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Plan & book

Flights & landing at MCO

Which airport, when to book, and surviving immigration

2 min read · Checked Mon 27 Jul
  • Direct to Orlando (MCO) beats a cheap connection more often than the price gap suggests.
  • Immigration can take two hours in August. Build it into your first day.
  • Book the car for a later pickup time than you think you need — it costs nothing and saves a panic.

The airport

Orlando International (MCO) is the one you want. Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and TUI all fly direct from the UK; the flight is about nine hours out and eight back.

Sanford (SFB) is the other Orlando airport, roughly 45 minutes further out. TUI uses it. It's smaller and quicker to clear, but the drive and the more limited car hire desks usually cancel out the saving.

Tampa (TPA) is 90 minutes away and occasionally much cheaper. Only worth it if you were going to hire a car anyway and the gap is large.

When to book

Transatlantic fares generally soften around 3–5 months out and climb steadily after that. August is peak — school holidays on both sides — so there is no late bargain to wait for. Book it.

Two things that save real money:

  • Be flexible by a day either side. A Tuesday departure is often £150 a head cheaper than the Saturday.
  • Check a second departure airport. Manchester and Glasgow are frequently cheaper than Heathrow for the same week, and a cheap domestic connection or a night in an airport hotel can still leave you ahead.

Use Skyscanner's whole-month view rather than searching single dates.

Landing

Be honest with yourself about the first day. A typical August arrival looks like:

  1. Land mid-afternoon. MCO's transatlantic arrivals cluster, so you may queue on the plane before you even reach the terminal.
  2. Immigration: 45 minutes to 2 hours. There's no reliable way to predict it. Families are processed together, so the whole party moves at the pace of one officer.
  3. The automated shuttle to the main terminal, then bags.
  4. Car hire. The on-airport desks are in the terminal; off-airport suppliers involve a shuttle bus and add 30–60 minutes.
  5. Drive. 25–35 minutes to Disney, similar to I-Drive.

Plan nothing for arrival evening. No park, no table-service dinner, no 7am start the next morning. A supermarket run and an early night is the correct first evening, and it fixes the jet lag properly.

Practical bits

  • Book the hire car for a later pickup slot than your landing time — an hour or two later. It costs nothing and means a slow immigration queue doesn't cost you the booking.
  • Orlando is 5 hours behind the UK. Flying out you lose most of a day; coming back you land the following morning having barely slept.
  • Bring a change of clothes in hand luggage. August landings are 35°C and you'll have dressed for a British morning.
  • The kids' first Florida experience should not be a two-hour immigration hall. Snacks, downloaded films, low expectations.
Where we'd book
Best for finding the cheapest dates
Skyscanner

Best for scanning a whole month at once and spotting which UK departure airport is cheapest that week.

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26 guides · Orlando. Checked Mon 27 Jul — park rules and prices move, so confirm anything critical on the official site before you pay.