Family Priority Lane Launching at Disney World & Disneyland Airports
“Families on the Fly” is a new TSA initiative to enhance hospitality for families during the security screening experience, and the priority lane will be launching first at Orlando International (MCO) and Orange County (SNA), the closest airports to Walt Disney World and Disneyland, respectively. This covers details about the campaign, other recent positive changes at TSA, plus our commentary.
According to the announcement, the goal is to make the airport security experience as smooth and stress-free as possible for traveling families. The Families on the Fly campaign is being rolled out at select airports, and aims to mitigate the unique challenges families face when traveling and minimize stress while maintaining the highest level of security.
“Families on the Fly” benefits for families include:
- Dedicated family lanes at select airports nationwide
- Discounted TSA PreCheck fees for families – Coming soon
- Dedicated TSA PreCheck lanes for service members and their families
Participating airports include:
- Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- Charlotte-Douglas International (CLT)
- John Wayne Orange County Airport (SNA) – Coming soon
- Daniel K. Inouye Honolulu International Airport (HNL) – Coming soon
TSA hasn’t released full details about the logistics or rules for this, but we’re expecting this to be available to all families with at least one children age 12 or under (as that’s the cut-off for other TSA family eligibility and seems logical here). We also do not expect this to work in tandem with TSA PreCheck, which is already available to families with small children so long as parents are eligible for that line-skipping access. Unlike TSA PreCheck, no advance registration is required for the family priority lane and it’s free of charge.
This initiative is one of several TSA has launched to improve hospitality at its 435 airports located throughout the country.
Following the successful launches in these pilot cities, “Families on the Fly” will roll out at select airports including Charleston International Airport (CHS), Jacksonville International (JAX), Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (PVD), Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU), and Tampa International Airport (TPA) with additional airports slated for addition in the coming months.
Earlier this summer, TSA launched the “Serve with Honor, Travel with Ease” campaign designed to recognize the service and sacrifice of military and uniformed service members and their families. TSA introduced expedited access for military members in TSA PreCheck lanes at select airports near larger military installations. This included dedicated screening lanes, or front-of-line privileges, designed to minimize wait times and improve convenience for service members.
Military personnel and civilian Department of Defense (DOD) staff are eligible for free TSA PreCheck by using their DOD ID number as their Known Traveler Number when booking travel. Children 12 and under may accompany service members and DOD staff in TSA PreCheck lanes without restriction. Minors 13-17 must be on the same airline reservation with a TSA PreCheck-eligible parent or guardian to receive expedited screening.
On a separate but related move to streamline the security process, TSA introduced a new policy to allow passengers traveling through domestic airports to keep their shoes on while passing through security screening. The new policy is aimed at improving the experience and, most notably, lowering wait times at TSA checkpoints.
Ending the ‘Shoes-Off’ policy is another effort to modernize and enhance traveler experience across U.S. airports, leading to a more pleasant and efficient passenger experience. TSA indicates that cutting-edge technological advancements and multi-layered security approach allows the implementation of this change while maintaining the highest security standards.
Our Commentary
Let’s start with the last point about ending the ‘Shoes-Off’ policy. Longtime readers are likely aware that I have strong thoughts about “security theater,” which was a hot topic about 5 years ago as well as prior to (and since then) when it comes to Housekeeping Hassles at Walt Disney World.
I’m sometimes told to stay in my lane when it polarizing off-topic subjects, so I’ll just start by noting that I studied national security & counterterrorism law, and even wrote a thesis on traditional airport screening measures versus behavioral detection. (This was a huge emerging field when I went to school in the shadow of 9/11.)
This is technically more ‘in my lane’ than Disney stuff, which zero of my formal education concerned. That’s all just “street smarts” forged on the mean streets of MSUSA. Unfortunately, this education has been totally useless from a practical perspective…until now!
I can say with complete confidence that ending the ‘Shoes-Off’ policy is a step in the right direction.
I can’t speak to whatever technological advancements allegedly enabled this, but that doesn’t matter. They weren’t needed. “It doesn’t matter” is very much a recurring takeaway with this stuff, as the underlying issue is economic–via traveler confidence and peace of mind–as opposed to efficacy. (The hundreds of hours spent studying boils down to that single sentence. You now have the same level of expertise as me, congratulations.)
Actual analysis misses the mark because that’s what this stuff is, and always has been, really about. I would hazard a guess that this ‘Shoes-Off’ policy decision was made on that basis, thanks more to the passage of time than anything else. Hence the term “security theater” in the first place.
