Walt Disney World’s Airport Luggage Transfer program is expanding again, with JetBlue passengers becoming eligible for the baggage-handling service at select Disney Resort hotels beginning September 24, 2026. The change gives more domestic travelers a way to bypass baggage claim at Orlando International Airport (MCO) and have checked luggage transferred between the airport and participating resorts.
For longtime Disney travelers, the setup may sound familiar. It restores one of the conveniences once associated with Disney’s Magical Express, but it does not restore the complimentary airport transportation that disappeared when Disney’s Magical Express officially retired in January 2022.
JetBlue Joins Disney World Airport Luggage Transfer
JetBlue becomes the fourth reported participating airline, joining American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. The service remains limited to six Disney Resorts Collection hotels: Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, All-Star Music Resort, All-Star Sports Resort, Art of Animation Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort, and Pop Century Resort.
That resort list has also been growing. Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort recently became the first Moderate Resort included in the program, an expansion reported by Disney Dining in August.
There is one publication-day caveat. Disney’s official Airport Luggage Transfer page identifies the offering as a BagCheck-provided pilot and confirms the six participating hotels, but the version accessible at publication still lists only American, Southwest, and United. Multiple September 24 reports identify JetBlue as the newest carrier. Guests flying JetBlue should therefore confirm eligibility on Disney’s page or through BagCheck before relying on the service.
The Part of Magical Express That Came Back
The resemblance to Magical Express is difficult to miss. Before that program disappeared, eligible Disney Resort guests could pair airport transportation with luggage handling, creating a comparatively seamless path from the airport into the Disney vacation “bubble.”
Disney announced in 2021 that Magical Express would no longer be offered for arrivals beginning January 1, 2022. Inside the Magic covered the original shutdown announcement and the questions it immediately created for travelers accustomed to complimentary airport transportation.
Disney’s archived Magical Express guidance shows just how integrated the old system was: guests could use Disney transportation from MCO while Disney handled eligible luggage separately. Today’s Airport Luggage Transfer revives the bag-handling piece, not the transportation package.
That distinction matters. After Magical Express ended, travelers were left to arrange alternatives, including rental cars, rideshare services, taxis, and paid motorcoach transportation. Mears Connect emerged as one of the direct successors to the airport-to-resort transportation function, but it was not a complimentary Disney replacement.
How the BagCheck Service Works
For eligible arrivals, Disney says guests can register in advance, check their luggage through their participating airline, and then skip baggage claim after landing at Orlando International Airport. BagCheck handles the transfer to the participating Disney hotel.
Disney advises allowing up to four hours from flight arrival for luggage to reach the resort. Guests can collect bags from Luggage Assistance/Bell Services or request room delivery; gratuities are not included. Disney also advises keeping medications, electronics, important documents, and other essentials in carry-on luggage.
The service works in reverse for departures. Guests can deliver eligible luggage to their resort’s Luggage Assistance/Bell Services between 24 hours and four hours before departure, then travel to MCO without taking those checked bags with them. The official page says normal airline baggage fees still apply.
For families comparing the new setup with the airport options that followed Magical Express, that creates a useful convenience: bags and people no longer necessarily need to travel together.
What JetBlue Passengers Still Have to Arrange
This is where the Magical Express comparison stops. Airport Luggage Transfer does not itself provide a ride between MCO and Walt Disney World.
JetBlue guests using the service still need separate ground transportation. That may mean a paid shuttle, rideshare, taxi, rental car, or another available transportation provider. In other words, a family can potentially walk away from the airport without waiting at baggage claim, but it cannot simply board a complimentary Disney motorcoach as guests once did.
The JetBlue addition is nevertheless notable at MCO. Greater Orlando Aviation Authority documents identify JetBlue with Terminal C, while American and United operate from Terminal B and Southwest from Terminal A. Expanding baggage transfers across another major airport terminal broadens the program’s practical reach.
It also underscores why calling Airport Luggage Transfer a full Magical Express replacement would be inaccurate. Disney has restored a piece of the old arrival-and-departure experience while leaving the actual airport ride outside the service.
Disney’s Airport Program Could Keep Growing
Disney’s official page calls Airport Luggage Transfer a pilot and explicitly says additional airlines could be added. It also warns that the service is subject to change or cancellation, meaning travelers should verify participation close to their trip.
The expansion from Value Resorts to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, combined with the reported JetBlue addition, shows that the pilot is still evolving. What Disney has not announced is a return of Magical Express itself or a new complimentary airport shuttle.
For now, JetBlue passengers at the six participating resorts gain one more way to remove luggage from the airport equation. The old all-in-one Disney airport experience remains gone, but another piece of it is returning for more travelers—one suitcase at a time.
