Orlando (MCO) TSA wait times
Security at Orlando International Airport is running about 15 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 10 to 20 minutes at noon on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 5 minutes.MCO security is about 15 minutes now, usually 10 to 20 at this hour. Busiest 5 to 7 AM and 5 to 7 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 10 to 20 minutes now
Down 11 min since 6 am.
How long is security at Orlando, and when is MCO busiest?
So how long is security at Orlando? The left chart shows the Orlando security wait time hour by hour, built from MCO's own departure schedule. The right ranks the days of the week by how long the wait gets. The calmest window is 10 AM to 2 PM; plan around the 5 to 7 AM and 5 to 7 PM rushes.Calmest 10 AM to 2 PM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through MCO? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Sanford (SFB) and Melbourne (MLB), or every airport in Florida.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| noon (Now) | 22 flights | 15 min |
| 1 pm | 24 flights | 16 min |
| 2 pm | 25 flights | 18 min |
| 3 pm | 25 flights | 17 min |
| 4 pm | 28 flights | 20 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Terminals and security at MCO
Which airline you fly decides your terminal. Terminal A runs the longest lines here. The per-terminal minute is modeled from each terminal's share of departures, not measured. All terminals connect after security, so a quieter checkpoint is an option.
Flying out of Orlando: what to know
Airsides you cannot cross after security
Orlando has secure zones that do not mix after screening. The main terminal splits into an A side and a B side, each with its own checkpoint feeding two airsides reached by an automated people mover; once you ride out to an airside you stay there until your flight. The newer Terminal C is a separate building with its own checkpoint. So clear at the checkpoint for your specific airside or terminal.
PreCheck and CLEAR at every checkpoint
MCO has dedicated TSA PreCheck lanes at all three of its checkpoints, and CLEAR staffs all three as well. For travelers without either, the free MCO Reserve service books a timed screening slot. The thing to get right is which airside your gate is on, because PreCheck and CLEAR still deliver you into one fixed airside with no airside path to the others.
Leisure peaks and reading your gate first
As a major leisure gateway, Orlando runs busiest in the mornings and across holiday and school-break peaks, when lines at the main terminal checkpoints can stretch. Check your boarding pass first for the airside or terminal your gate sits in, because the west and east checkpoints each serve their own airsides and Terminal C is a separate building. Entering at the wrong checkpoint means a long backtrack, since there is no airside path between them.
MCO security, common questions
How early should I get to MCO?
For a domestic flight out of Orlando, plan to be inside the terminal about an hour before departure, and about an hour and a half for an international one. That covers a 20 to 35 minute checkpoint queue at the Monday peak plus the walk to the gate. Outside the peak you can safely trim it; the calculator above works it out from your actual departure time.
What is the busiest time at MCO security?
Monday around 6 am, when 34 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Friday at 3 am, at roughly 6 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at MCO?
At the Monday peak it turns a 20 to 35 minute queue into something closer to 9 minutes. Over a five year membership that is worth it if you fly more than about three round trips a year through an airport this busy. The trusted traveler calculator prices it against your own flying.
When does security open at MCO?
Orlando International Airport does not publish checkpoint opening hours in any national feed, so we will not invent them. What the schedule does show is that the first departures leave around 2 am, and checkpoints generally open about two hours before the first flight of the day.
How long is security at Orlando?
At the Monday peak around 6 am, the standard lane at MCO typically runs 20 to 35 minutes. Away from the peak it settles to roughly 6 minutes. These are modeled from the airport's own departure schedule, so they move hour by hour, which is what the chart on this page shows.
How much time does PreCheck save at MCO?
At the busy Monday peak, PreCheck turns the standard 20 to 35 minute wait into about 9 minutes, a saving of roughly 18 minutes when it matters most. Off-peak the two lanes are much closer, because a short line is short in either one.
Which terminal is Southwest at MCO?
Southwest departs from Terminal A at Orlando International Airport and flies 35% of the airport's departures. Your terminal is set by the airline you fly, so check your boarding pass for the gate.
Tips for MCO, from the data
- Fly between 10 AM to 2 PM if you can. That window sits between the two daily rushes, when the checkpoint is at its calmest.
- The 6 am hour is the single busiest today, at about 26 minutes in the standard lane.
- Southwest runs 35% of departures here, so its checkpoints and gates carry the most traffic. Which airline you fly is what decides your terminal.
- Southwest flies from Terminal A, which runs the longest lines here. All terminals connect after security, so you can clear at a quieter one and walk over.
Related
Modeled from the flight schedule, not measured. How these numbers are made.