Orlando International Airport (MCO) has shared new stats about its year-to-date visitor volume in 2025, as well as projections for peak holiday travel from Christmas through early 2026. With the vast majority of Walt Disney World guests relying on MCO, we figured it be worth quickly covering this–as well as sharing travel tips to avoid meltdowns and missed flights.
For starters, the Great Orlando Aviation Authority just shared MCO’s monthly report for September and the airport’s 2025 fiscal year. Passenger traffic increased by 2.3% for the month, with domestic passenger traffic up 2.6%. That marked the third consecutive monthly increase for domestic traffic, which was a turnaround as contrasted with the year-plus prior.
International passenger traffic was up by a more meager 0.9%. However, it is worth noting that MCO has reported increases for international traffic every month since April 2021, with several double-digit increases. It’s been an interesting contrast with broader numbers, suggesting that Central Florida is at least somewhat insulated from overarching trends.
The fiscal year total for Orlando International Airport stands at 56.8 million annual passengers, which was down 2.6% year-over-year. The average daily volume was more than 155,000 passengers per day. For the year as a whole, domestic traffic was down 4.4%; international traffic was up 9.2%.
For the last couple of years, MCO has largely been treading water. The GOAA originally forecast a record-breaking 60 million passengers last year, or a 10% increase from 2023’s record 57.7 million passengers. Due to a slowdown in the second half of the year, the actual number ended up being 57,211,628.
In part, these numbers are due to infrastructure. Both the addition of the new Terminal C, which has given the airport a higher ceiling, and capacity limitations, which have prevented MCO from meeting organic demand during periods of higher travel. This is a big driver behind Orlando International Airport’s Big $6 Billion Expansion & Enhancement Plan.
Orlando International Airport (MCO) is preparing for what could be a record-breaking holiday travel season, with nearly 3.1 million passengers expected to arrive and/or depart during the Christmas and New Year’s travel period.
The travel season, which runs from the weekend before Christmas (right now!) through Monday, January 5th, 2026, shows an increase of 2.6% in overall passenger traffic.
Here’s a chart of projections from Orlando International Airport:
The busiest days for arrivals this coming week will be Sunday, December 20th and Monday, December 21st. The following week follows a similar pattern, with Saturday through Tuesday being consecutive days of 90,000+ arrivals. It’s once again a similar story in early January 2026, with even higher arrival numbers from Friday, January 2nd through Monday, January 5, 2026.
Departures follow an almost identical pattern. All told, the busiest day at MCO will be Saturday, January 3, 2026 with approximately 196,212 total passengers arriving and departing MCO. Sunday, January 4, 2026 comes in second with 195,960 travelers.
None of this should be a huge surprise to regular readers. The next three weeks all make our list of the 10 Worst Weeks to Visit Walt Disney World in 2025 & 2026. In fact, the weeks leading up to Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and the first week of January 2026 are all among the worst weeks of the year.
The week of NYE is almost always #1 and by a very wide margin. The week leading up to Christmas is usually #3, with the first week of January being #2. Those rankings are for the entire year. Only Easter is close to as bad as this trio, and maybe Mid-Winter Break in 2026 due to the confluence of two holidays. But even that probably won’t come close to the Christmas to early January stretch.
The heavy crowds in the first week or so of January often surprises people. It’s due to holiday breaks being ongoing, lower prices, and Annual Pass blockouts lifting, among other factors. Expect peak holiday crowds to relent on January 5, 2026. Crowd levels won’t drop to low levels immediately (as evidenced by ongoing high visitor volume at MCO), but as contrasted with the previous few weeks, it’ll feel like it!
Crowds don’t truly drop to low or moderate levels until the following week, usually around the Sunday of the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend. That’ll be January 11, 2026. Even so, it’s not uninterrupted stretches of low crowds after, as the start of ticket deals, holiday weekends, runDisney events, Mid-Winter Break, Mardi Gras and more will throw monkey wrenches into Winter 2026 crowd levels. Expect a lot more up and downs, with (thankfully) a few lulls in between.
With expected record traffic at Orlando International Airport, passengers are encouraged to heed the following suggestions and tips to help save time and enhance their overall travel experience…
MCO is encouraging passengers to use the FlyMCO website or Orlando MCO app to stay current about airport operations. We would second this recommendation, and advise utilizing these resources during any busier dates, storm season, school breaks, or any time the weather forecast suggests there might be delays–so in other words, pretty much always!
We flew into MCO recently during what was expected to be a busy holiday travel period (at least upon arrival–departure was a different story). Our experience was completely uneventful. Our flight landed early, deplanned quickly, and our suitcases were at baggage claim in record time.
If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought it was still the off-season and things were business as usual. In fact, all of my recent experiences at MCO have been fairly uneventful since around August. Clearly I just got lucky, as the stats tell a totally different story–and I trust those over my own anecdotal experiences.
