t even think about checking. But you’ll need a SunPass or E-PASS to get in or out.
Parking hack #4
If you can afford it, reserve it. You can make a reservation for parking in the Terminal C garage on the fourth floor to guarantee your space. Click here.
Reserved parking is $8 more per day - $32 instead of $24 in the garages.
Parking hack #5
This is a win-win for everyone, but everyone needs to do it for it to work. There are two free cellphone waiting lots at the airport - a North and South. The map on the MCO website shows where they are. Parking - Orlando International Airport (MCO) (orlandoairports.net)
One reason traffic is often terrible leading up to the terminals on busy days is because drivers keep circling the terminals even when their passengers aren’t ready to be picked up.
So until your passenger is at the curb ready for pickup, wait in the cell phone lots to thin out some of the traffic.
As for navigating the TSA checkpoint, we have one more hack for you: Make a reservation to skip the line!
If you do it far enough in advance, you can go to the front of the Clear line at the security checkpoint.
It’s called MCO Reserve, it’s free, open from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Click here https://mco.clearme.com/
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