Approximately 6.8 miles from the Orlando central business district is the largest airport in the state of Florida, the Orlando International Airport. Also referred to as MCO, this massive airport is located in Orange County. In 2008, MCO was ranked as the 22nd busiest airport in the world by the Airports Council International. This was due to serving 35,622,252 passengers in that same year.

Orlando International Airport, also referred to as MCO, serves as a focus city of Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways. MCO also serves as a hub for AirTran Airways housing their corporate headquarters and operations center. Four main passenger terminals and 97 gates make up the Orlando International Airport. Many parking options are available and are conveniently located close to the terminals. Depending on your length of stay at the airport, parking options include two terminal parking garages and topside terminal parking.

Short-term parking for passenger pick-up is available for free in the Cell Phone Lot. This lot allows for you to park and wait in your car for a phone call from passengers. You may then go to the curbside baggage claim area to pick them up.

For parking further from the terminal than the Terminal Parking Garages, parking is allowed in the Satellite Parking lots. A free shuttle service provided by the airport transports passengers between the satellite lots to the main terminals. Rates for parking in the satellite lots are $4 for the first three hours; after 3 hours, a rate of $10 for every 24-hour period is charged. However, parking in the Satellite lots for less than ten minutes is free. It is prohibited to park in the Satellite lots for more than 120 days.

Located within easy walking distance to the main terminals, the Terminal parking garages offer cover for all 9.300 parking spaces. Rates for parking in the these lots are $1 for every twenty minutes with a maximum daily fee of $17. However, a 40 minute free parking grace period is allowed for short-term parking. Parking is prohibited for stays exceeding 60 days.

To save a little money on long term parking at the Orlando International Airport, you may choose to park at an off-site privately operated parking facility. This may also be an option for those who can’t find parking at the Airport. Located a short distance from Orlando International Airport, most of these private parking sites offer free airport shuttle service. Daily rates can be as low as $4.50 for offsite parking.