During peak travel periods, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority advises arriving at least three hours in advance of your flight at MCO to allow time for luggage drop-off, ticketing and security processing. You should be at your gate one hour before boarding.
We experienced the need for this earlier than normal arrival first-hand and documented it in Our Awful Airport Experiences at Walt Disney World from last Christmas. Those were major problems getting from Walt Disney World to MCO, and then at the Delta counter for self-service luggage drop. That line ended up taking me over an hour. Just to drop off a bag and verify my ID.
Passengers without TSA PreCheck or CLEAR+ can book a time to go through airport security using the free MCO Reserve service. (We’ve never used this, but I’ve heard positive feedback, albeit limited. If anyone here has used it, we’d love more MCO Reserve reviews!)
When traveling with gifts, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recommends not wrapping them beforehand. TSA officers will open wrapped packages for inspection. As always, adhere to the TSA 3-1-1 rules. No fluids or gels over 3.4 ounces, place them in one quart-size bag, and only one bag per traveler.
Our more generalized guidance (and it’s probably too late for any of this to be applicable since you’ve hopefully already booked airfare), would be giving yourselves as much flexibility as possible.
The week before Christmas through the first week of January 2026 aren’t just peak season for airports around the country, they’re also winter. This means snow, delays, and limited excess bandwidth if something goes wrong. Something many travels learned the hard way a couple of years ago when Southwest had a system-wide meltdown right after New Year’s.
When flying this time of year, we recommend nonstop flights whenever possible. If there’s a major airport with nonstop flights that’s a bit farther from you, opt for that as opposed to a closer regional airport with a layover. The fewer ‘moving parts,’ the better.
We also recommend using a major legacy airline, like Delta or United. Avoid ultra low-cost carriers, especially the ones that fly fewer routes, don’t have reciprocal relationships with other airlines, and are less responsive when issues arise since they compete on price and not customer service. There isn’t a chance on earth that I’d be flying Frontier, Breeze or Spirit right now. Maybe you’ll get lucky, but that’s just playing with fire.
If you’re eligible, use the free Airport Luggage Transfer at Walt Disney World. Not having to hassle with baggage drop-off or handling your own luggage at the airport is both a time-saver and stress-reliever during busier times of year at MCO. (It’s really too bad this didn’t roll out to more resorts before peak season!)
We would also caution against using Mears Connect for returning to the airport (from MCO to WDW is fine). Although we’ve never had issues, we’ve heard horror stories, and with the likelihood of increased delays in getting through security, your margin for error is much more slim.
As noted above, there are times throughout the year when Orlando International Airport is hitting a soft ceiling on its operational capacity. Especially during late December and January, the airport is bursting at the seams and has unsatisfied demand. That’ll be even worse in 2025-2026, even as the airport sets new records on visitor volume.
Anyone who has traveled through MCO in the last few years has probably experienced this dynamic (unless you travel during the off-season or have gotten very lucky!). It doesn’t really matter what time of year, what time of day, etc. The airport is almost always busy–much busier than it was back in 2019.
Seating areas at the gates are so full that they’ve added overflow seating to walkways, and those are now full. The parking lots routinely are full, there’s traffic congestion just dropping people off or making pickups, lines to get through TSA are often 30+ minutes–you get the idea.
Seriously, heed the airport’s advice and arrive 3 hours early during peak season. I know it’s popular to ignore “conventional wisdom” when it comes to airport arrival times, and many people will do just fine cutting it closer. But is it really worth rolling the dice?
I’ve encountered more long lines and delays getting to my gate at MCO than any other airport. I can safely arrive at SNA like ~30 minutes before my flight. I’d never even consider anything less than 90 minutes at MCO–even when I’m flying solo with no checked bags.
It’s just not worth the risk–and it is a risk, even if you’ve been lucky in the past!
Ultimately, if you’re flying into or out of Orlando International Airport as part of a holiday-time trip to Walt Disney World, you need to pack your patience…and your politeness. Part of the reason MCO is bursting at the seams is infrastructure, but another part is staffing.
One ‘solution’ to all of this that we can all agree on is Walt Disney World bringing back Disney’s Magical Express. You might think I’m kidding, and that this is simply a tortured excuse for mentioning the defunct airport shuttle service, but even GOAA and MCO officials agree that DME should return. If you don’t believe me, check out Will Disney’s Magical Express Airport Shuttle Ever Return? I’m 100% serious! Clearly the return of DME is the remedy for all that ails the airport!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What do you think about the Orlando International Airport setting a new record for peak season travel? Have you flown through MCO this holiday season or during the Christmas and New Year’s rush post-2019? What was your experience? Thoughts on GOAA and MCO recommending the promotion of a service like Disney’s Magical Express and approving funding to subsidize it? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
