VS moving to the A side at MCO? (merged)

Have just seen the following item on the MCO airport homepage; (http://www.goaa.org)

'March 18th - Virgin Atlantic relocates Check-in and Baggage Claim to Terminal A'

There is no news item linked to the headline yet - but I guess there will be soon. Nothing on the VS website about the move either. OK, it's only to the other side of the same building, but any idea why VS are moving? I assume that a Clubhouse for MCO is still out of the question!

James

I thought the A side was domestic only and so had no customs etc?

Originally posted by Kraken
Have just seen the following item on the MCO airport homepage; (http://www.goaa.org)

'March 18th - Virgin Atlantic relocates Check-in and Baggage Claim to Terminal A'

There is no news item linked to the headline yet - but I guess there will be soon. Nothing on the VS website about the move either. OK, it's only to the other side of the same building, but any idea why VS are moving? I assume that a Clubhouse for MCO is still out of the question!

James

mmm, would like to think a clubhouse is in the future, but .... doesn't say anything about departures moving [:?] It would be a bit strange however to have check in and bag reclaims in one terminal and departures in another [?]

David

Actually just booked a ticket for departure on the 26th and eticket still says arrival / departure terminal B [?]

David

If the MCO website is correct, I can only assume the following...

VS will still arrive into Airside 4 on the B side of the terminal, as this is the only satellite terminal with US Immigration / Customs facilities.

Bag claim - should you choose not to take your bags onto the AGT [train] with you & put them on the conveyor belt for transportation to the main terminal, the second bag reclaim will now happen in the A side of the terminal (possibly with an additional delay, as the bags will now have to make their way to the other side of the terminal building).

Check-In - all on the A side of the terminal. Sure, not a huge deal to redirect departing passengers to the B side of the terminal to get the AGT to the satellite, but I am sure that more than a few MCO first-timers will be confused.

Clubhouse - I was joking about this! I know that MCO is one of VS's busiest destinations that does not have a Clubhouse, but I think it's safe to say that one will not appear soon. Of course, if Orlando was a major US business centre as opposed to a UK tourist destination....

If VS are indeed making the move that the MCO website suggests, I can only assume it is because they have been able to secure additional check-in desks on the A side of the terminal. On my past trips to MCO, it has never failed to amaze me how well the out-sourced MCO crew handle the sheer volume of pax they do in the pretty cramped check-in area they have on the B-side.

James

VA website still has Terminal B in Airport Guide.

FM

Originally posted by Kraken
Clubhouse - I was joking about this! I know that MCO is one of VS's busiest destinations that does not have a Clubhouse, but I think it's safe to say that one will not appear soon. Of course, if Orlando was a major US business centre as opposed to a UK tourist destination....

Is this not because the UC cabin on LGW flights is too small to justify the dedicated facilities? LGW itself justifies a clubhouse so it isn't a forgotten route. OK so some Au's fly but probably not all that many.

Originally posted by Kraken


If VS are indeed making the move that the MCO website suggests, I can only assume it is because they have been able to secure additional check-in desks on the A side of the terminal. On my past trips to MCO, it has never failed to amaze me how well the out-sourced MCO crew handle the sheer volume of pax they do in the pretty cramped check-in area they have on the B-side.

Exactly the conclusion I came to and I would echo the comments made about the MCO staff.

On a side a CH will only ever happen if DL move out of Airside 4. And if they did I think we would see something simular to the V:Room at LGW rather than a CH.

It looks like the change to the A Side has happened at MCO today. According to the MCO website, all the bags from todays incoming VS flights are on second reclaim belt 10 [if the pax don't take them on the train]. I think it used to be reclaim belt 27. The VS website has yet to be updated though.

With regard to the Clubhouse - Airside 4 that VS operate out of has 3 wings [or piers if you prefer]. The Delta Crown room is on the upper floor level at the central hub end of the wing that most Delta flights depart from. Having looked at MCO on Live Search / Google Earth [sad, I know!] it looks like the central hub at MCO has a similar amount of space at upper floor level on each of the 3 wings.

