A Word of WARNING If You're Traveling Through the Orlando Airport Soon

If you’re traveling soon, you need to brace yourself! The new year is here, but holiday travel isn’t over just yet.

Orlando International Airport

According to Orlando International Airport, the year’s busiest travel days are coming up soon. Nearly 3.1 million passengers are expected to travel during this season, but we have a few tips to help make that easier.

This holiday season has seen record-breaking numbers when it comes to travel. The travel season runs from Friday, December 19th, 2025, until January 5th, 2026, so we still have a few days to go. Compared to last year, this travel season has seen an increase of 2.6% in overall passenger traffic at MCO.

Orlando International Airport crowds

The busiest day of the season has yet to happen! MCO anticipates that January 3rd will be the busiest day with roughly 196,212 total passengers arriving at and departing from MCO. Sunday, January 4th, comes in a close second place with an estimated 195,960 passengers. On January 5th, the airport is expecting approximately 185,556 travelers.

Orlando International Airport

If you’re one of these thousands, we have a few tips up our sleeve to make your travel experience a little easier. If you’re seriously cautious about time, arrive at least 2 to 3 hours ahead of your flight. This might feel excessive, but if you’re checking a bag or even just going through regular security, MCO can see some serious lines. Our mentality on every travel day is “better safe than sorry.”

Airport crowds

If you’re running behind and worried about lines, don’t forget you can check MCO’s security wait times online. This can help you gauge what your wait will look like before you even get to the airport. You can find these right on the airport’s website.

©MCO

If you’re driving in, MCO also offers a reserved parking feature. This guarantees you a parking spot without searching for an empty one. All you need to do is head here to MCO’s website. After that, you’ll select your arrival and departure dates before booking. You can prepay for your parking with ease. It will sell out, so don’t hesitate if you want to use this feature.

Parking at MCO

If you don’t have TSA PreCheck or Clear+, you can also skip those long security lines for FREE! MCO offers something called MCO Reserve. This service lets you select your flight and arrival time so you can go through a shorter security line. The time slots are only 15 minutes long, so if you miss it, you miss it! You can adjust your time if there are available time slots, but they fill up fast. This service has saved us on seriously busy days.

If you’re traveling with pickier eaters, it’s also important to remember to pack snacks! On busy days, security times might take up any chance you have to grab a snack, and if you’re looking for specific items, it might take up too much time. Even as nonpicky eaters, we like to have a little something on hand at all times. We’ve had several long travel days where unexpected time changes hit, and the only food we were able to grab was snacks on the plane or whatever we had on hand.

Let’s hop on a flight!

We even study the airport maps before our connecting flights. If you have more than one flight and less than an hour between each, it’s important to know where you’re going! We like to know the best way to get from gate to gate, so there’s no confusion and less stress on an already overwhelming day.