DisneyDining Disney Dining Plan and Reviews
Flying is a quick and convenient way to travel but let’s face it: It can often be a down right hassle! No one will ever accuse air travel as being a relaxing and stress free way to go but we do it because it gets us to the magic quicker! I can drive to the Walt Disney World Resort in 8.5 hours or I can fly and be there in just over an hour. Guess which one I usually pick…
Credit: Midder Music
If you’re flying down to Disney though, you’ll likely arrive and depart from one of the country’s most frustrating airports. I’ve long wondered if it was just pre-vacation excitement and post-vacation blues that caused me to dread MCO so much but I have recently discovered I’m not alone! Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation, Family Destinations Guide recently identified Orlando International Airport as the leader when it comes to overall poor travel experience.
Credit: Orlando International Airport
The reasons for this are many, but delayed and/or canceled flights top the list! 2022 saw 3.52% of the 108,330 flights that passed through MCO canceled. Of the remainder, 67.81% arrived on time while 28.24% were delayed. That isn’t good.
Oftentimes, flight delays and cancellations are unavoidable. Mechanical issues or weather conditions prevent on time departure (and occasionally prevent departure at all). This hurricane season, for example, saw an unprecedented multi-day closure at MCO when Hurricane Ian blew through.
Credit: Orlando International Airport
Avoidable or not, though, no one likes delays and the fact that the rate of delay is so high at MCO means you’ll want to allow extra time to account for flights that may not arrive/leave when they are due to. It’s so tempting to want to plan your trip from the second you land (I’ve done it. I once had a dining reservation scheduled for 1 hour after I landed) but you may want to allow extra time before your fun starts to make sure you’ll actually be there for your reservation.
