Virgin Atlantic is moving all of its arrivals and departures at Orlando International Airport from Terminal A to Terminal C on June 30, a shift that will change how travelers enter and leave MCO airport. For many passengers headed to Disney World, that means a different arrival point the next time they step off one of the airline’s Orlando flights.
The move lands this month because MCO airport is not just a stop on the way to Florida; for many British families, it is the start of a holiday built around Walt Disney World. Virgin Atlantic first began flying there in 1992, and its service from London Heathrow, Manchester and seasonal flights from Edinburgh has long carried travelers on eight- or nine-hour overnight journeys to Orlando.
The airline’s new home will be Terminal C, which opened in 2022 as Orlando International Airport’s newest terminal. It has expanded international arrival capabilities, modern design elements and automated TSA screening systems, and it is adding four new MARS gates that can handle additional widebody international aircraft. In practical terms, that gives the airport more room to absorb long-haul traffic and should ease some of the pressure that comes with peak arrival banks.
But the change also means familiar routines will shift. Travelers arriving through Terminals A or B who need to get to Terminal C will have to use the Terminal Link tram system, and that is a different experience from simply following the old terminal flow. For passengers used to meeting family, finding transport or connecting to the next leg of a trip from Terminal A, the new setup will require a little more time and a little more navigation.
That is the friction inside the upgrade: the airport is selling the move as part of a broader effort to balance passenger traffic and improve efficiency, but the first thing many Virgin Atlantic passengers will notice is not the promise of a smoother operation. It is the new path through the airport. For travelers who may only return to Orlando once every few years, the terminal change will be immediate, and on June 30 it becomes the new normal at Orlando International Airport for Virgin Atlantic.