As for the family lanes, these are another step in the right direction.
We’ve often remarked that MCO is the “worst” TSA experience because it is disproportionately second-time fliers. My strong suspicion is that MCO has more second-time fliers than any other airport in the United States, and by a colossal margin. (Second because their first-ever flight would’ve been coming to Walt Disney World.) It’s also probably the #1 airport for families, again by a wide margin. No data on this, just my gut from extensive experience at MCO and other airports.
There are air quotes around “worst” above because it’s not really anyone’s fault. It’s a confluence of circumstances: traveler inexperience, disproportionate numbers of kids, strollers & mobility devices, checked baggage fees, convoluted and counterintuitive rules, along with TSA agents who deal with this all-day, every-day and undoubtedly become a bit, ahem, “battle-hardened” in the process.
If anything, the MCO experience is shockingly pleasant despite the above. The airport manages to overcome a lot and be pretty good. The TSA agents and travelers all do a surprisingly good job of holding things together in spite of it all. MCO is an impressive organism, even if it can be frustrating and time-consuming for all involved. That’s somewhat beside the point, but it also is the point.
If done correctly, having dedicated family priority lanes could be a huge win for all involved at Orlando International Airport.
This priority lane gives families a space of their own, which might be faster but at minimum will be lower-pressure. It benefits other travelers by getting families out of the regular screening lines, making them more predictable and stoppages less likely. It gives MCO a location to put its most experienced and patient TSA agents, too. Kind of like what Disney does with Cast Members at Guest Relations!
(Again, this is also coming to John Wayne Airport, which services Disneyland. That’ll be nice, I guess, but SNA is already one of the most laid-back airports in the world. I can’t really see this moving the needle much there, but maybe I’m missing something. Despite it being our “home” airport, the three of us don’t have much experience flying out of SNA together. We always opt for LAX to avoid layovers–a ‘pick your poison’ kinda deal with a baby or toddler.)
One of the things we’ve learned from flying as a family is that TSA can be unnecessarily stressful, and that’s even for us as experienced travelers. Part of the problem is other travelers. Thankfully, this isn’t much of an issue at MCO, as anything with a modicum of common sense knows that’s just part of the deal there.
But at other airports, there can be a tension in the air between business travelers and families. It’s hard to explain, but it’s one of those ‘if you know, you know’ things. (I almost feel badly for bringing this up, because sometimes ignorance is bliss.) In any case, getting through security as a family can be stressful due to fellow travelers.
It also can be an issue with security, itself. Not every TSA agent is long-tenured and experienced with all of the rule quirks for babies. There are a lot of, ahem, “idiosyncrasies” when flying with a small child. Special exceptions for liquids, formula and food. Unique policies for strollers, babywearing, etc. I don’t even know them all–it’s always something new.
As a traveler, you have to advocate for yourself–but without crossing a line, since it is TSA and all. Polite but firm. Sarah is very good at this. I am not. (And not in the rude or belligerent way–the opposite. I would simply fold immediately when challenged about literally anything.)
Point being, family priority lanes offer a location for this type of screening to occur with consistent and predictable results. If implemented correctly, this could be a huge win for travelers. It could make things less stressful and reduce wait times, and not just for families, but everyone.
If you fly with any degree of regularity, we still highly recommend TSA PreCheck over this. Having that is a gamechanger for the airport experience, and even makes MCO a relative breeze. Many credit cards and loyalty programs cover the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry application fee (if you have the option for either, get Global Entry).
It could also mean not having to schedule a Mears Connect pick-up over 3 hours in advance or getting to the airport super early, which may turn out to be very necessary or complete overkill. One of the biggest knocks on MCO is the massive range in times it could take you from airport arrival to getting to your gate.
This, along with other things like the Free Airport Luggage Transfer from Walt Disney World Hotels, could actually help address that in meaningful ways. Because even with the new terminal, Orlando International Airport is bursting at the seams as it sets fresh record after record for visitor volume. MCO needs mitigation measures like this.
We haven’t traveled extensively as a family outside of the United States, but the one place we have been a few times is Japan.
Family priority lanes are a thing there, and they’re phenomenal. We have had zero issues there, enjoying an expedited and courteous process that manages to be both thoughtful and thorough. We have had better success there than at LAX, despite there being no language barrier for us in Los Angeles. (I’ve seen these lanes in other countries, as well, I just can’t speak to their quality.)
