Magic Kingdom calling? It’s never to soon to start planning the trip. Magic Kingdom calling? It’s never to soon to start planning the trip. Orlando’s main air portal, Orlando International Airport, will see a slew of new services this winter – especially from northern climes. Armed with the right information you can select the right airline and the most convenient flights.
The area’s attractions draw folks from far and wide, rendering MCO (that’s the airport’s three-letter airport code) an airplane magnet. Consider: As the planet’s 29th busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic Orlando International handled 34,877,507 flyers in 2010. Some context: it ranks ahead of such luminaries as Tokyo Narita, Newark Liberty International and Toronto Pearson. Compared to 2009 figures, passenger traffic to MCO was up 3.5 percent. Not bad when you look at growth at other U.S. airports. By contrast, passenger traffic to Las Vegas, North America’s other entertainment Mecca, dropped by 2.6 percent.
If you’re looking to plan a wintertime central Florida foray, here are some new November options:
- TACA launches three weekly Guatemala City flights to Orlando Nov. 2.
- Air Transat begins thrice-weekly Montreal flights to Orlando Nov. 3.
- Discount airline WestJet, Canada’s version of Southwest, will offer once-weekly Hamilton flights to Orlando. The route will run Nov. 5, 2011 through Apr. 28, 2012
- Discount airline WestJet also begins once-weekly London, Ontario flights to Orlando on Nov. 5, 2011. Those flights too will terminate Apr. 28, 2012.
- United ups the ante to central Florida by doubling up on nonstop service from its Denver hub Nov. 6. Where there were 14 Denver flights to Orlando per week there will 28.
- Discount airline Spirit starts daily Chicago flights to Orlando Nov. 10.
New and beefed up routes just keep coming the closer you get to the Christmas holidays. Here’s what’s new on the schedule books for December:
- Discount airline JetBlue adds more flights from the Caribbean to Orlando Dec. 16 as it lays on seven more weekly Santo Domingo flights to Orlando. There will then be 14 of them.
- Air Canada will loft one weekly Halifax flight to Orlando Dec. 17.
- Air Canada doubles up on weekly Montreal flights to Orlando on Dec. 17, increasing them from 7 to 14.
- Toronto flights to Orlando get similar treatment Dec. 17 as Air Canada increases the number of weekly nonstops from 14 to 28.
- More north of the border starts are set for Dec. 17. This time it’s once-weekly Ottawa to Orlando flights via Air Canada. They run through Apr. 28, 2012.
- New Yorkers tend to flock south during December. Delta understands. That’s why it adds seven weekly New York flights to Orlando Dec. 18. The move makes for 42 weekly nonstops on the LaGuardia – MCO route.
- Discount airline WestJet adds once-weekly Edmonton flights to Orlando Dec. 17. The route will run through Apr. 28, 2012
- Discount airline Sun Country makes it easier for upper Midwesterners to fly to central Florida as it begins Lansing flights to Orlando with a quartet of weekly departures. Service gets off the ground Dec. 21, four days before Christmas.
Search and compare cheap flights to Orlando.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: williamsdb)
