Orlando International should not be confused with Sanford Airport (which most tour operators fly into). Sanford is small, with no real services, and located 60 miles from Disney. OIA (as Orlando International is known) is a great airport - one of my favourites. The airport is actually only one building, with two sides - A and B. Moving sidewalks and a shopping mall connect the two sides, and parking garages are on each side. Arrivals and departures are into the 'satellite' pods, located a short monorail ride from the main terminal. This is the one negative about OIA, as the monorails are the only way to get to the satellites, tough when you are late and trying to run to catch a flight (I have done this, and yes, I made it on time - just). The main terminal has high ceilings and lots of natural light. It is easy to make your way around, and everything is close together. There is plenty of comfortable seating. Plenty of shopping opportunites in the mall area, and in the Disney, Universal, and Sea World stores (in case you need that last-minute Mickey!). The food choices are great, with the huge Brew Pub and Chili's Too being my favourite places to kill a few hours. Driving in and out of the airport is a breeze as well, and the landscaping is very nice (just be sure to take the 'North' exit to get to Disney, not the recommended 'South', which takes longer and costs more). OIA is one pleasant experience after another.
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Good op - I have flown from here once and it was terrible - most of the problems were created by it being packed but if you have a large number of flights and passengers you should be able to cater for them. Anyway the last couple of times I have gone to Orlando I have been with a tour operator flying into Sanford, which even though it is further away from I-Drive area it is a much better experience.
l0st_0rigin 17.07.2003 01:43
Flown into and out of the airport many times myself and I believe it the the best and only place in which to arrive into the US.
The monorail ride.. really such a problem? It's nice to spend that few seconds outside before being crammed onto your flight!
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Jul 8th, 2000
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