Orlando Airport (MCO) to the city, the parks and Miami
The train station at Terminal C is Brightline, which runs to South Florida. For Orlando itself the answer is a LYNX bus at $2.00, and the all-day pass is only sold by the driver if you ask before you pay.
- The railway station at the airport does not serve Orlando. Brightline Orlando runs south to West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
- It is not at the gate either. From Terminal C the station is a 13 minute walk, and Brightline asks passengers to arrive at the airport 1.5 hours before departure.
- For the city, the parks and International Drive, it is a LYNX bus. Links 11, 42, 51, 311, 407 and 436S all serve the airport.
- A single LYNX ride is $2.00, discount fare $1.00.
- A transfer is free and lasts 90 minutes, but is not valid on the same link and cannot be used for a round trip.
- The All-Day Pass is $4.50 and only the driver sells it. You have to ask for it before you put money in the farebox.
- A 7-day pass is $16.00 and a 30-day $50.00.
- Nothing here runs on a metro frequency. Orlando is a driving city, and the bus network is built for residents rather than for arrivals with suitcases.
The train that goes the wrong way
- Brightline Orlando Station is at the airport, next to Terminal C, and it is the real thing: a modern intercity railway with services to West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Aventura and Miami.
- It does not go into Orlando. There is no rail link between the airport and downtown Orlando or the theme parks, which surprises almost everyone who sees a railway station on the airport map.
- The walk is longer than it looks. Shuttles and buses drop passengers at Terminal C, and Brightline's own guidance is that the station is a 13 minute walk from there. From Parking Garage C it is about five minutes across a skyway bridge on Level 5.
- Allow 1.5 hours at the airport before a Brightline departure, which is the operator's own advice and reflects the parking and the walking rather than any security queue.
Getting into Orlando
- LYNX is the public bus network and it does reach the airport: Links 11, 42, 51, 311, 407 and 436S.
- The fare is $2.00 flat, or $1.00 on the discount fare.
- Transfers are free for 90 minutes, which matters because most airport journeys here involve a change. You cannot use a transfer to double back on the same link, and it will not cover a round trip.
The pass you have to ask for
- The All-Day Pass is $4.50, valid from 4:00am on the day of issue until 3:00am the next morning.
- It is only available by request from the driver when you board, and LYNX puts the warning in capitals on its own fare page: tell the operator you want an all-day pass before you put money into the farebox.
- After the money is in, it is too late. This is the single most common way to overpay in Orlando.
- Longer stays: 7-day pass $16.00, 30-day $50.00, half price on the discount fare.
Being realistic about it
- Two adults with luggage will often find a rideshare competitive, because the bus journey involves a change and the parks are spread over 40 square miles.
- The bus is the right answer if you are going downtown, staying near a Link corridor, or travelling alone.
- Brightline is the right answer for the Florida coast, and it is genuinely faster than driving to Miami. It is not an airport transfer.
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