I have no idea what this space is used for on the other 2 wings of Airside 4 - it could be empty, offices, anything. If space was available & VS put in a Clubhouse / V:Room, they could probably make a good income - certainly in high season - from selling paid for lounge access [in suitably limited numbers] to non US/FC Au pax. Just a thought.

James

Just travelled to MCO, during the swap over period. You still land on the B side, as this is where the only customs for international is held. Now you have a new exit from the customs hall as well. Since december if you had a small number of bags you were able to take them to the escalator and round to the transit train, instead of having to wait for them on the other side of the terminal. Now the walkaround has changed and you can now exit directly to where the trains are to the main terminal.

If you have too much luggage you still have to have this transported to the main terminal and the bags will now come out on the A side. I am not sure how reliable this is going to be, so if you can try and take them on the train yourself.

Checkin is definately now in terminal A, and all the signs leading into the airport are now reflecting that Virgin are at terminal A.

Hire car pick up and drop off for virgin holidays are also now in terminal A. It is not as good a pick up as B, as dollar are still having to adjust to the move. The area at A is alot smaller for rental cars than B.

Checkin on the return. Well I have mixed feelings. As at first I thought that it was a great large new space. But looking more closely the depth of the area is actually lost in the fact there are one or two less checkin desks. I checked in on a fairly light traffic day with four flights and the area was terrible, people everywhere. It was interesting as there is only at this time one upper class desk. So 20 minutes in the queue. Premium , has four and Eco the rest. Comment from the agent was it will be just as bad as over at B during the summer.

The move was because the TSA and the airport were unhappy at the lines reaching all the way to the food court and blocking the walkways, seen as security and health risk.

Also note that only the day before they were telling passengers on flights in about the change....so good luck to those who were on two weeks holiday....oh the fun with your family and kids.

Still all early days and they are trying to move things around. You still depart at the B gates so gate 60-99 etc.

They are trying to implement business lines at the TSA area, to get business travellers through quicker. So look for the black EXPERT line.

Hope this helps, any questions drop me a mail or I will reply here

Matt

After my upper flight back last month from MCO - the best thing VS can do is replace all the unhelpful staff both at DTD and at MCO airport. They gave us a merry dance of misinformation and had such a negative attitude I have vowed not to go via VS MCO again (flight cancelled (5 of us in upper) offerd flight to manchester with no firm connectio to london etc etc - no apology just a smiling face when the DTD checking agent announced 'hi guys - I have some news for you' - well she could not upgrade us from our upper seats so what was the good news ??- our flight being cx was not what we expected to hear ; however once (and that was a saga in its self) we got transferred to MIA, VS professionalism kicked in again and made good the woes we had endured at the 'improved checkin experience' offered by VS contract staff at MCO/DTD to their premium customers. Fab checking, lounge and flight experience - top marks to MIA staff all round.

On return home we received a lovely letter from SRB's office without even having to complain so sister and fly her hubby to JFK UCS for a free suprise weeknend and I can have the kiddies !! As someone who has never had the opportunity to use miles not sure what to do with myever growing mountain .....

Originally posted by ofarvoo
Just travelled to MCO, during the swap over period. You still land on the B side, as this is where the only customs for international is held. Now you have a new exit from the customs hall as well. Since december if you had a small number of bags you were able to take them to the escalator and round to the transit train, instead of having to wait for them on the other side of the terminal. Now the walkaround has changed and you can now exit directly to where the trains are to the main terminal.

If you have too much luggage you still have to have this transported to the main terminal and the bags will now come out on the A side. I am not sure how reliable this is going to be, so if you can try and take them on the train yourself.

Checkin is definately now in terminal A, and all the signs leading into the airport are now reflecting that Virgin are at terminal A.

Hire car pick up and drop off for virgin holidays are also now in terminal A. It is not as good a pick up as B, as dollar are still having to adjust to the move. The area at A is alot smaller for rental cars than B.

