ORLANDO, Fla. – Not even halfway through Spring Break, the Orlando International Airport (MCO) is experiencing dozens of cancellations and hundreds of delays, according to FlightAware.
News 6 noticed many of these disruptions on Monday, when weather across the country spurred on delays and cancellations at MCO.
Crowds at MCO on Tuesday, March 17 (Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)
However, several travelers at the time said they were left with few answers as airlines reshuffled schedules throughout the day.
“They just said best of luck. But they gave us credit. But we didn’t really want (that),” one traveler told News 6.
[BELOW: Weather delays, cancellations frustrate MCO travelers]
But on Tuesday, the airport was still filled with crowds of travelers struggling with continued disruptions.
As of 6 p.m., FlightAware reported well over 400 delays at MCO, as well as over 90 cancellations.
Crowds at MCO on Tuesday, March 17 (Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)
MCO’s website shows that security wait times have reached around an hour in Terminal C.
Airport officials said weather and travel volume — not the shutdown — were the main drivers of delays.
Katie Kerwin Gielniak said she was visiting family in Orlando and was supposed to fly home to Sacramento Sunday.
“It got delayed, delayed, delayed for about six hours and then canceled,” she said.
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She said the next flight she could book was not until Tuesday, so she returned to the airport.
“It was supposed to leave earlier, but it got delayed, delayed, delayed. And now here I am, hoping that I get on the flight,” she continued.
The Crandall family flew from Cleveland for a cruise and was originally scheduled to return Monday morning.
“We sat in the airport for 11 hours, had to book another hotel, and we’re hoping to get out to go to Columbus to rent a car and go back to Cleveland,” Crandall stated.
Officials at the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority said the delays were a “perfect storm” of bad weather around the country and spring break crowds, and they said the lines were not caused by the partial government shutdown.
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They praised the Transportation Security Administration for performing well under difficult conditions.
Kerwin Gielniak, who dealt with travel disruptions for several days, agreed.
“The TSA was great on Sunday. It was. Everybody thought it was that. I think today is a bunch of rescheduled flights. They just got a lot of flights.”
The Crandall family said being delayed in Orlando had an upside.
“And we went to Disney World! So at least that was better!” Crandall exclaimed.
Crowds began thinning as flights moved through the night and the backlog from storms around the country slowly cleared.
MCO said it is holding a food drive for unpaid TSA workers affected by the partial government shutdown. Donations are being accepted outside Terminal C and at information kiosks throughout the airport.
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Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.