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Orlando
International Airport (MCO)
MCO is one of
two airports in Orlando boasting commercial service, but is far and away
the dominant facility. MCO (McCoy field) is only 2nd to Las Vegas in leisure
travelers, with the vast majority of traffic destined for the Central Florida
theme parks. AirTran and Braniff II once called Orlando their major hubs.
but with such a heavily leisure based market, most airlines offer broad
service but none call Orlando their hub. Delta and Southwest, however, carry
the largest number of passengers. Virgin and Air Canada are the main international
carriers. The airport was one of the first separate airside/landside designs
following the first at Tampa/St. Petersburg in 1981. A network of trains
carry passengers from the ticketing halls to the discreet terminals at airside.
A unique feature is the "Gator security fence" of heavily secured
ponds in lieu of fences that surround much of the airport. |
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Tram System
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Curbside and Check-in
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Transit Hall and Concourse
images
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Southwest Airlines ticketing
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ATA, Alaska, and Bahamasair
ticketing
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American Airlines Tticket
counter
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ATA ticket counter
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United Airlines airside
gates
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US Airways gates |
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Delta/Song Airlines
airside gates |
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Southwest/Spirit airside
gates |
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ATA airside gates
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"Gator Security" Ponds
Unique to U.S. Airport, much
of MCO is surrounded by ponds instead of security fences, reportedly stocked
with alligators. |
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FAA Control Tower |
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Jet Blue Airways Airbus
A-320
Jet Blue is ever-expanding
service to Orlando with JFK, Long Beach, Boston, and Dulles now served non-stop.
JetBlue's in-house maintenace operations are located here. |
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Spirit Airlines MD-80
Ft. Lauderdale
based Spirit Airlines is the largest privately owned airline in the U.S.
Using a lower cost model, it has achieved considerable success and is in
the process of converting to an all-Airbus fleet. |
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Air Tran Boeing 717-200s
Air Tran is headquartered
at Orlando, though its hub is at Atlanta. The original Air Tran Airways
took over ValueJet in 1997, and has gone from strength to strength. The
717s are being augmented by Boeing 737-700s. |
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Orlando to Ft. Lauderdale
at FL 33
These buildups
are a common site during the summer over the Florida peninsula. The cumulous
clouds can build to over 50,000 feet and create severe turbulence conditions. |
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US Airways A-320 cabin
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