Metro Orlando Airport News

[shardoon]

Looks like phase 2 was increased in size fron 16 to 24 gates. This will be a huge expansion as this will be more than double the size of the existing terminal C even including the current expansion that is underway. Still, no mention of an airtrain, which will be an absolute necessity with this large of an expansion. I read somewhere that is will be ground level somewhere and not on the roof. 

https://www.orlandoairports.net/press/2023/10/19/goaa-board-looks-to-the-future-with-funding-and-planning-approvals/

 

[shardoon]

Huge international expansion by Southwest. I wonder if they are planning on absorbing the gates abandoned by spirit once the jetblue merger goes through. 

https://thepointsguy.com/news/southwest-airlines-30-new-routes-florida-flights-schedule-extension/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR2LJC9fv04f2NdrfKYUM_6rdOU7mPGf4iAP4ILef_e8b9YF-V57GFdMcEg

[jrs2]

On 10/27/2023 at 7:00 AM, shardoon said:

Huge international expansion by Southwest. I wonder if they are planning on absorbing the gates abandoned by spirit once the jetblue merger goes through. 

https://thepointsguy.com/news/southwest-airlines-30-new-routes-florida-flights-schedule-extension/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR2LJC9fv04f2NdrfKYUM_6rdOU7mPGf4iAP4ILef_e8b9YF-V57GFdMcEg

wow. they want to compete with international direct flight carriers already leaving OIA.  And, the perk to having them purchase Airtran yields another benefit to MCO with this change...the crew base that's here.  I'm assuming it was Airtran's originally...

[codypet]

On 10/27/2023 at 7:00 AM, shardoon said:

Huge international expansion by Southwest. I wonder if they are planning on absorbing the gates abandoned by spirit once the jetblue merger goes through. 

https://thepointsguy.com/news/southwest-airlines-30-new-routes-florida-flights-schedule-extension/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR2LJC9fv04f2NdrfKYUM_6rdOU7mPGf4iAP4ILef_e8b9YF-V57GFdMcEg

That would be interesting.   While they do occupy Terminal A they'd be operating separate wings of Terminal A with separate security gates.  So an international flight on SW connecting through Orlando to another city would require someone to run through the whole airport.

[jrs2]

34 minutes ago, codypet said:

That would be interesting.   While they do occupy Terminal A they'd be operating separate wings of Terminal A with separate security gates.  So an international flight on SW connecting through Orlando to another city would require someone to run through the whole airport.

Are they the exclusive tenant of Airside 2?

[shardoon]

14 hours ago, codypet said:

That would be interesting.   While they do occupy Terminal A they'd be operating separate wings of Terminal A with separate security gates.  So an international flight on SW connecting through Orlando to another city would require someone to run through the whole airport.

True. They really need to figure out a sterile circulator tram or people mover for these airsides. The current design makes it really difficult if not impossible. 

[Jerry95]

Hopefully Southwest use Airside 4 for the international flights since it’s a sterile connection to the current Southwest gates. International arrivals are screwed either way since the have to go through TSA after clearing customs.

[shardoon]

58 minutes ago, Jerry95 said:

Hopefully Southwest use Airside 4 for the international flights since it’s a sterile connection to the current Southwest gates. International arrivals are screwed either way since the have to go through TSA after clearing customs.

It got me thinking, a sterile circulator is possible. If it run via a loop on the inside prt of the airside APM's and the gets really elevated by the main terminal building, possibly between arrivals level and the parking garages. 

[codypet]

10 hours ago, Jerry95 said:

Hopefully Southwest use Airside 4 for the international flights since it’s a sterile connection to the current Southwest gates. International arrivals are screwed either way since the have to go through TSA after clearing customs.

Delta I think is exclusively Airside 4.  I know whenever I work with their group it's always referred to as "Deltas terminal"  none of the other terminals get mentioned like that.

 

On 10/28/2023 at 9:47 PM, jrs2 said:

Are they the exclusive tenant of Airside 2?

I believe so now.  Back in the day,  they shared the terminal with Virgin America and AirTran.  That said I think someone else has 3 gates there now.   The rest I believe is Southwest.

[jrs2]

22 hours ago, Jerry95 said:

Hopefully Southwest use Airside 4 for the international flights since it’s a sterile connection to the current Southwest gates. International arrivals are screwed either way since the have to go through TSA after clearing customs.

this would make the most sense and cost the least for convenience sake if the alternative would be to build a sterile connector like @shardoonwas thinking.

that means they would have to reshuffle some airlines' gate locations with this in mind.  

oddly enough, for that Boston trip I took, Airside 4 was kind of not very busy (compared to airsides 1 & 3 on the other side...

[shardoon]

1 hour ago, jrs2 said:

this would make the most sense and cost the least for convenience sake if the alternative would be to build a sterile connector like @shardoonwas thinking.

that means they would have to reshuffle some airlines' gate locations with this in mind.  

oddly enough, for that Boston trip I took, Airside 4 was kind of not very busy (compared to airsides 1 & 3 on the other side...

