{"id":16996,"date":"2025-10-23T10:17:21","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T10:17:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/16996\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T10:17:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T10:17:21","slug":"heres-whats-in-orlando-airports-plan-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/16996\/","title":{"rendered":"Here’s what’s in Orlando airport’s plan for the future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Orlando International Airport\u2019s vision for the future includes zipping passengers past traffic jams on Jetsons-like air taxis<\/a>, replacing paper boarding passes with facial-recognition technology and alleviating parking headaches with thousands of new spaces.<\/p>\n

Those features are part of a $6 billion plan<\/a> that will guide the airport\u2019s development over the next decade, transforming everything from how Central Florida residents get to their plane to how they order a pre-flight meal. The blueprint spans from functional restroom renovations to futuristic flying cars.<\/p>\n

Parking will be a top priority, and about 8,000 spaces will be added over the next few years, said Lance Lyttle, CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which oversees the airport. A parking guidance system \u2014 similar to the one at Disney Springs \u2014 will show how many spots are available on electronic billboards, which airport officials hope will reduce congestion in garages.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s welcome news for Central Florida flyers like Chuck Kovaleski, who lists jam-packed parking garages as one of his top airport gripes. Parking garages for terminals A and B are often full, producing a stressful start to a trip, he said.<\/p>\n

The 77-year-old Oviedo retiree said he\u2019s also pleased to see efforts to reduce walking distances in Terminal C and shorten wait times for luggage with a new baggage-handling system.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I were in their shoes, I\u2019d really focus on those things because their business is moving people and making it as convenient and as pleasant as they can,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Planners also envision a mass transit future that would give passengers the option of ditching their car by connecting Central Florida\u2019s SunRail commuter line<\/a> to the airport.\u00a0 From there, passengers could either hop on a flight or take the high-speed Brightline train to Miami and eventually Tampa.<\/p>\n

Lance Lyttle, the airport CEO, said he expects that one of the most transformational changes for the public over the next decade will be the use of facial-recognition technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor passengers who choose to opt in, our facial biometrics will be used in place of tickets, passports, credit cards, practically everything in our wallets,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom pre-security to boarding, it will play an important role in how passengers navigate the airport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Restrooms in the older terminals A and B \u2014 dubbed perhaps the \u201cworst bathrooms of any major airport\u201d in one critical post on the Reddit social media platform \u2014 will get an upgrade, and new ones will be built where space is available. The $72 million renovation project<\/a> is set to be completed by 2029.<\/p>\n

Expansion plans also call for adding 16 to 24 new gates at Terminal C, along with a $650 million upgrade<\/a> of the airport\u2019s baggage-handling system.<\/p>\n

One challenge for airport leaders will be keeping up with a growth in passengers that has stretched the capacity of terminals A and B, which mostly handle domestic flights, said Gordon Arkin, a former top lawyer for the aviation authority.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is there are too many passengers, and it is overwhelming the curb,\u201d he said. \u201cThe bathrooms are overcapacity. Bag claim is overcapacity. Parking is overwhelmed. \u2026 It is a complicated thing to do \u2026 to renovate an airport when it\u2019s being used, but there really is no alternative.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ParkingA sign advises visitors that a parking level is full at the Orlando International Airport, on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. About 8,000 new parking spaces will be added in the next few years. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

With about 57 million annual passengers, Orlando International Airport is the busiest in Florida and the ninth busiest<\/a> in the United States. <\/p>\n

As far as dining, hungry travelers will be able to pay on their phones and pick up their meals without waiting in line. Expect more choices, too. Airport officials are planning to add signature Central Florida restaurants<\/a> like 4 Rivers Smokehouse, Maxine\u2019s and Stasio\u2019s Italian Deli & Market to the culinary lineup. Construction is expected to begin in February.<\/p>\n

Another idea is to create a virtual reality play area, bringing Orlando\u2019s theme park fun to the airport and keeping passengers entertained during flight delays.<\/p>\n

Krystal Palace, 24, a frequent theme park visitor from New York, said she thinks the airport is on the right track with Terminal C, a $2.8 billion expansion<\/a> that opened in 2022.\u00a0 She\u2019s excited for even more dining and entertainment options, along with a fresher, more modern look for the older terminals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look back now when I used to fly into Terminal A or B, and I\u2019m like, \u2018How did I even tolerate this?’\u201d said Palace, who covers theme parks on her YouTube channel The Krystal Palace. \u201cTerminal C has just totally changed the game. It feels like a totally different airport because it is so comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Airport officials want to add more moving walkways in Terminal C, addressing complaints that walking distances are too great. Autonomous, self-driving wheelchairs will also be deployed to assist passengers from curbside to gate.<\/p>\n

One of the airport\u2019s most ambitious projects involves the addition of a vertiport, a type of flying car landing pad. The technology is in its infancy, but think Uber for the skies.<\/p>\n

This new generation of electric-powered aircraft can reach speeds of 200 mph. Known as \u201celectric vertical take-off and landing vehicles,\u201d these craft are much quieter than traditional helicopters.<\/p>\n

\"AA wheelchair is left at the Terminal A side of the parking garage at the Orlando International Airport, on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Airport officials are considering adding self-driving wheelchairs as part of a 10-year plan. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Archer Aviation CEO Adam Goldstein told The Associated Press he thinks eventually hundreds if not thousands of the aircraft will fly over cities, creating new highways in the sky.<\/p>\n

The plan also calls for using numbers instead of letter to identify the terminals. That would mean terminals A, B and C would be known as terminals 1, 2 and 3. Such a system is considered to be more standardized globally and less confusing for visitors.<\/p>\n

Palace, the travel blogger, said a stress-free airport experience can make an Orlando trip even better. Her new pre-flight ritual is to grab a bite at Chef Art Smith\u2019s Sunshine Diner or Wine Bar George, which also has a location at Disney Springs.<\/p>\n

And Terminal C\u2019s seats with built-in wireless phone chargers and clean, spacious restrooms make flight delays more manageable, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why I am excited for this,\u201d Palace said. \u201cI think it\u2019s just going to make the whole airport even better.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Orlando International Airport\u2019s vision for the future includes zipping passengers past traffic jams on Jetsons-like air taxis, replacing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16997,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[114,266,115,139,141,140,109,1798],"class_list":{"0":"post-16996","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando","8":"tag-latest-headlines","9":"tag-local-news","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-orlando","12":"tag-orlando-headlines","13":"tag-orlando-news","14":"tag-social","15":"tag-transportation"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16996"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16996\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}