Orlando International Airport (MCO), the busiest airport in Florida, reported a 72% decline in volume from last year’s record levels.
The news of the massive decline in travel was offset slightly by positive indicators, according to Phil Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.
Some airline indicators show that we have reason to remain cautiously optimistic that our traffic pattern will continue to slowly increase as we head to the latter part of the year.
In the meantime, we continue to focus on following the health and safety protocols, to help passengers feel secure while at Orlando International.
According to MCO, there was a 68% decline in domestic travel with just over 1.1 million passengers, and nearly 14,000 passengers traveling internationally, which represents a 98% decline in international travel when compared to August of last year.
For the year, MCO has seen a 57% decrease in travel, with the average flight coming into the airport at under 70% full in August.
That said, there are 31 domestic services scheduled to resume service in October, including non-stop service to Memphis, Portland, and San Diego, among others.
Airline travel represents a significant portion of Walt Disney World’s business – a business that has seen the focus shift to attracting guests from local markets while the economy (and consumer confidence) recovers. Disney World is seeing more than 50% of its visitation from local markets, and is even structuring vacation deals to states that are within driving distance.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!