After launching the pilot program earlier this week, Walt Disney World has expanded Airport Baggage Switch (beforehand often known as Resort Airline Test-In) as of at this time, April 3, 2025. This covers the most recent official particulars of the check, questions & solutions by way of WDW, and our commentary concerning the free visitor perk for on-site resorts.
As we beforehand reported, the Return of Resort Airline Test-In Service at Walt Disney World as a Pilot Program was a check and could be expanded primarily based partly on constructive visitor suggestions, utilization charges, satisfaction, and different metrics. Whereas I can’t say what these numbers regarded 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 occurring just a few days later, alternatively, is stunning. Walt Disney World seldom does something this rapidly, even with the help of third occasion members. This however 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 inns, can drop checked baggage off with Baggage Help to be delivered on to your flight. A brand new third-party service, often known as BagCheck, will take your baggage on to the airport in your Southwest Airways flight.
At present, this pilot service is out there at Worth Resort inns for Company 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 inns.
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 examine their baggage previous to departure when flying out of the airport on Southwest Airways. We sit up for sharing extra info 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:
- At first of your keep, examine in at your Worth Resort resort and name or go to Baggage Help to benefit from this service. For a smoother expertise, go away your inbound Southwest Airways tags in your luggage.
- The day earlier than your departure, examine in in your Southwest Airways flight on-line.
- Drop off your luggage at Baggage Help within the Resort resort foyer space by the required drop off time (see beneath). Please remember that you’ll want to supply a sound type of photograph identification so as to drop off your luggage. You may as well 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, take pleasure in your flight and decide up your luggage at baggage declare while 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 night time earlier than your scheduled departure. Nevertheless, in case 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 night time 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 out there to obtain baggage any time from 5:00 AM to 1:00 AM.
Taking part WDW Resort Inns
The Airport Baggage Switch service is barely accessible 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 remember that this service is barely accessible if you’re trying out from one of many Disney Worth Resort inns 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 will probably begin anyplace, from the Grand Floridian to Helios Grand overlooking Epic Universe.
Airport Baggage Switch FAQ
Can I print my boarding passes after I drop off my luggage?
No. Walt Disney World doesn’t present boarding cross printing as a part of the Airport Baggage Switch service. You need 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 might be nonetheless eligible for the service. Whereas we advocate maintaining your inbound Southwest Airways tags in your bag for a smoother expertise, it isn’t a requirement.
Can I see the situation of my luggage or get help?
You’ll be able to monitor 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 probably 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 ultimate 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 resort, you will get info by way of the Baggage webpage for Southwest Airways. You may as well see a Southwest Agent on the airport for help.
Is that this service accessible for all airways?
This pilot program is barely accessible for flights on Southwest Airways as of April 3, 2025.
Will this pilot program broaden 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. Test with Southwest Airways for particulars on particular checked baggage insurance policies.
What about checked baggage charges?
Southwest Airline presently affords two free checked luggage. As you’re doubtless conscious, that may quickly change. Southwest prospects who don’t qualify at no cost bag choices will probably 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 Might 28, 2025. All related baggage charges, if any, will have to 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 principally does is make all of that official, add some data instantly from Walt Disney World, and broaden the pilot program from Pop Century to all Worth Resorts. In so doing, it goes from the biggest resort at Walt Disney World by room rely (virtually 3,000 rooms) and now encompasses that whole tier, including one other 7,500+ rooms to the combo.
The corporate working this service, BagCheck, is a brand new entity created by a serial entrepreneur who beforehand based Baggage, Inc. (the third occasion answerable for the predecessor to this, Resort Airline Test-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 is no such thing as a method his ambitions finish right here, with Airport Baggage Switch being accessible solely at Worth Resorts and just for Southwest Airways.
The underside line is that Airport Baggage Switch will broaden 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 entails not simply Walt Disney World Forged Members, but additionally BagCheck staff and distributors at MCO. There are a whole lot of shifting elements, and it can not 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 nicely!
As for why it’s beginning on the Worth Resorts, the very best rationalization is that it’s best (don’t overthink it). These 5 resorts are positioned in two distinct areas, and provide over 10,000 rooms in a comparatively condensed location (over one-third of all Disney-owned resort stock). There’s nowhere else at Walt Disney World that gives this many rooms on this shut of proximity–particularly if Walt Disney World desires to begin 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 share of checked luggage by quantity because of its (outgoing) “luggage fly free” coverage. The timing could seem inopportune, however needless to say coverage applies to flights booked by way of the following 2 months, not simply journey dates. By the point it actually winds down, we’d count on Airport Baggage Switch to have expanded to extra airways.
These are simply guesses on our half, however these are the doubtless explanations for why BagCheck selected these Walt Disney World Resort inns and Southwest Airways. It’s the simplest 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 assets because it onboards new staff and refines the service.
All of that is to handle the inevitable reader issues that Airport Baggage Switch is “unfair.” That it doesn’t make sense for a wonderful on-site visitor perk to be supplied on the most cost-effective inns 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 progress, besides, it nonetheless stays nicely above the 2019 baseline.
Anybody who has traveled by way of MCO in the previous couple of years has most likely seen this, and it doesn’t actually matter what time of 12 months, what time of day, and so forth. The airport is all the time busy. Seating areas on the gates are so full that they’ve added overflow seating to walkways, and people at the moment are full. The parking tons routinely are full, there’s site visitors congestion simply dropping folks off or making pickups, traces to get by way of TSA are sometimes 45+ minutes–you get the thought.
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 executed the self-service printing of tags and all the things.
That was a “new to me” expertise, as I solely journey with solely a carry-on when flying solo. The identical was true when it was simply the 2 of us. Nevertheless, 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 related–experiences at bag drop, and never only for Delta. That’s yet one more MCO drawback.
In the end, Orlando Worldwide Airport clearly has infrastructure and staffing points. The airport was constructed a long time in the past when passenger quantity was far decrease and completely different. It’s now one of many busiest airports in america, and jogs my memory of Los Angeles Worldwide Airport by way of 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 nicely. 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 broaden. 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 by way of higher-capacity buses is one such method. This seems like the celebs aligning, as there’s a mutually-beneficial answer for each Disney’s and MCO’s woes.
The return of Airport Baggage Switch/Resort Airline Test-In strikes me as Walt Disney World laying the groundwork for bringing again Disney’s Magical Categorical. The baggage 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 completely different stickers on the buses. Not like this, that changeover could possibly be like flipping a swap. That is all nice information, and looks like 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.
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Your Ideas
What do you consider the return of Airport Baggage Switch/Resort Airline Test-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 occurring in any respect until the tip sport had been far 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 immediately 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 while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
