Metro Orlando Airport News

[shardoon]

You know, I believe the traffic is going to bounce back a heck of a lot sooner than their projections. In fact, their projections were already blown out of the water. Is it too late to put phase 1A back on the table? 

[jrs2]

On 1/6/2021 at 2:17 PM, smileguy said:

 

MCO Starts 2021 as Busiest Airport in the U.S.

https://ftnnews.com/aviation/40969-mco-starts-2021-as-busiest-airport-in-the-u-s 

wow.  impressive.  how is MCO with mostly O&D flights busier than Hartsfield, LAX, O'Hare, Denver, even McCarren during this period?  I can see JFK because NYC is pretty much shut down.  LAX perhaps b/c of CA being mostly shut down.  O'Hare for similar reasons.  Vegas though?  Even DFW in TX? 

Everyone on these boards should "like" this post because this news means that the good management of MCO is making it known that OIA and Orlando/ Disney/Universal is/are open for business.   Florida can really take advantage of this lockdown situation and get a leg up on these other markets if they can maintain efficiency with the covid protocols, etc., and keep risks low.

Not to bring up politics, but, just as a reminder, per this last election, CA, CO (Denver Intl), Nevada, Illinois, New York, and GA all went blue.  Florida is a red state and is open for business.  Like it or not to anyone on these boards that is politically biased towards party ideology, MCO is benefiting from this big time.  And based on the fact that only 2 people "liked" this post, myself and Spencer, either everyone else missed this post altogether, just doesn't care, or, they want DeSantis' policies to fail to prove his ideology wrong and theirs right.  I recall general dislike a couple of years back when a majority of this forum frowned on talk of CA's failure with HSR; apples and oranges, but I see a potentially similar trend here,  Hopefully I'm wrong on this observation.

[gibby]

1 hour ago, jrs2 said:

Not to bring up politics, but,

lol

[spenser1058]

Norwegian Air giving up long-haul flights to exit insolvency:

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2021-01-14/norwegian-gives-up-long-haul-flying-in-plan-to-exit-insolvency?__twitter_impression=true

From Bloomberg 

 

In Florida, this will affect flights at MCO and FLL.

[elefants]

3 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Norwegian Air giving up long-haul flights to exit insolvency:

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2021-01-14/norwegian-gives-up-long-haul-flying-in-plan-to-exit-insolvency?__twitter_impression=true

From Bloomberg 

 

In Florida, this will affect flights at MCO and FLL.

Wow that's disappointing.  They were my favorite airline for sub $400 round trip tickets to Europe.

[FLheat]

Yeah, once had roundtrip non-stop to Oslo for $199.

BTW, Here are pictures from Terminal C

Skywalk from Parking to APM lobby and APM lobby.  This is currently used for employee parking.

 

Edited January 15, 2021 by FLheat

[jrs2]

So I hear today that there are a lot of people flying into OIA and the rest of Florida to get covid vaccines from up north because their respective states don't have their acts together.  This is aiding MCO's good numbers.  Like it or not to anyone who sees politics in this statement, it is what it is.

[codypet]

@jrs2Channel 9 did a story on this a couple of days ago and they keep following up on it.  Apparently having to do with Florida's lax rules related to getting a vaccine.  Some people coming in so far as Canada to get a vaccine. Link to the article

[spenser1058]

13 minutes ago, codypet said:

@jrs2Channel 9 did a story on this a couple of days ago and they keep following up on it.  Apparently having to do with Florida's lax rules related to getting a vaccine.  Some people coming in so far as Canada to get a vaccine. Link to the article

Typical. Letting the tourists come first.

[spenser1058]

[nite owℓ]

On 1/15/2021 at 7:40 PM, spenser1058 said:

Typical. Letting the tourists come first.

At face value, it seems pretty bad. To be fair I wouldn't consider them "tourists" per se, because they have the legal status to travel, quarantine on each side per the guidelines and remain here long enough to receive the 2nd dose. IMO, if they own property here, pay taxes and are legal residents then I don't see the problem.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canadian-snowbirds-covid-19-vaccine-florida-1.5877867

"He said he also believes that reports of Canadians flocking to the state to get the vaccine are overblown, because there are plenty of hurdles. On top of securing a vaccine appointment, you must test negative for COVID-19 before travelling to Florida (effective Jan. 26); stay in Florida for up to a month to get the second dose; receive another negative COVID-19 test before returning to Canada; and quarantine for 14 days upon your return."

