Additional information on the airport can be found on the Orlando International Airport web site.
NOTE: The three-letter code for Orlando International is MCO, because it was once called McCoy Air Force Base. You will see those letters often on the boards. Locals in Orlando call it OIA, so you will hear that abbreviation on the evening news and on local radio stations.
GENERAL ARRANGEMENT
The airport is split into 5 main buildings. The central building, called the Main Terminal, houses security, ticketing, transportation, baggage claim, and various airport services. The outer buildings, called Airside buildings, are where all of the gates are located. The Airside buildings are arranged in a rectangle and connected to the Main Terminal by short monorails. The monorails connect to the ends of the Main Terminal, inside the security checkpoints, so the only way to get from the Main Terminal to one of the Airside buildings is to go through security and take a monorail.
Each Airside building houses a number of gates, and also has a sampling of shops and eateries to make the wait for your flight a little more pleasant. All of the normal airport terminal amenities, such as restrooms and phones, are also present in each Airside building. There are even places for the business traveller to recharge their laptops or cell phones. Free wi-fi internet access is provided throughout all five terminal buildings (SSID "Internet").
There are two large parking garages, one on each side of the Main Terminal, containing daily parking and rental car pickup and return.
Landside is 3 levels high, with each level having a particular focus.
Level 3 houses the security checkpoints and monorail access to the Airside buildings, as well as passenger drop-off and airline check-in counters; all of these are divided between the A and B sides. A shopping and services district and a food court run through the middle of the building, between the A and B sides. The lobby of the Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport hotel can be found at the east end of the building.
Level 2 is entirely composed of Baggage Claim. Belts are located on both the A and B sides; to determine which side your bags can be found, look to see which side your gate was on. If your gate was in Airside 1, for example, then your bags will be delivered to one of the belts on the A side of the Main Terminal. Overhead signs on Level 2 will direct you to the specific belt where your flight's bags will appear.
Outside the glass doors on Level 2 is the pick-up area; if you have a local friend or family member who will be picking you up from the airport, this is where you can meet them. However, vehicles are not permitted to stop in this area except while loading passengers and luggage, so your ride will have to wait until you call them in the free Cell Phone Lot.
Level 1 is Ground Transportation. Here you will find counters for the 11 on-site rental car agencies - Advantage, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, E-Z Car Rental, Hertz, L & M, National, and Thrifty - and access to the parking garages. Also on Level 1 are bus stops for off-site rental cars, airport area hotels, and the Mears, Disney's Magical Express, and Disney Cruise Line bus services; taxi stands; and meeting areas for town car and limo service pickups.
Almost all ground transportation is duplicated on both the A and B sides. All of the rental car agencies have counters on both sides, and so does Mears. Disney's Magical Express bus service, however, only operates on the B side of the building.
Car rental agents at the on-site agencies will direct you to the garages on either side of the Main Terminal to pick up your car. Each agency keeps cars in both garages, so you won't have to cross the airport to find your car; simply walk out the glass doors in front of the rental counters, cross the street to the garage, and follow the signs to your agency's pick-up area.
When taking a shuttle bus to an off-site rental agency or an airport area hotel, simply look for the signs designating your bus stop, just outside the glass doors, and wait for your bus to arrive.
When taking Disney's Magical Express service, head for the B side of the terminal and follow the signs - and sometimes Disney cast members with giant Mickey hands - to the DME counter for check-in.
Taxis, town car pickup areas, and Mears bus service, can all be found on both sides of Level 1. Just follow the signs to the appropriate counter or pickup area.
Level 1 is where more people get lost or confused than anywhere else in the airport, because it is essentially two very, very long straight lines, and after walking what seems like forever without seeing your destination, you might begin to think you've gotten lost. But don't lose hope - it's a straight line, so you can't get lost. The worst thing that can happen to you is that you walk past your destination and have to backtrack.
Orlando International Airport is a huge, busy, and extremely well-run airport. It may be a little intimidating at first glance, but once you get to know the basics, it's not too difficult to find your way and arrive at your ultimate destination quickly and safely. For more detailed info, check out the airport's FAQ page.
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Last Revision: 2011-04-23
