4. The Disney Airport

If you had asked Walt himself in the 1960s, he would've told you that his Disney World would have its own regional airport. Walt's plans for the "Florida Project" included four major zones: an airport, the Entrance Complex, EPCOT, and the theme park, resort, & recreation area, all connected by monorail lines with PeopleMovers whisking guests to finer points of each from there. 

The powers to build and operate an airport are written into the Reedy Creek Improvement Plan, but like the city of E.P.C.O.T., constructing and maintaining an airport was pretty much off the table after Walt died. Plans for an airport fell out of the Florida Project's first phase plans. That's precisely why the Orlando Jetport at McCoy began its expansion, building into the Orlando International Airport we know today. But it's interesting to imagine that somewhere in the multiverse, Walt Disney World has its own on-site airport (no doubt having grown to an international one today) with flight directly into the magic.

Of course, even in our universe, it was once possible to fly directly to Magic Kingdom. Seriously...

5. Magical Express+

For many guests, the end of Disney's Magical Express – a shuttle service from MCO included with any Disney Resort Hotel stay – was a very big disappointment. In an era of slashed perks and new upcharges, the end of a longtime and sincerely "magical" guest perk that could whisk you right to Walt Disney World was a major blow. But when Magic Kingdom was new, there was an even more "express" way to reach the park: by plane.

Beginning in 1971, Walt Disney World did operate its own airport – the Lake Buena Vista Airport, then the Walt Disney World Airport – just east of the (now shuttered) Walt Disney World Speedway, running alongside Magic Kingdom's parking lot. (You can still see the runway – now used as parking and storage, from above.) Basically, guests who flew into MCO (or Tampa's TPA) would have the unique opportunity to book a "connecting flight" to Disney property on a STOL (short takeoff and landing) craft. More taxi service than flight, this hop-skip-and-a-jump STOL service was certainly Magical Express, plussed!

Shawnee Airlines operated a number of de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprop planes that made the scheduled commutes to and from the Magic Kingdom's parking lot each day. The 2,000 foot long runway of the "STOLport" also had a surprise: grooves edged into the blacktop (like those on the side of a highway) played the tune of "When You Wish Upon a Star" as planes landed.

Service to and from the Walt Disney World Airport ended in the 1980s (reportedly, because the Monorail extension to EPCOT Center made landing and take-off prohibitive) but it wasn't until 2017 that the little airport was officially decomission, losing its FAA registration and its IATA abbreviation: DWS.

6. The Future of MCO

In 2021, over 19 million people boarded a plane at MCO, with over 40 million passengers passing through. By that count, it's the seventh-busiest airport in the country, and with no signs of slowing down. In 2017, that fifth line of the airport's People Mover was constructed, connecting to the Intermodal Terminal a mile south of the main terminal. And according to the airport, that's just the start. 

Construction of Terminal C – the first part of a full South Terminal campus built around the Intermodal Terminal – began construction in 2017 and debuted just this month, on September 19, 2022. The new terminal adds 20 gates, but when the full South Terminal is built-out and complete, the $1.8 billion complex will add 120 gates to MCO's lineup versus its original terminal and four airsides alone.

Just as the original terminal's four airsides took over 20 years to fully assemble, it'll be decades before the Airport even approaches this fully build-out South Terminal complex, but the idea of essentially operating two full-sized airports in Orlando should tell you just how high demand is for Central Florida.

When all's said and done, passengers arriving in MCO will take a People Mover to baggage claim, grab a connecting People Mover to the Intermodal Terminal, then hop on a Brightline Train (or a proposed SunRail extension) to be whisked right into Orlando's tourist corridor...

It's funny... That's not really so different from Walt's plans for airport-connected city and theme park decades ago! Of course, with Disney first dropping out of the proposal to have a Brightline station at Disney Springs, then suggesting that maybe a train station could be located just outside of Disney property, who knows if the Mouse wants to be a part of this interconnected future. (Universal will be.)

Until then and even after, Orlando International Airport will continue to be a first and last stop for most theme park goers in Central Florida; a serious icon of tourism, and a landmark in millions and millions of vacations each year.

Speaking of trains and planes, we've got the perfect "next stop" for you. Whether you're a Disney history buff or an aviation nut, make the jump to our in-depth history of Disney World's beloved dark ride through the wonders of the airline age – the Lost Legend: If You Had Wings – for a musical, magical journey sponsored by Eastern Air Lines!