Edited January 19, 2021 by nite owℓ

[spenser1058]

Deleted

Edited January 20, 2021 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

Nonstop service from PHX to MCO on Frontier coming in March:

https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2021/01/22/frontier-airlines-begins-new-flights-from-phoenix.html?ana=maz

From OBJ 

[AmIReal]

Orlando Executive (ORL) had one of its busiest years despite Covid. Or did it... "Because of COVID-19 safety protocols, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reduced Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) operating hours, which affected a comprehensive tally of overall activity. During the hours the FAA did not staff the tower, ORL staff provided the activity data. As a result, there is a variance between the official stats showing an overall decrease compared to 2019 and the unofficial count showing a nearly double-digit increase."

I don't understand- either you're up or you're down, but how can you be both? Maybe someone here can better explain it.

Also, the article mentions development of surrounding property and mentions the SE edge, where the Expressway Authority is.

https://ftnnews.com/aviation/41113-orlando-executive-airport-celebrates-impressive-activity-in-2020

[codypet]

Are they inferring that GOAA padded the numbers?

Quote

The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) is currently in the process of exploring areas of potential development on ORL property. The Authority is in negotiations with firms to take over management of Colonial Promenade. The mall, located between the airport and Colonial Drive, has undergone substantial renovation in the past year and has 17 build-to-suit units available for lease. Revenues generated from this and other GOAA-owned properties in the area help fund ORL activities.

That place has been renovated in the last year?  It looks worse than its ever looked.

Quote

In addition, the Authority is looking to develop property in ORL’s southeast quadrant. The 12-acre parcel near the intersection of S.R. 408 and Andes Avenue offers a central location with access to major interstates. Under consideration is the construction of a warehouse distribution center that would service ground transportation of goods for transfer to area businesses.

May I recommend, Giant Mulch Pile?

[jack]

15 hours ago, AmIReal said:

Orlando Executive (ORL) had one of its busiest years despite Covid. Or did it... "Because of COVID-19 safety protocols, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reduced Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) operating hours, which affected a comprehensive tally of overall activity. During the hours the FAA did not staff the tower, ORL staff provided the activity data. As a result, there is a variance between the official stats showing an overall decrease compared to 2019 and the unofficial count showing a nearly double-digit increase."

I don't understand- either you're up or you're down, but how can you be both? Maybe someone here can better explain it.

Also, the article mentions development of surrounding property and mentions the SE edge, where the Expressway Authority is.

https://ftnnews.com/aviation/41113-orlando-executive-airport-celebrates-impressive-activity-in-2020

Looks like the FAA only counts traffic when the tower is staffed assuming no one is flying when its closed. This year, there must have been many flights outside of the window of the tower being staffed. They should look at total activity for real numbers but since they have never down that, it will be hard to compare. 

[spenser1058]

Spirit is adding nonstop service to Louisville and direct service to Milwaukee from MCO:

Spirit Airlines adding Orlando routes, expecting surge in summer travel
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/transportation/os-ne-spirit-airline-poised-for-rebound-20210226-blz265nn3jcebe2zboqk2gdwmi-story.html

From The Sentinel 

[Jerry95]

MCO posts a South Terminal Complex update on their YouTube channel:

 

[shardoon]

Anybody have inside news about lounges in the South Terminal? Centurion?

[sethM]

18 hours ago, shardoon said:

Anybody have inside news about lounges in the South Terminal? Centurion?

It’d made sense to have another Club at MCO location, they seem to be very successful with their two current lounges. 

I doubt Amex would target MCO with a new lounge, I’m just not sure where they could build and have it make sense.

[shardoon]

Centurion is expanding to many locations. I'm keeping my fingers crossed as the south terminal is not limited by space like the North Terminal

[shardoon]

Frontier continue to expand in MCO. Adding St Maarten and Costa Rica flights. We potentially will be full hubs / focus cities for Frontier, Jetblue, Southwest, and Spirit. 

I flew out of MCO last week and they were busy as heck. Like I said before, I am upset that they suspended the phase 1A expansion of the South terminal. However, interestingly enough, when taxiing by the South Terminal, it appears that they have the concrete structures for each gate all built up  for the 1A expansion (kind of like elevator shafts built first on a wooden apartment building).  Are they simply going to leave it looking like an unfinished building construction site? That will look horrible. 

[spenser1058]

Also, OBJ is reporting that the airport’s head honcho, Phil Brown, is looking to retire. No progress on a search yet so he’ll still be on board for a while.

[spenser1058]

Well. Passenger traffic may have declined in 2020 at OIA but our rankings still managed to increase. Who knew?

We moved up to #26 busiest in the (from 31) world and #8 in the US (from tenth). Woohoo!

Sorry for no link. I was waiting for Neo to do his thing with updates and it went away overnight, I’m trying to find it again.

 

Edited April 25, 2021 by spenser1058

[codypet]

Wonder how much of that had to do with our relatively loose shut down compared to other states/countries.