I am pretty certain international Southwest flights already arrive in the Delta terminal

[codypet]

Well this tells me even though you may be in Terminal A, that doesn't mean you won't end up in the Delta Terminal.  Dang.    That said, seems like they don't currently use the Delta terminal for SW, but doesn't mean they won't.     I can see Frontier moving exclusively to the western airsides.   Also this shows me the airport isn't above making people run through the whole airport to catch connecting flights.

Edited October 30, 2023 by codypet

[jrs2]

2 hours ago, codypet said:

Well this tells me even though you may be in Terminal A, that doesn't mean you won't end up in the Delta Terminal.  Dang.    That said, seems like they don't currently use the Delta terminal for SW, but doesn't mean they won't.     I can see Frontier moving exclusively to the western airsides.   Also this shows me the airport isn't above making people run through the whole airport to catch connecting flights.

LOL.  See DFW, ORD, Hartsfield...and Boston Logan.  I took an Intl flight back over and had to walk across the entire terminal in that elevated walkway to connect.

[shardoon]

17 hours ago, codypet said:

Well this tells me even though you may be in Terminal A, that doesn't mean you won't end up in the Delta Terminal.  Dang.    That said, seems like they don't currently use the Delta terminal for SW, but doesn't mean they won't.     I can see Frontier moving exclusively to the western airsides.   Also this shows me the airport isn't above making people run through the whole airport to catch connecting flights.

This is not accurate. I have taken Southwest to Montego Bay many times and they always use the Delta terminal for arrivals. Of note, there is also a customs station, although smaller than the Delta terminal in one of the west side airsides. Do not remember which one. 

[codypet]

40 minutes ago, shardoon said:

This is not accurate. I have taken Southwest to Montego Bay many times and they always use the Delta terminal for arrivals. Of note, there is also a customs station, although smaller than the Delta terminal in one of the west side airsides. Do not remember which one. 

Well I guess that explains why people claim to be confused when they try to find their flights at OIA.

Incidentally there's a viral video going around of some Australian guy trying to make his way through the airport claiming OIA is the worst airport to try to navigate.   Ironically enough he asks for directions 3 times, and 2/3 times he was given the right directions, he just opted to either ignore them or didn't understand what they were telling him.

Edited October 31, 2023 by codypet

[shardoon]

A new international destination for Spirit coming soon. They just announced daily direct flights to the new airport in Tulum that will be opening soon. This is great news as this avoids a 1.5 to 2 hour car ride to the Cancun airport. 

[blt23]

2 hours ago, shardoon said:

This is not accurate. I have taken Southwest to Montego Bay many times and they always use the Delta terminal for arrivals. Of note, there is also a customs station, although smaller than the Delta terminal in one of the west side airsides. Do not remember which one. 

Airside 1 (20s gates) previously did international arrivals but that facility has not been used/staffed since Terminal C opened so  now all north terminal airlines have to do international arrivals at Airside 4.

[shardoon]

8 hours ago, blt23 said:

Airside 1 (20s gates) previously did international arrivals but that facility has not been used/staffed since Terminal C opened so  now all north terminal airlines have to do international arrivals at Airside 4.

Do you know what other airlines are moving to terminal C? There were press releases, but never named the airlines......

[codypet]

Presumably when everyone who's moving to C moves, couldn't the vacated airsides get an extensive renovation and the remaining airlines reshuffle inside the old terminals to make their lives more efficient?

[shardoon]

This is the formal press release........ pretty exciting for OIA

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/11/02/southwest-airlines-to-shift-bulk-of-international-operations-to-orlando/

[aent]

On 11/1/2023 at 10:10 AM, codypet said:

Presumably when everyone who's moving to C moves, couldn't the vacated airsides get an extensive renovation and the remaining airlines reshuffle inside the old terminals to make their lives more efficient?

That was originally the plan, but my understanding is with the explosive growth and demand, they should reassign the gates more quickly and wait for a future phase of terminal C to be built before trying to do an extensive renovation.

[jrs2]

https://floridayimby.com/2023/11/orlando-international-airport-sets-stage-for-terminal-cs-phase-two-expansion.html

this looks like an article that they just released about what was announced three weeks back...

 

[shardoon]

On 11/2/2023 at 1:55 PM, shardoon said:

This is the formal press release........ pretty exciting for OIA

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/11/02/southwest-airlines-to-shift-bulk-of-international-operations-to-orlando/

Of note, most of these flights will count double for passenger counts since Southwest is using us as a pseudo spoke and wheel hub. 

1 hour ago, jrs2 said:

https://floridayimby.com/2023/11/orlando-international-airport-sets-stage-for-terminal-cs-phase-two-expansion.html

this looks like an article that they just released about what was announced three weeks back...

 

Really hope a passenger train for inter terminal C transport is part of this phase. 

[jrs2]

3 hours ago, shardoon said:

Of note, most of these flights will count double for passenger counts since Southwest is using us as a pseudo spoke and wheel hub. 

Really hope a passenger train for inter terminal C transport is part of this phase. 

So, like, if someone in Broward flies to South America, they'll leave FTL and connect at MCO, right?

[shardoon]

44 minutes ago, jrs2 said:

So, like, if someone in Broward flies to South America, they'll leave FTL and connect at MCO, right?

Yes, but the main connections will come from the rest of the country