With more airlines resuming service and constant upgrades at our airports, it is increasingly easy to meet in Orlando.
Updated September 28, 2021
If your organization is ready to travel for business again or already doing it, you’ll be glad to know that many of the biggest airlines have resumed service to Orlando or are scheduled to do so in the near future. What’s more, upgrades at Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) continue to improve our already impressive airlift, all while keeping safety front and center. We look forward to hosting you again soon!
Learn more: Orlando Transportation
Please note: Depending on the timing of your visit, some experiences may be temporarily modified. Learn more about healthy business travel in Orlando, and check with your preferred businesses for their current status.
Airline Updates at Orlando International Airport
Airlines Resuming Domestic Service to Orlando Through December 2021
If your organization has been waiting on your preferred airline to resume service to Orlando, check this list. You can also view Orlando International Airport’s latest flight updates at OrlandoAirports.net. (Please note that all scheduled flights are subject to change.)
October 2021
- Frontier Airlines: Columbus, OH; Des Moines, IA; New York/Stewart, NY
- Spirit Airlines: Cartagena, Colombia — Oct. 1 & 4, 2021 only (*); Manchester, NH
- WestJet: Calgary, Alberta (*)
November 2021
- Alaska Airlines: San Francisco, CA
- Avelo Airlines: New Haven, CT
- Frontier Airlines: Bloomington, IL; Burlington, VT; Cartagena, Colombia — resumes permanent service Nov. 18, 2021 (*); Cedar Rapids, IA; Colorado Springs, CO; Cozumel, Mexico (*); El Paso, TX; Fargo, ND; Fayetteville/Springfield, AR; Ft. Myers, FL; Green Bay, WI; Harlingen, TX; Kansas City, MO; Knoxville, TN; Liberia, Costa Rica (*); Little Rock, AR; Madison, WI; Montego Bay, Jamaica (*); Nassau, Bahamas (*); Omaha, NE; Pensacola, FL; Phoenix, AZ; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (*); San Salvador, El Salvador (*); Sioux Falls, SD
- Southwest Airlines: Syracuse, NY
- Spirit Airlines: Cartagena, Colombia (*); Miami, FL; Pensacola, FL; San Salvador, El Salvador (*)
- Sun Country Airlines: Madison, WI
December 2021
- Aer Lingus: Manchester, England (*)
- Air Canada: Quebec City, Quebec (*)
- Avianca Airlines: Cali, Colombia (*)
- Frontier Airlines: Antigua & Barbuda (*); Belize City, Belize (*); Providenciales, Turks & Caicos (*)
(*) – Subject to government approval/removal of travel bans/opening of borders.
Frontier Airlines
This low-fare carrier has announced 17 new non-stop routes to Orlando, including several connecting to domestic destinations. Launching in late 2021, Frontier’s new Orlando routes are scheduled to include:
- Antigua & Barbuda
- Belize City, Belize
- Bentonville, AR
- Cedar Rapids, IA
- Cozumel, Mexico
- El Paso, TX
- Fargo, ND
- Fort Myers, FL
- Harlingen, TX
- Liberia, Costa Rica
- Montego Bay, Jamaica
- Nassau, The Bahamas
- New Windsor, NY
- Pensacola, FL
- San Salvador, El Salvador
- Sioux Falls, SD
- Turks & Caicos
United Airlines
This popular airline is giving passengers access to virtual, on-demand customer service at their hubs, resulting in an easy, contact-free way to get real-time information and support. Just scan the QR codes displayed on signage throughout United’s hub airports, including MCO, to call, text or video-chat live with a representative via “Agent on Demand.” They can provide answers to any questions you might have, including queries about seat assignments, upgrades, flight status and more. It’s also multilingual thanks to the service’s translation functionality.
Hawaiian Airlines
This airline is now offering two weekly flights between Honolulu and Orlando International Airport, making the latter the only airport in Florida to offer direct access to and from the Aloha State.
Ongoing Enhancements at Orlando Airports
Upcoming Improvements
Already ranked as J.D. Power & Associates’ No. 1 mega airport in the southeastern U.S. in terms of customer satisfaction, Orlando International Airport is adding a new South Terminal Complex (STC) that is expected to open in 2022 and is the cornerstone of MCO’s $3.82 billion Capital Improvement Program.
