Metro Orlando Airport News

[jack]

2 hours ago, jrs2 said:

so now what?  is it just going to continue escalating out of control?  During the Boom, talk was of concrete shortage because of China.  So, now what?

Last I heard, material prices are going down but labor is still going up canceling each other out. We expect it to be flat for the rest of the year. However, concrete is going up for who knows why. But development is slowing down nation wide because of overall costs have been unsustainable so we may see a slight reduction. 

[shardoon]

My elderly parents just returned from a trip that had jet blue as their return leg. They experienced terminal C for the first time. They had nothing but complaints regarding the long walk and how sterile and boring the terminal was with the blank walls.  they also complained about a long wait for their luggage, much longer than their usual wait.  They said many people on different flights were waiting and were complaining. 

Honestly, maybe the cutting of the corners with internal transport along with the gazillion dollar "high tech" baggage system wasn't the pathway they should have taken. I guess we could have learned from the Denver fiasco, but didn't. Now we are married to it and I hope they fix things. This was only small phase, so hopefully they can change things with future phases instead of duplicating it. However, I do believe the baggage situation is a tar pit that we may not be able to get out of any time soon.  

[jrs2]

So...they have visible construction on Phase 1b...the 4 gates.  Also, something next to the Intermodal. But, no visible work being done yet on the walkway connecting C to the intermodal.

[jrs2]

https://orlandoairports.net/press/2023/06/21/goaa-board-approves-next-step-in-terminal-c-pedestrian-bridge-construction/

GOAA BOARD APPROVES NEXT STEP IN TERMINAL C PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION

450' pedestrian bridge with adjacent car rental facility...

“More importantly, as we implement this pedestrian bridge, are the number of items we put back, including the moving walkways, building out the rental car lobby the way it needed to be and using a new procurement process that got us to the best technical with the lowest price,” 

https://allears.net/2023/06/02/update-on-2-big-changes-that-could-be-coming-to-the-orlando-airport/

Edited June 27, 2023 by jrs2

[jrs2]

https://news.jetblue.com/latest-news/press-release-details/2023/JetBlue-Sets-Plan-for-200-Daily-Flights-at-Orlando-International-Airport-Starting-With-New-Daily-Service-to-the-Dominican-Republic-Out-For-Sale-Starting-Today/default.aspx

this is from March.  Interesting read about JetBlue's expansion of flights/ service in Orlando ala their merger with Spirit.

[codypet]

On 6/24/2023 at 7:49 AM, jrs2 said:

So...they have visible construction on Phase 1b...the 4 gates.  Also, something next to the Intermodal. But, no visible work being done yet on the walkway connecting C to the intermodal.

 

 

Looks like the surface parking is going in too.

[jrs2]

19 hours ago, codypet said:

Looks like the surface parking is going in too.

was wondering about that.  was that part of the plan?  (surface parking there)

[codypet]

A couple of construction "audibles" are happening for the interim.

[jrs2]

4 hours ago, codypet said:

A couple of construction "audibles" are happening for the interim.

I haven't seen a plan yet, but it appears that the elevated connector bridge will have the rent-a-car desks/ facility adjacent to it.  I am assuming they are expanding the garage for that?  

[jrs2]

4 hours ago, codypet said:

A couple of construction "audibles" are happening for the interim.

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/03/06/trekking-from-orlando-international-airports-new-terminal-c-to-the-old-terminals-relief-is-coming/

this article had said the money would fund "up to 8 gates".

So, when they say 8 gates, do they mean that each of those four towers will each have 2 jetways so that they can use each for either a jumbo jet or two smaller jets, hence 8 gates?

[AndyPok1]

I'm intrigued to see how having the rental counters on the side of the bridge are going to work.  Hopefully there's never more than a person or two at the counter...

[jrs2]

um...old news from 1984.

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by jrs2

[codypet]

Huh.  I didn't realize the hangars south of the airport were down there.  (Where Terminal C is today)

Ahhhhh!  I know what it is!  This image is flipped.  I thought it was looking south, but its actually looking north, but of course the tower and the original airsides are on the west side.

Edited June 29, 2023 by codypet

[jrs2]

in this shot, they are expanding to accommodate Airside 4, The Hyatt, and expansion of the landside A/B Terminal and parking decks circa 1989-90, or, 1988-89.

 

[jrs2]

I'm not really sure where to post historic photos of MCO, but...these begin in like 1979-80 through 1981-82ish...

Pretty darn cool...

[codypet]

17 hours ago, jrs2 said:

in this shot, they are expanding to accommodate Airside 4, The Hyatt, and expansion of the landside A/B Terminal and parking decks circa 1989-90, or, 1988-89.

 

Brightline 30 years later slices right through the middle of that parking lot in for the foreground now.

[blt23]

On 6/28/2023 at 3:30 PM, jrs2 said:

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/03/06/trekking-from-orlando-international-airports-new-terminal-c-to-the-old-terminals-relief-is-coming/

this article had said the money would fund "up to 8 gates".

So, when they say 8 gates, do they mean that each of those four towers will each have 2 jetways so that they can use each for either a jumbo jet or two smaller jets, hence 8 gates?

Correct, each pier will accommodate one jumbo or two A320/B737 family planes. And these gates are using a different pier design than the rest of the terminal which allows for the two smaller planes to have completely separate simultaneous operations. 

