After launching the pilot program earlier this week, Walt Disney World has expanded Airport Baggage Switch (beforehand often called Resort Airline Examine-In) as of at the moment, April 3, 2025. This covers the most recent official particulars of the check, questions & solutions through WDW, and our commentary concerning the free visitor perk for on-site resorts.
As we beforehand reported, the Return of Resort Airline Examine-In Service at Walt Disney World as a Pilot Program was a check and could be expanded based mostly partly on constructive visitor suggestions, utilization charges, satisfaction, and different metrics. Whereas I can’t say what these numbers seemed like for precise visitors utilizing the service, our reader responses had been resoundingly constructive. The story garnered 85 feedback virtually all of which had been extremely enthusiastic.
It’s thus unsurprising that the Airport Baggage Switch pilot program is increasing. That it’s taking place only some days later, alternatively, is stunning. Walt Disney World seldom does something this shortly, even with the help of third get together contributors. This nonetheless has us extra optimistic that Airport Baggage Switch will solely proceed to develop over the approaching months. For now, listed here are the official particulars adopted by our ideas.
Beginning April 3, 2025, visitors staying at choose Walt Disney World Resort motels, can drop checked baggage off with Baggage Help to be delivered on to your flight. A brand new third-party service, often called BagCheck, will take your baggage on to the airport to your Southwest Airways flight.
At the moment, this pilot service is accessible at Worth Resort motels for Visitors with Southwest Airways flights departing from Orlando Worldwide Airport (MCO). However once more, it is a pilot program, and it’s already expanded from simply Disney’s Pop Century to incorporate a number of different motels.
Together with this, Walt Disney World launched an official assertion about Airport Baggage Switch: “We proceed to work with Orlando Worldwide Airport on methods we can assist handle the excessive demand for journey to Central Florida and enhance the expertise for our visitors and different airport passengers. As a part of these efforts, we’re working with a vendor to pilot a brand new one-way service for visitors at Disney Worth Resorts to conveniently test their baggage previous to departure when flying out of the airport on Southwest Airways. We sit up for sharing extra data with visitors quickly.”
How Airport Baggage Switch Works
Save time on the airport by sending your luggage forward to the airline. Merely comply with these steps:
- Firstly of your keep, test in at your Worth Resort lodge and name or go to Baggage Help to make the most of this service. For a smoother expertise, depart your inbound Southwest Airways tags in your luggage.
- The day earlier than your departure, test in to your Southwest Airways flight on-line.
- Drop off your luggage at Baggage Help within the Resort lodge foyer space by the required drop off time (see under). Please bear in mind that you’ll want to supply a sound type of picture identification so as to drop off your luggage. You can even name Baggage Help out of your in-room phone to ask for assist along with your luggage.
- Head to the airport, skip the check-in line, get pleasure from your flight and decide up your luggage at baggage declare whenever you arrive at your vacation spot.
When to Drop Off Your Baggage
It’s strongly inspired that you simply drop off your checked luggage the evening earlier than your scheduled departure. Nonetheless, in the event you want some further time, you are able to do the next:
- When Flying Earlier than 1:00 PM: Drop your luggage off by 1:00 AM the evening earlier than your flight.
- When Flying After 1:00 PM: Drop your luggage off at the very least 4 hours earlier than departure or no later than 1:00 PM—whichever comes first.
Baggage Help is accessible to obtain baggage any time from 5:00 AM to 1:00 AM.
Collaborating WDW Resort Resorts
The Airport Baggage Switch service is barely obtainable on the following areas:
- Disney’s All-Star Motion pictures Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Sports activities Resort
- Disney’s Artwork of Animation Resort
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Please bear in mind that this service is barely obtainable in case you are trying out from one of many Disney Worth Resort motels listed above and your return flight is with Southwest Airways.
Which means that visitors with cut up stays are eligible, as long as the journey concludes at one of many above-listed Worth Resorts. It may possibly begin anyplace, from the Grand Floridian to Helios Grand overlooking Epic Universe.
Airport Baggage Switch FAQ
Can I print my boarding passes once I drop off my luggage?
No. Walt Disney World doesn’t present boarding cross printing as a part of the Airport Baggage Switch service. It is best to have your boarding passes prepared earlier than dropping off your luggage.
Am I nonetheless eligible for the service if I eliminated the inbound tags from my bag?