If what TSA implements is anything like the system in Japan, it’ll be a huge win for families.
Beyond the scope of this post a bit, but one ‘soapbox’ subject for me is that our society needs a lot more like this. Aging populations throughout the developed world are viewed as a big issue that needs to be tackled, but government initiatives aimed at this have had almost zero success.
This is because they’re all focused on the wrong cost: monetary as opposed to opportunity. (Monetary costs no doubt play a role for some people, but fertility rates segmented by income conclusively refute this as a whole. Statistics tell the story.)
If this can be addressed, things like “Families on the Fly” are the type of incremental improvements needed. Making things easier for families, and public life more conducive to the presence of children. This requires attitude changes as much as anything else.
When I saw this news being discussed elsewhere, some of the top comments were complaints–that families shouldn’t get preferential treatment, already receive too much, or “don’t belong” at the airport if they can’t handle it. Respectfully, this is nuts–the real entitlement. It also ignores the reality that getting families out of regular lines benefits everyone else!
One of the other things we’ve noticed when traveling in Japan is just how much more welcome children are in public spaces. It’s not just that they’re begrudgingly tolerated, but families are given a lot of preferential treatment and there are a ton of thoughtful little design features and accommodations for parents with small kids (although “thoughtful little design features” are very much a Japan thing, generally).
The good news for anyone who feels slighted by this or the “Families on the Fly” campaign is that every single person was a child once, so there’s equal opportunity for all of us to receive this supposedly preferential treatment!
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Your Thoughts
What do you think about the return of the “Families on the Fly” campaign? What about TSA ditching the “Shoes-Off” policy? Think new initiatives like this, along with other programs such as Airport Luggage Transfer/Resort Airline Check-In, could improve the MCO experience? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I think it’s a great idea as someone who rarely travels with kids, but does fly frequently, especially from the Boston area to MCO route. It will give parents more time and hopefully less stress, knowing they are not holding up that business traveler because for whatever reason – the stroller is malfunctioning and they can’t fold it properly or get their iPad out of their kids backpack. It should make things move quicker in the non family TSA lines. I have pre-check/global entry, but nowadays those lines seem to be longer than the regular! I have zero issues with it! Though I do want to see it in action, I have another flight to MCO at the end of the month, will have to pay more attention to see if it’s in effect.
Don’t remember which airport ( but I think LHR) after going through the xray machine with shoes on they had a second machine that you put each foot ( with shoe) on – not sure how that worked but it was easier than taking shoes off! – also last few times of flying i noticed they only required removal of footwear that covered ankles
Question regarding the taking your shoes off during screening. (And with your field of study I am sincerly asking not trying to start controversy.)
I thought explosives were found in the heel of a shoe, but I just googled and via AI it says someone did have an explosive in their shoes but not necessarily in the heel.
If this was possible (and true) why would removing your shoes be considered theater?
Thanks
In a nutshell, it comes down to a combination of what level of risk is deemed acceptable and what does the measure actually accomplish?
In the case of TSA, the annual costs are in the billions (millions per theoretical life saved). And yet, the TSA’s own analysis has repeatedly revealed a sky-high fail rate (~90%), which is to say that their own agents have been able to smuggle contraband through checkpoints with a high degree of success. The results were so bad that the TSA stopped publishing them. The good news is that that are effective security programs in place, and national security has been hardened post-9/11. A lot of it just isn’t visible, and people want to see it for peace of mind.
That’s more or less the reason many TSA rules have persisted; because there are also economic costs of ending the programs, not just continuing them. Security makes people comfortable to fly; they have memories of 9/11, the failed shoe bomber, etc., and conclude that no level of risk is acceptable (even though that’s asinine–no one would ever drive or cross the street if it were true). There’s also a political angle.
Thanks for the information Tom.
I’ve enjoyed leaving from TPA recently; it’s a longer drive, but you make it all back in the airport experience. On this note, I was surprised to see TPA on the list of future airports – the security screening is so small at each remote terminal that I can’t believe there would be much benefit!
My boys are 12 and 10 so maybe we get a use or two out of this- MCO can be crowded but that being said, they are used to it.
Sounds more like a “take your screaming kid here” line. haha
It will also get the families with small children out of the way of those who don’t have small children! 😉 Win-win!
