Orlando International Airport Exceeds 4th of July Travel Expectations

Press Release

ORLANDO, FL. – Summer travel is back! The 13-day, 4th of July holiday travel period concluded yesterday and early numbers indicate Orlando International Airport (MCO) recorded better than pre-pandemic traffic levels for 7 of the 13 days. Even with the improved numbers, the overall total was still short of 2019’s record by approximately 132,000 passengers or about 8 percent.

Adding to the challenges facing travelers during the holiday travel period, some airlines reported staffing shortages which impacted flights into and out of MCO and Hurricane/Tropical Storm Elsa, which forced the combined cancellation of nearly 100 flights over several days.

Another indicator of how travel has returned to the airport is in the number of vehicles parked at MCO. From Friday the 2nd through Monday the 5th of July, all airport parking options were more than 50 percent full with the “A”, “B” and Terminal Top parking garages all over 90 percent full on the 4th of July.

The holiday travel time frame was from June 25th until July 7th. In total, some 1.6 million travelers moved through MCO, more than three times as many as last year.

4th of July 2021 Data and Comparisons

2021 Estimates 2020 Estimates 2019 Estimates
Friday, June 25th 133,200 39,000 129,700
Saturday, June 26th 137,300 38,100 135,700
Sunday, July 27th 136,600 36,800 134,600
Monday, July 28th 127,400 39,000 144,900
Tuesday, June 29th 118,200 33,200 153,900
Wednesday, June 30th 120,100 35,000 149,400
Thursday, July 1st 129,100 41,700 135,400
Friday, July 2nd 130,800 44,500 122,200
Saturday, July 3rd 136,800 34,500 126,700
Sunday, July 4th 115,300 35,100 112,300
Monday, July 5th 133,400 47,100 126,500
Tuesday, July 6th 116,100 41,500 152,100
Wednesday, July 7th 111,100 38,500 153,900

With better than expected 4th of July travel numbers, optimism is growing for the rest of the summer with the recent announcements of increased or new air service from Spirit, Emirates and other airlines at MCO.

Spirit Airlines New & Resumed Service at MCO:
Destination: Flights Available: Effective:
Cancun (CUN) NEW Daily Immediately
Louisville (SDF) NEW Daily Immediately
Milwaukee (MKE) NEW Daily Immediately
Punta Cana (PUJ) NEW 3x per week Immediately
Santo Domingo (SDQ) NEW 4x per week Immediately
St. Louis (STL) NEW Daily Immediately
Manchester, NH (MHT) NEW Daily Oct. 7, 2021
Miami (MIA) NEW Daily Nov. 17, 2021
Cartagena (CTG) RESUMING 2-3x per week Sep. 10, 2021
Guatemala City (GUA) RESUMING 4x per week Sep. 9, 2021
Montego Bay (MBJ) RESUMING 3x per week Sep. 9, 2021
Port-au-Prince (PAP) * RESUMING 3x per week Nov. 18, 2021
San Salvador (SAL) RESUMING 3x per week Nov. 19, 2021
San Jose, CR (SJO) MORE FLIGHTS Increases to daily Nov. 17, 2021
Emirates Airlines Resumed Service at MCO:
Destination: Flights Available: Effective:
Dubai, UAE (DXB) RESUMING 4x per week July 2, 2021

(*) *PAP is temporarily closed. Guests should check for travel advisories on Spirit.com when planning a trip to Haiti.

The information herein is provided as of the dates specified. Due to the outbreak and continuation of COVID-19 subsequent to the date of such information, the information contained herein may differ materially from the current operational and financial data.