Seating and Immigration at MCO

Off to orlando next april for our honeymoon. And I just wanted to ask a quick question about plane seating. I have seen a few posts on here about the wait time in MCO at immigration.

We are flying out on VS015 on the 3rd April 2015. Now normally i would book the 2 seats at the back for me and the wife, but is it worth trying to book further forward to get off the plane faster and have a stranger next to us?

Excellent forums and website by the way

Personally I'd sit as far forward as possible. The queues for immigration at MCO can be eye-watering, particularly if three flights from the UK arrive within half an hour of each other and you're on the third. Which is entirely possible.

Have you considered Seat Plus? Pay a bit extra (can't remember how much, maybe £60 or £75?) to keep the third seat vacant. It's subject to availability and you can't choose where you sit but you can be 99% sure it'll be further forward than row 61. And the extra space is a godsend.

What about going up in the bubble?
I think they get off quite quickly.
Or if you really want to be first off go in PE row 19 by the door. First off. We did that earlier this year. What queue?
Dick D

I find with VS15 queues are usually an issue wherever you sit due to the arrival time getting in around the same time as lots of other flights so if it ends up being the last of those (which it often is due to delays leaving Gatwick) you are often held on the plane to allow some of the queue to clear in the immigration hall. VS73 is even more prone to this problem so we always avoid if at all possible.

MCO has APC (Automated Passport Control) which should help speed things up.

[Neil]

Go for the bubble, row 79 or 80. You'll have a nice quiet cabin for the flight and be one of the first Y pax off the plane.

What is the criteria to be able to use APCin MCO? We're going next Saturday all uk passport holders

What is the criteria to be able to use APCin MCO? We're going next Saturday all uk passport holders

You've got to have travelled to the US in the last 5 or 7 years ( not sure of the exact number ) and it's been reported there is sometimes an issue with children's ages

David

Here's a video about the self service immigration kiosks at MCO.
http://www.orlandoairports.net/ops/apc_video.htm

Oh well that's me out. It's been 13 yrs since we've been to the states. Hope the queues are not too long

I assume you all have ESTA if you haven't been to the US for a long time

Thank you for all the responses, the bubble sounds good. Dam was in the states in 2007 so a year off for the automated machines

It's still a single queing line, it's only near the front that people using the automatic machines get filtered off. The result is the whole queue moves quicker and so also benefits those who don't use the machines.

Decided to upgrade to Prem Econ

Decided to upgrade to Prem Econ

Good on yer , hope you enjoy it

Well turns out, I can't upgrade as I bought through Thomas Cook and they only sell econ tickets

Well turns out, I can't upgrade as I bought through Thomas Cook and they only sell econ tickets

O not good

Well turns out, I can't upgrade as I bought through Thomas Cook and they only sell econ tickets

Wow - im amazed they wont allow an upgrade..! If you want to spend the £££ then they should kindly oblige...

I would say call VS direct, but I booked with VH and cant go direct. I guess your only other shot is at the gate? Although, for some reason you can go seat plus direct through VS now...

Yeah VS said they cant upgrade us we didn't book through them, dam you wife told her to book through VS direct lol. VS said the flight is already pretty full so fingers crossed at the gate we can do it, and its at a reasonable price!!