Checkin on the return. Well I have mixed feelings. As at first I thought that it was a great large new space. But looking more closely the depth of the area is actually lost in the fact there are one or two less checkin desks. I checked in on a fairly light traffic day with four flights and the area was terrible, people everywhere. It was interesting as there is only at this time one upper class desk. So 20 minutes in the queue. Premium , has four and Eco the rest. Comment from the agent was it will be just as bad as over at B during the summer.

The move was because the TSA and the airport were unhappy at the lines reaching all the way to the food court and blocking the walkways, seen as security and health risk.

Also note that only the day before they were telling passengers on flights in about the change....so good luck to those who were on two weeks holiday....oh the fun with your family and kids.

Still all early days and they are trying to move things around. You still depart at the B gates so gate 60-99 etc.

They are trying to implement business lines at the TSA area, to get business travellers through quicker. So look for the black EXPERT line.

Hope this helps, any questions drop me a mail or I will reply here

Matt

Thanks Matt

Just a few questions for you.

I pick up and drop off friends and family at MCO pretty often, did you notice if the drop off area at departures for the A terminal is similar to to the B side?

As I don't use VH for any of my frequent trips would you say it's better/easier to still pick up/drop off the car on the B side?

I read a posting on the Dibb that the bag drop off is now combined with the PE desks, is that the case?

Thanks Jilly

Thanks Matt

Just a few questions for you.

I pick up and drop off friends and family at MCO pretty often, did you notice if the drop off area at departures for the A terminal is similar to to the B side?



Yes its a mirror image of the B side. But my advice would be if they have taken luggage on the train to the terminal from the B side to out of the B baaggage claim as normal it is less of a walk.


As I don't use VH for any of my frequent trips would you say it's better/easier to still pick up/drop off the car on the B side?

Chicken and egg this one.... let me explain my thought here, well the A side has some big airlines going from it amercian etc so it looked pretty busy most of the time. B side can be a bit quiet.

Depends on the rental company you are hiring from. Some of them have bigger facilities at terminal B. Bit of a luck of the draw i think.



I read a posting on the Dibb that the bag drop off is now combined with the PE desks, is that the case?

Well they did not have a bag drop off line at all, when I was queueing, and this week still no seperate line. It just assumes that you are all normally checking in.

Originally posted by jilly

I read a posting on the Dibb that the bag drop off is now combined with the PE desks, is that the case?

This was the case in October at B anyway. Im not sure if it is the norm or was just poor organisation of the check in lines.

This information has come to me courtesy of Simon Veness (author of 'A Brit's Guide to Orlando & Walt Disney World'), so I thought I'd share it here. Apologies if this is old news.

Virgin's check-in desk and baggage handling is now on the A side of the main terminal, the opposite to where they have always operated in the past. They actually have more check-in space here, so it should be a better situation for those waiting in line at the Virgin desks. However, this does mean there is a change in the arrival process. Virgin will STILL use the arrival gates at Airside 3 (Gates 60-99), which goes against established OIA practice (airlines using Landside A are supposed to operate from Airside 1 or 4, Gates 1-29 and 100-129), BUT, because the only international arrivals terminal is Airside 3, Virgin will continue to arrive at their normal gates but then direct people to Airside A (Level 2) to retrieve their baggage, NOT Airside B as in the past.

It will certainly cause confusion for Virgin regulars who will automatically assume they still need to go to baggage retrieval on Airside B when they arrive. Virgin say they will have plenty of staff to direct arriving passengers to the new baggage retrieval on Airside A, but it may catch some people out.

The bottom line is Virgin was getting increasingly cramped for check-in space on Airside B, and, with their extra summer flights likely to kick in soon, they have found this compromise to try to give passengers a better check-in service. It's not ideal, but hopefully it will work better for dpearting passengers.

This change has been implemented as of this week, so it will affect all Virgin flights henceforth. And, for check-in, you need Airside A, not B.

ETA: I see there's a discussion on page 2 - still I guess it doesn't hurt to post this confirmation.
[:D]

[Nottingham Nick]

Many thanks for the post - UKDEB. [y]

As the thread is already running with the same subject matter, I have merged the two threads together to keep all of the very useful info in one place.

Nick