Sure, you’re nonetheless eligible for the service. Whereas we advocate holding your inbound Southwest Airways tags in your bag for a smoother expertise, it’s not a requirement.
Can I see the placement of my luggage or get help?
You’ll be able to observe your luggage utilizing the Southwest Airways app. For added help along with your luggage, please contact Southwest Airways customer support.
What occurs to the bag if a flight is cancelled?
In case your Southwest Airways flight is cancelled, your bag will likely be routinely redirected to your new flight. For help, please contact Southwest Airways customer support.
The place do I decide up my baggage after my flight?
You’ll be able to decide up your baggage in baggage declare at your flight’s closing vacation spot.
Who ought to I contact if I’ve points or questions on my baggage after drop-off?
You’ll be able to contact or go to Baggage Help for any questions on your baggage after drop-off. As soon as the bag departs the Resort lodge, you will get data through the Baggage webpage for Southwest Airways. You can even see a Southwest Agent on the airport for help.
Is that this service obtainable for all airways?
This pilot program is barely obtainable for flights on Southwest Airways as of April 3, 2025.
Will this pilot program develop to different resorts or airways?
Presently (operative phrases), Walt Disney World has solely dedicated to this being a free perk for visitors staying on the Worth Resorts and flying Southwest Airways.
Are there any dimension or weight restrictions for bags?
Sure. Commonplace dimension and weight restrictions apply. Examine with Southwest Airways for particulars on particular checked baggage insurance policies.
What about checked baggage charges?
Southwest Airline presently presents two free checked luggage. As you’re probably conscious, that can quickly change. Southwest clients who don’t qualify free of charge bag choices will likely be charged for his or her first and second checked luggage, with weight and dimension limitations making use of. Modifications will apply to flights booked on or after Could 28, 2025. All related baggage charges, if any, will must be paid earlier than profiting from Airport Baggage Switch at Walt Disney World.
What occurs if my baggage is lacking, delayed or broken?
In case your baggage is lacking, delayed or broken, you may submit a report back to Southwest Airways.
Our Commentary
I don’t wish to rehash an excessive amount of from this week’s earlier reporting, as what this largely does is make all of that official, add some data immediately from Walt Disney World, and develop the pilot program from Pop Century to all Worth Resorts. In so doing, it goes from the biggest lodge at Walt Disney World by room depend (virtually 3,000 rooms) and now encompasses that complete tier, including one other 7,500+ rooms to the combination.
The corporate working this service, BagCheck, is a brand new entity created by a serial entrepreneur who beforehand based Baggage, Inc. (the third get together liable for the predecessor to this, Resort Airline Examine-In) earlier than promoting it for $275 million. He’s been creating this service for over a 12 months, and resigned a few conflicts so as to pursue this. There isn’t a manner his ambitions finish right here, with Airport Baggage Switch being obtainable solely at Worth Resorts and just for Southwest Airways.
The underside line is that Airport Baggage Switch will develop additional, it’ll simply take time. It is a difficult service and the infrastructure for it has been dormant (at finest) for over 5 years. It includes not simply Walt Disney World Forged Members, but additionally BagCheck workers and distributors at MCO. There are a number of shifting components, and it can’t go from zero to 100 in a single day. If something, I’m impressed and elated that it’s already expanded from simply Pop Century to all Worth Resorts so quick–that bodes properly!
As for why it’s beginning on the Worth Resorts, the most effective clarification is that it’s best (don’t overthink it). These 5 resorts are positioned in two distinct areas, and supply over 10,000 rooms in a comparatively condensed location (over one-third of all Disney-owned lodge stock). There’s nowhere else at Walt Disney World that provides this many rooms on this shut of proximity–particularly if Walt Disney World needs to start out the service at a complete tier of resorts, versus a hodgepodge of them in a resort district.
As for why it’s beginning with Southwest Airways, the reply is presumably the identical. It’s the biggest airline flying out of MCO and it’s secure to say that it has the very best proportion of checked luggage by quantity because of its (outgoing) “luggage fly free” coverage. The timing could seem inopportune, however take into account that coverage applies to flights booked via the following 2 months, not simply journey dates. By the point it actually winds down, we’d anticipate Airport Baggage Switch to have expanded to extra airways.
These are simply guesses on our half, however these are the probably explanations for why BagCheck selected these Walt Disney World Resort motels and Southwest Airways. It’s the best start line for the service whereas testing logistics and iterating earlier than scaling up. It permits Airport Baggage Switch to make a comparatively massive affect with fewer sources because it onboards new workers and refines the service.