Once the STC is complete, the airport will gain 15 new gates capable of accommodating up to 20 aircraft simultaneously, including narrow-body, jumbo and super-jumbo jets, allowing for an additional 10-12 million annual passengers. The terminal’s first Passenger Boarding Bridges (PBBs) were installed in May 2021, providing a clear sign that preparations are moving toward completion.
Designed as the world’s first LEEDv4 airport campus, the STC will also benefit from numerous technological and customer-convenience features. Travelers can look forward to:
- 100% automated screening lanes at the TSA checkpoint;
- Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-enabled Tote Baggage Handling System for efficient tracking and expedited checked-baggage delivery;
- Early Bag Storage robotic system with 1,800-bag capacity, making MCO the only airport in the world to deploy the full system;
- Virtual Ramp Control system for airline aircraft operations; and,
- Large-scale interactive digital media displays providing immersive, high-definition visual experiences.
Regarding the STC’s innovative baggage-handling system, the most noticeable elements will be the revolving carousels, which, unlike other airports, will be located on the same level that passengers deplane, with bags literally rising up to meet their owners. In addition to heightened convenience and a striking visual effect, the baggage-handling area’s skylight canopies and floor-to-ceiling windows will provide a pleasing welcome to Central Florida.
Offering more vertical circulation than a traditional conveyer-belt system, the STC’s RFID-enabled tote system will be the key to transporting baggage from the ground to top levels. Other benefits provided by the tote system will include significant noise reduction compared to a traditional system, the ability to run at over 99% up time, the near-complete elimination of baggage jams, and the ability to reroute totes and baggage around areas closed for maintenance.
MCO is also set to become the country’s first airport to be served by intercity rail with the anticipated arrival of Brightline high-speed rail in 2022. This will enable the 3-story South Terminal to offer seamless integration of air, ground and rail transportation, thanks to its adjacent positioning to the South Airport Automated People Mover (APM) Complex and Intermodal Terminal Facility.
Meanwhile, Orlando Sanford International Airport’s $65 million expansion and renovation project is nearly complete. In addition to adding a bigger and brighter ticketing hall, the upgrades include options for curbside check-in and extended canopies over external doors. SFB is located about 35 minutes north of Orlando’s main convention district.
Safety Enhancements
Orlando International Airport has long been committed to the safety of passengers and employees. It’s why MCO and its onsite Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport worked hard to earn the Global Biorisk Advisory Council’s (GBAC) Star Accreditation — the gold standard of safe venues, and two of many Orlando facilities to earn the distinction (including the Orange County Convention Center).
Our primary airport has also developed an enhanced cleaning schedule and implemented updated security procedures from the TSA, while requiring that all 22,000 badged airport employees wear facial coverings inside airport public areas. And thanks to MCO’s personal protective equipment (PPE) vending machines, travelers have fast access to a variety of face masks, hand sanitizers and similar equipment.
Orlando Sanford International Airport is similarly partnering with government officials and the CDC to help protect you. As a result, Orlando continues to be one of the nation’s safest destinations for air travel.
REAL ID Coming in 2023
Starting May 3, 2023, anyone planning on flying to Orlando for business or pleasure will need to secure REAL ID-compliant identification prior to departure.
Passed in 2005, the REAL ID Act will require a REAL ID-compliant card issued by a state’s driver’s-licensing agency or an acceptable alternative for all domestic U.S. travelers ages 18 and up who wish to fly on commercial aircraft. Acceptable alternatives will include Enhanced Driver’s Licenses (EDLs) issued by Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington, as well as U.S. passports.
Most states have already begun issuing REAL ID-compliant identification for new cards and renewals. Depending on your state of residency, REAL ID cards will display a gold star, a black star, a gold circle with white star, a black circle with white star, or (in California only) a gold bear with white star.
If you or your meeting attendees haven’t started the process to get your REAL ID or acceptable alternative yet, start soon — we would hate for anyone to miss the chance to meet in Orlando!