On 6/28/2023 at 7:13 PM, AndyPok1 said:

I'm intrigued to see how having the rental counters on the side of the bridge are going to work.  Hopefully there's never more than a person or two at the counter...

It's going to be a dedicated area to the north of the bridge, not just counters along the edge of the walkway. 

[shardoon]

Just broke the 54 million rolling 12 month passengers mark with May added in. On average, we are adding 400 to 600k more as each new month gets added in. Should pass 56 million by the end of the year. 

Edited July 4, 2023 by shardoon

[jrs2]

On 6/30/2023 at 8:56 PM, blt23 said:

Correct, each pier will accommodate one jumbo or two A320/B737 family planes. And these gates are using a different pier design than the rest of the terminal which allows for the two smaller planes to have completely separate simultaneous operations. 

It's going to be a dedicated area to the north of the bridge, not just counters along the edge of the walkway. 

Howdy.  So if its to the north, then they'll be building up and filling in that opening the bridge will have between it and the garage to the north, right? i.e., they'll expand the garage down to the brisdge?

[jrs2]

On 7/4/2023 at 2:09 PM, shardoon said:

Just broke the 54 million rolling 12 month passengers mark with May added in. On average, we are adding 400 to 600k more as each new month gets added in. Should pass 56 million by the end of the year. 

well, I hope Disney fires Kathleen Kennedy b/c she has destroyed the brand with her woke agenda.  The reason I care and am posting it here is because internationally, people are rejecting Disney's media (Little Mermaid and now Indy).  If that failure at the box office spills over to the parks...then...those numbers may not continue growing at that rate...but, perhaps Universal will pick up some of that slack with their new offerings...

But, Disney aside, a handful of airlines have made MCO an international gateway to Latin America and those routes are being complimented annually by other new routes and carriers.

[jrs2]

1 hour ago, shardoon said:

I had a friend send me pics from Epcot and it is so empty.

https://insidethemagic.net/2023/07/walt-disney-world-crowds-vanish-parks-at-their-emptiest-in-10-years-cj1/

that's what I feared might happen.  Granted, it's hot as ballz, but when has that ever stopped a tourist from going to Disney? Never.  

So, the airport numbers...do you think non-Disney O&D 'reasons' are beginning to make up a significantly higher percentage of flights thru MCO than compared to years past?

[Uncommon]

3 hours ago, jrs2 said:

that's what I feared might happen.  Granted, it's hot as ballz, but when has that ever stopped a tourist from going to Disney? Never.  

So, the airport numbers...do you think non-Disney O&D 'reasons' are beginning to make up a significantly higher percentage of flights thru MCO than compared to years past?

I went  today and despite the rain, lightning and ugly skies, it was very busy. I shudder to think what weekends look like.

[shardoon]

41 minutes ago, Uncommon said:

I went  today and despite the rain, lightning and ugly skies, it was very busy. I shudder to think what weekends look like.

A lot of annual passes were blocked out July 4th week. Maybe that's why is was empty.  Maybe most of the routine crowds on random days are locals, and you block that out, it isn't as busy as we think. On another note, I just read an article that for 2 months straight, tourist bed taxes decreased. 

So as far as the record airport traffic, maybe we are getting a bump from MCO getting more of a hub status with connections. 

[Alleri459]

7 hours ago, shardoon said:

A lot of annual passes were blocked out July 4th week. Maybe that's why is was empty.  Maybe most of the routine crowds on random days are locals, and you block that out, it isn't as busy as we think. On another note, I just read an article that for 2 months straight, tourist bed taxes decreased. 

So as far as the record airport traffic, maybe we are getting a bump from MCO getting more of a hub status with connections. 

This is purely anecdotal, but I know three people in different cases within the last year where they connected through MCO. 

DCA > MCO > LAX: American

ORD > MCO > IAH: Frontier

(Can't rember origin) > MCO > MEX: either Delta or American and then Aeromexico 

So there has to be an increase in airlines feeling more comfortable using MCO for connections. 

On another note, based on comments from United flight attendant friends, the airline may look into adding routes and more frequencies from MCO. The airline is increasing the small 200 flight attendant MCO satellite base to 1,000 (which is still relatively small and a test). This is on top of the recent pilot base addition adding 300 MCO-based pilots and the long established United Maintenance Hub. 

Edited July 8, 2023 by aleonrivera

[shardoon]

7 hours ago, aleonrivera said:

This is purely anecdotal, but I know three people in different cases within the last year where they connected through MCO. 

DCA > MCO > LAX: American

ORD > MCO > IAH: Frontier

(Can't rember origin) > MCO > MEX: either Delta or American and then Aeromexico 

So there has to be an increase in airlines feeling more comfortable using MCO for connections. 

On another note, based on comments from United flight attendant friends, the airline may look into adding routes and more frequencies from MCO. The airline is increasing the small 200 flight attendant MCO satellite base to 1,000 (which is still relatively small and a test). This is on top of the recent pilot base addition adding 300 MCO-based pilots and the long established United Maintenance Hub. 

That is interesting. I do not believe United has any real presence in the Southeast with a Hub. Houston and Washington are the closest. Would work nicely if they were interested in a Major Latin America and Caribbean expansion., but they would need to capture a lot more gates. If the jet blue merger with spirit goes through, they will have to fight Fronteir for those abandoned spirit gates in the North Terminal.