I’m so confused as to why you’d need this in SNA. I use SNA fairly regularly for business and pleasure, and I feel like the longest the line has ever been is like, five people. (I hope I didn’t just jinx myself!) I welcome this concept in many, many larger airports, though. I agree that it would likely place less stress on both families and on business travellers – as long as resources are adequately allocated by taking into account the average demographic travelling through the airport (e.g. there should not be an excessive number of family lanes, but also not so few family lanes that this becomes a nonexistent benefit).
Another fun and useful read! Our kid is now approaching his teens but we welcome this implementation. We would have loved it sooner but are happy for the families – and general traveling population- to get to experience this. We invested in TSA PreCheck years ago and it has paid off beyond measure- flying as a family and solo. It blow my mind how few people seems to purchase it, but on the other hand, I feel like I do not want it to get more popular, but popular enough to not get discontinued!
It does seem to be a wasted opportunity at John Wayne Airport. We, as you, do not use the airport even though it is the closest to us because of their lack of direct flights to WDW (and cost to fly out of there is not usually ideal). LAX sucks, but they offer more and for less. My favorite SoCal airport is Long Beach….I fly out of there any chance I get that meets my needs. Easiest to navigate and the outdoor space is refreshing and fun for the kiddos to let off some pre-flight steam running space!
I still do fly out of SNA a decent amount, but only when it’s just me and time is not of the essence. I’ve had a couple of really bad delays, and even ended up staying overnight in Phoenix due to one. I’ve started to fly LGB more and more, in large part because they have a few nonstop routes that work for me.
The three of us are flying out of San Diego for the first time next month! It’s about the same distance from us as LAX, and we scored cheap nonstop flights out of there. Very curious to see how that stacks up.
Flew from MCO last Saturday through B concourse and didn’t notice anything different. Have precheck which were the longest lines. Tom, let me know the next time you go to Japan. I lived there for 2 years so my language isn’t bad and I always talk to the Japanese visitors at DW along with the clerks in EPCOT. I told the girl last week that the Kit Kats are too expensive as in Osaka only $1.33 instead of $12.99. For those who have never been to Tokyo Disney it’s just like Disneyland or MK. Tokyo disney sea is where the real difference is. excited for my visit again next month
Just went through MCO last evening. TSA closes down the Pre-Check line at about 8pm. This meant only one side being open. Although the experience last evening was good, I question the logic behind closing the Pre-check side instead of the non-Pre-Check side. Any improvement in the TSA process is a plus and very welcome.
“TSA closes down the Pre-Check line at about 8pm.”
Oof, they’re still doing this?!
It’s been a while since I’ve had that late of a flight, but I have encountered this at a time when the experience was not good. Given the visitor volume MCO is seeing, I had hoped this wasn’t still a thing.
My husband and I are kid free and seasoned travelers and I absolutely see this as a win for both!!!
I also noticed just how much more conducive public spaces in Japan are to small children. It’s one of those things that as an American, you don’t even realize is missing until you go abroad. I would love to see the US move in this direction! Children have as much right to exist in public spaces as anyone else (and air travel is by definition mass transit that should accommodate everyone). It is also my theory that if children are introduced into public spaces sooner, they’ll probably be less disruptive because they’re used to it.
“It’s one of those things that as an American, you don’t even realize is missing until you go abroad.”
This hits the nail on the head. So many instances of this, well beyond spaces being family-friendly. Public life is just nicer, in general.
I absolutely loved this post « totally useless thesis – until NOW ! » in all honesty I would have thought it would have been more useful ?
I had a similar moment once (not twice) when I could finally use my knowledge on maritime insurance history and its influence on insurance premium development. I had a few witnesses do now I can occasionally brag about it.
I would say that easily half, and probably closer to 80%, of what I studied in school has proven to be useless at any point subsequent to graduation. In this case, the thinking was probably that this would be more relevant as a career path in the aftermath of 9/11 than it’s actually been?
It’s safe to say that the value in a lot of education is teaching you how to think, not the acquisition of specific knowledge. (The latter is probably more applicable in math and science, but those are not things I ever learned, so I wouldn’t know!)
I’m going to assume your expertise in maritime insurance history concerns underwriting narwhals, as opposed to boats or whatever.
Nah – it’s boats !
Old boats from the 18th centuries I studied maritime history from 1600-1890…
Very hard to use in a conversation
No, it is about boats ! Boats from the 18th-19th century… I studied maritime history from 1600-1900… some teachers would come with cannon balls ! very cool but hard to use in a conversation.
