Connecting at MCO - Advice Needed

Wasn't really sure which forum to put this in... here or Ask A Guru??

Does anyone have any experience of connecting to domestic flights at MCO after travelling on VS75? Can you help with a few questions?

1) Does VS75 generally arrives on time or early?
2) How long does it take to get through immigration/customs?
3) When re-checking luggage after customs do you go to a manned airline desk or just give it to a TSA agent to put back on the carousel. I'm connecting on a Delta flight if that helps.

I'm asking because I'd like to find out whether it's going to be possible to switch to a different flight when I re-check my bags, but a lot depends on how long it takes me to get to that point and if indeed it's possible to do that.

Cheers
Janet

We are connectiong to an internal flight off of the LGW VS15 end Aug. But I didn't trust the timimg so I booked us into the MCO Hyatt for the night. There was only 21/2 hrs between us landing and the internal flight taking off. What with changing terminals customs etc I did not think that would be long enough! I may be able to help more when we come back at the end of Sept.

Hi Janet,

I flew VS75 to MCO with the present Mrs Treelo in May. We landed 20 minutes early (around 1420 if memory serves)and, as we were one of the first off the plane - seated in row 31 in Y - we were through immigration in no time at all. In fact from getting off the aeroplane to sitting in my hire car driving to our accommodation took only around 50 minutes. However, there have been times when the process has taken well over an hour and a half so I guess its swings and roundabouts. Incidentally, I don't think the fingerprinting and retinal scan adds any more to the immigration process.

Sorry, can't help you with the domestic question - I'm sure someone on the site will know!

Enjoy!:)

OK, I will answer your questions as asked.
1) It really does depend, it generally arrives on-time or a little early, but you can never be sure as many things affect the arrival time.

2) Again, it can depend, The VS75 is due to arrive in the current season before most of the other 'heavy' aircraft. If you are sitting in economy ensure that you choose seats as close to the front of the cabin and get off as soon as you can. I have know the difference from being at the front of the cabin to the back to be as much as 1hr clearing customs and immagration.

3) Unless you have purchased you connection on the same ticket with virgin as your main flight you will have to re-check your bag in orlando. If you have booked the connection on the same ticket then you may be able to get your bags checked all the way through to you final destination but check you check in

When I fly in UC to Orlando on the LGW route I can get through customs and immegration in a little over 30 mins, I have know other flying in economy at the rear of the cabin to take up to 2 hrs to get outside the terminal building.

Paul

[preiffer]

Originally posted by p17blo
If you have booked the connection on the same ticket then you may be able to get your bags checked all the way through to you final destination but check you check in

Umm... Not a hope in hell.

With current TSA/INS/DHS rulings, you HAVE to re-check your bags, regardless of your initial/final destination. MCO will be your first point of entry into the USA, and therefore the initial point for customs & immigration. As a result, bags MUST be collected and re-checked for their internal sector (after clearing customs).

Thanks for the answers on the flight arrival times and possible scenarios with immigration customs that's helped quite a bit. Looks like I might have to move a little nearer the front of the plane - currently I'm sitting on row 57! I'm flying out on 17th Sept so would like to know before then Dave

From many of the threads I've read on this board I'm guessing that there's probably not many with experience of connecting at MCO, people either connect elsewhere or end their journey at MCO. As preiffer says you always have to claim your bags at your first point of entry in to the US (same thing happens in Canada) and then after clearing customs you give them back - even though they will be labelled right through to your final destination. It's the process of how you give them back at MCO that I'm trying to find the answer to. In ATL after customs you walk to a manned airline desk within the international terminal and re-check your bags there. However in EWR after customs you give them to the TSA guy round the corner who just puts them back on the carousel (after forcing you to unlock your bag [:(!])

My reason for asking all this is that I'm currently booked on a rather roundabout routing. It's an award ticket so I had to be fairly flexible, my actual destination is Mobile and when I first booked I was going MAN-MCO-ATL-MOB arriving in MOB at 9pm, then Delta changed their schedules and it was proving really difficult for the agent to get me to MOB the same day so trying to be helpful I said I'd be happy to go to PNS as it's only an hours drive which meant I'd now be flying direct from MCO to PNS and would be arriving in PNS at just after 5pm . Yippee I thought, one less flight, avoid Atlanta and arrive earlier . Then Delta went and changed the schedules *again* dropped the 5.35 flight from the timetable and now I have to fly MAN-MCO-ATL-PNS and I don't get there till 9pm and then still have an hours drive to Mobile. However there is a direct flight from MCO to MOB, but it's only an hour after VS75 lands so with the 90 min minimum connection time, I can't be booked on it .... but I thought if there was time Delta might allow me to change once I get to MCO, hence my reason for all the strange questions

Originally posted by preiffer

Originally posted by p17blo
If you have booked the connection on the same ticket then you may be able to get your bags checked all the way through to you final destination but check you check in

Umm... Not a hope in hell.

With current TSA/INS/DHS rulings, you HAVE to re-check your bags, regardless of your initial/final destination. MCO will be your first point of entry into the USA, and therefore the initial point for customs & immigration. As a result, bags MUST be collected and re-checked for their internal sector (after clearing customs).

Ahh yes Paul you are right, wasn't thinking straight on this one.

Paul[B)]

[preiffer]

Originally posted by p17blo
Ahh yes Paul you are right, wasn't thinking straight on this one.

Oh, believe me, with regard to this little "gem" of travel to the US - I REALLY wish I was wrong. The whole thing's ridiculous. [V]

The irony of the process being that while 100% of all passenger baggage is now x-rayed & inspected, less than 10% of what you're sitting on (ie: the cargo) during your hour flight is [:0].

Originally posted by jmf
It's the process of how you give them back at MCO that I'm trying to find the answer to.

Well from my numerous trips to MCO (about 5 a year) from what I can remember there is no other option after customs than to hand you case to the TSA agent to tranfer your bags to the main terminal carousel. You would then have to take the monorail over to the terminal go down 1 flight of stairs to the carousel, collect your cases then go back up 1 flight and re-check your bags.

MCO does not take as long to move around the main terminal as it would do in the likes of EWR or JFK or ORD.

Unless, of course, I have missed a connections sign in te baggage hall at MCO.

You can check the terminal layout here

Well from my numerous trips to MCO (about 5 a year) from what I can remember there is no other option after customs than to hand you case to the TSA agent to tranfer your bags to the main terminal carousel.

Sounds like it's the same as the process at EWR then .... which means I'm out of luck [:(] Oh well, better to be disappointed now than find out in MCO