Winter Storms Cause Drop in Passengers at Orlando International Airport

Recent winter storms have led to a slight decrease in holiday travelers at Orlando International Airport compared to last year

Winter Storms Cause Drop in Passengers at Orlando International Airport
Winter Storms Cause Drop in Passengers at Orlando International Airport

Orlando: Winter storms have really shaken things up at Orlando International Airport. This holiday season, fewer passengers flew out compared to last year.

From December 20 to January 5, over 1.4 million travelers took off from MCO. That’s about 6,800 fewer than the previous holiday season.

Before the storms hit, officials expected a busier season, predicting an increase of over 14,000 passengers due to low fares and high demand.

Despite the drop, the airport was still bustling. January 4 was the busiest day, with over 100,000 passengers flying out. That day was the second busiest ever at MCO.

The record for the busiest day was set back in March 2024, when more than 102,000 passengers departed. On that day, MCO outpaced major airports like LAX and JFK.

Interestingly, Orlando’s airport has become more crowded during spring break than during the holidays in recent years.

Christmas Day was the slowest day this season, with just under 56,000 passengers, which is a drop from last year.

Angela Starke, an airport spokesperson, mentioned that demand is still high overall.

MCO opened a new Terminal C in late 2022, designed to handle millions more travelers. Now, there are plans for a multi-billion dollar upgrade to the older north terminal.

Last year, MCO welcomed over 65 million passengers. The most popular flight route in 2024 was from Orlando to Atlanta, with 3.4 million seats booked.

Meanwhile, Orlando Sanford International Airport saw an increase of nearly 19,000 passengers this holiday season, with its busiest day on December 28.

Allegiant is the main airline there, connecting to smaller airports across the country. Despite challenges from Hurricane Helene affecting travel to Asheville, officials are pleased with the growth in passenger numbers.

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