All of that is to deal with the inevitable reader issues that Airport Baggage Switch is “unfair.” That it doesn’t make sense for a superb on-site visitor perk to be provided on the least expensive motels or for Southwest Airways. It’s comprehensible that visitors staying on the Grand Floridian and flying a premium cabin in United would really feel like they’re getting a uncooked deal. However from our perspective, it’s pretty apparent that that is solely a check and can embody extra resorts and airways in due time.
Way more fascinating from our perspective are the motivations and the place else this leads. Walt Disney World’s assertion signifies that they “proceed to work with Orlando Worldwide Airport on methods we can assist handle the excessive demand for journey to Central Florida and enhance the expertise for our visitors and different airport passengers.”
It’s fascinating that it is a collaborative effort with the airport. It’s additionally unsurprising. As we’ve reported elsewhere, MCO has damaged passenger quantity data over the course of the final couple of years and virtually all of its busiest days, weeks, and months ever have occurred since 2022. The airport is barely simply beginning to decelerate and not see year-over-year development, besides, it nonetheless stays properly above the 2019 baseline.
Anybody who has traveled via MCO in the previous few years has most likely seen this, and it doesn’t actually matter what time of 12 months, what time of day, and many others. The airport is at all times busy. Seating areas on the gates are so full that they’ve added overflow seating to walkways, and people are actually full. The parking heaps routinely are full, there’s site visitors congestion simply dropping folks off or making pickups, strains to get via TSA are sometimes 45+ minutes–you get the concept.
The return of Airport Baggage Switch and this assertion from Walt Disney World gave me a flashback to Our Terrible Airport Experiences at Walt Disney World from final Christmas. These had been main issues getting from Walt Disney World to MCO, after which on the Delta counter for bag drop. That line ended up taking me over an hour. Simply to drop off a bag and confirm my ID. No particular help–I had already accomplished the self-service printing of tags and the whole lot.
That was a “new to me” expertise, as I completely journey with solely a carry-on when flying solo. The identical was true when it was simply the 2 of us. Nonetheless, with a child that simply isn’t attainable (at the very least, not for us). Because it seems, many different readers reported having precisely the identical–or considerably comparable–experiences at bag drop, and never only for Delta. That’s one more MCO drawback.
In the end, Orlando Worldwide Airport clearly has infrastructure and staffing points. The airport was constructed many years in the past when passenger quantity was far decrease and totally different. It’s now one of many busiest airports in the USA, and jogs my memory of Los Angeles Worldwide Airport when it comes to chaos and crowds. The one distinction is that LAX is managed chaos, as that uber-busy airport can course of excessive numbers of individuals surprisingly properly. MCO can’t.
If Walt Disney World actually is working with MCO on serving to ease excessive demand and the burden on infrastructure, it stands to motive that Airport Baggage Switch will develop. Past that, we’ll double-down on our perspective that this makes Disney’s Magical Categorical extra more likely to return. Orlando Worldwide Airport wants to enhance its effectivity in a number of regards, and having passengers arrive and depart through higher-capacity buses is one such manner. This seems like the celebrities aligning, as there’s a mutually-beneficial answer for each Disney’s and MCO’s woes.
The return of Airport Baggage Switch/Resort Airline Examine-In strikes me as Walt Disney World laying the groundwork for bringing again Disney’s Magical Categorical. The bags dealing with is the extra difficult piece of the puzzle that would want to roll out first. The airport shuttle infrastructure already exists, simply with totally different stickers on the buses. In contrast to this, that changeover could possibly be like flipping a change. That is all nice information, and looks as if an ideal confluence of circumstances: Disney lastly realizing the error of their methods in deflating the Disney Bubble and MCO needing reduction from its excessive passenger quantity.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study motels on our Walt Disney World Resorts Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To economize on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a singular take a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Journey Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for the whole lot it’s good to know!
Your Ideas
What do you consider the return of Airport Baggage Switch/Resort Airline Examine-In? Suppose we’re making too massive of a deal a couple of restricted pilot program, or do you agree with our evaluation that this wouldn’t be taking place in any respect until the top recreation had been way more bold? Suppose this paves the way in which for a comeback of Disney’s Magical Categorical, or is that getting actually forward of ourselves? Heartened to see Walt Disney World out of the blue beginning to take discover of the center class households which are the parks & resorts’ bread & butter? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