This sounds wonderful. I agree that American society as a whole could be a lot more supportive of kids and families and this is a great step that benefits everyone.
I think my husband and I may have experienced this lane at the Orlando airport last week? If it was rolled out already?
From what we experienced- it wasn’t anything fancy. And didn’t seem to make our experience any better? Because there are so many families flying through (due to the parks) the family line was actually the longest and I think may have slowed us down. So I guess a win for the business flyers? I wonder if Orlando needs two family lanes! Thanks for covering small travel details like this!
My understanding is that it’s in the process of rolling out.
You could call what you experienced a soft opening, in theme park terms. TSA will definitely need time and resources to tweak the family lines at MCO. If not, this will end up flopping because it’ll become the de facto “slow lane” and families will just go in the regular line.
Sounds great! I have TSA pre but my husband, who flies less, does not. Our last experience at MCO Terminal C I think put him over the hump to apply. Usually it’s not a problem, but the day we were there (midday) it was understaffed and chaotic. The experience at Logan has always been far better for him. I hope our Terminal C experience was a one-off, because if MCO implements this family lane with what we most recently saw, it won’t work out very well.
We travelled to Italy in the summer of 2023, and upon arrival were ushered through customs in a family lane, which in our case meant zero wait. We were out of the airport in Rome almost as quickly as a domestic US flight. It was awesome & their definition of children was 14 & under.
This has been our exact experience every time we’ve arrived or departed out of Japan.
Glad to hear Italy has something similar! Really hoping it’s also available at Charles de Gaulle–right up there with MCO as the most stressful airport.
FWIW, we did not experience anything like that in Rome! Though our child was middle-school aged.
In air travel, small things really pay off big. A few years ago I was at an airport that had multiple TSA checkpoints in the terminal (maybe DFW?), and I was at one that didn’t have TSA PreCheck, but it had two lines: 1) solo travelers who could walk on their own and hold their own ticket (either paper or phone) and 2) families traveling together (e.g., a mom typically with all the tickets on one phone) or people who couldn’t walk on their own. I don’t think it really changed the timing for anyone, but it made everyone feel better. The business travel line was long but efficient. The family travel line was short but took a long time to get everyone through. As someone who sometimes travels with an elderly family member with a metal hip who has to be wanded, that lane would help alleviate some of the stress of the security situation. Now that you mention this Families on the Fly, I wonder if what I experienced was a pilot program. And, like you, I hope we see built-in affordances to the aging population as spaces and processes are built and redesigned.
“I hope we see built-in affordances to the aging population as spaces and processes are built and redesigned.”
Yes! This too. Same sentiment applies to the old as it does the young.
The only difference, from a practical perspective, is that the old can vote their preferences into existence as a matter of public policy. The young, by contrast, cannot. And in an aging population, this is problematic. (Something I’m seeing firsthand on a local level, but that is way off-topic.)
Tom, seriously TFGreen in Providence? I am very familiar with this airport. It is small and people move through it fast. Anybody in their right mind will fly out of PVD instead of Logan in Boston if they can. Yes you could get cheaper flights out of Boston, but if you throw in parking you are better off at PVD. Hubby drives up to the departures and we drop everything off. We check baggage right there when possible. He drives to Lot E , parks and takes the shuttle back to departures while I check bags. it is quick and convenient.
I’m guessing there’s a method to the madness, and TSA is rolling this out wherever possible first? I’d assume infrastructure, airport leadership and staffing all play a role.
Because it also would be much more useful at LAX than SNA. I can understand why they’d pick SNA, though, as it’d be a huge undertaking to introduce at LAX.
WOW! This sounds Great.
Hopefully you will be able to follow up with the definitive definition of “family” for this new Precheck lane (e.g. Child age range(s), number and type of adults required to have “Trusted Traveler” status, etc. in the family group such as Grand Parents) when it is available.
Also, I have not seen the current list of Disney Resorts that have luggage check in.
My assumption is that this is separate from PreCheck.
For one, because the family priority lane is not discussed in tandem in the TSA press release. For another, because I just flew through MCO (after this went live) and I didn’t see any PreCheck integration. Maybe it’s coming, but I doubt it. MCO already has a lot to juggle on that front with TSA PreCheck, Clear, MCO Reserve, etc.
This should be a huge win for the families without PreCheck. I’ve found PreCheck to be really smooth at MCO without a separate family lane, FWIW.