Miami Orlando
Miami to Orlando is 230 miles and the Brightline high-speed train now covers it in about three and a half hours, downtown to downtown. The flight is 50 minutes in the air but closer to four hours door-to-door once you factor in MIA security, boarding, and the drive from Orlando airport to wherever you are actually going.
Take Brightline. The train leaves from MiamiCentral station in downtown Miami and arrives at Orlando station near the convention center. No security line, no checked bag drama, no Uber to and from two airports. You walk on, sit down, and the seats are wider than anything in economy class. Wi-Fi works. There is a cafe car.
Fly if you are connecting through Orlando to somewhere else, or if your schedule demands a specific time the train does not cover. American, Frontier, Spirit, and JetBlue all fly MIA to MCO, and Southwest flies Fort Lauderdale to Orlando. The flight is cheap but the total travel time is almost identical to the train.
Brightline also stops in Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach. If you are anywhere in the South Florida corridor, you can board at the closest station without driving to Miami. The West Palm Beach to Orlando leg is about two and a half hours.
Have a specific need? Use the decision guide below to filter by your airline, where you live, lounges, or where you're staying in Orlando.
Pick What Matters to You
Best pair by where you're coming from
Best pair by where you're staying in Orlando
Which pair your airline flies nonstop
| Airline | MIA–MCO | FLL–MCO |
|---|---|---|
| Spirit Airlines | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlyNordic | — | ✓ |
| SGX | — | — |
| Sun Country Airlines | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jet Aviation Flight Services | — | ✓ |
| Southwest Airlines | ✓ | ✓ |
| United Airlines | ✓ | ✓ |
| Icelandair | ✓ | — |
| Frontier | ✓ | ✓ |
| EuroAtlantic Airways | — | — |
| American Airlines | ✓ | — |
| Allegiant Air | — | — |
| LATAM Chile | ✓ | — |
| JetBlue | — | ✓ |
Ranked by on-time performance
Lounge access by airport and terminal
Ranked by flights per week
Getting to the airport
Red-eye vs daytime departures
Premium cabin options
Connecting through Miami from a domestic flight
The full Brightline corridor. Brightline connects Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, and Orlando in one line. You can board at any station. If you are doing a Florida trip that covers multiple cities, the train replaces rental cars and domestic flights entirely.
Orlando as a flight hub. If you need to fly onward from Orlando, MCO is a major hub for Frontier, JetBlue, and Southwest. But you would need to get from the Brightline station to MCO — about 20 minutes by car. Only worth it if connecting to a flight that does not serve Miami.
Miami & Orlando Airport Profiles
Each airport has a personality. Terminal quality, transit access, lounge scene, and crowd levels vary dramatically — sometimes more than the flight itself.
Miami Metro
Miami International spreads across three concourses that fan out from a single central terminal building. The walks between gates are long, and the moving walkways are the only thing keeping connections manageable. Concourse D to Concourse J is a real hike. Build time into connections and wear shoes you can walk in.
The airport handles more traffic to Latin America and the Caribbean than anywhere else in the country, which gives the terminal an international feel even on a domestic flight. Announcements in Spanish and English, signage in both, and a passenger mix that reflects Miami itself. Food options have improved with local restaurant outposts past security, though some far-flung gates still have limited choices. Security lines move during off-peak hours but stack up during the morning international departure rush.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International is four terminals stretched along a single road, and compared to MIA it is an entirely different experience. Shorter walks, faster security lines, and a layout simple enough that you do not need a people mover or a terminal map. The airport sits three miles from downtown Fort Lauderdale and about 25 miles north of downtown Miami.
Budget carriers built their Florida presence here, and the terminal reflects it: functional, clean, no-frills. Food and shopping options are limited compared to a major hub, but you spend less time in the building because the building moves you through faster. If you are connecting to a second flight, FLL is not the airport for that. If you are going to the beach, it might be the best airport in South Florida.
Miami-Opa Locka Executive is a general aviation airport in northern Miami-Dade County. It handles private jets and charter flights, not scheduled commercial service. There are no passenger terminals, security screening areas, or baggage carousels.
If this airport appears in commercial flight search results, it is a data error. Scheduled passenger service in the Miami area uses Miami International, about 10 miles south.
Orlando Metro
Orlando International has four airside terminals connected to a main hall by an automated train system. You clear security in the main building, ride the train to your airside, and walk to your gate. The total trip from security to the farthest gate runs about 15 minutes.
The south terminal complex is the newest section of the airport. It has higher ceilings, better natural light, and a modern food hall. The original north-side terminals handle most domestic flights and were refreshed in recent years.
Bag claim is on the ground level of the main hall. The rental car center connects by a dedicated tram. If you are being picked up, the cell phone lot is free and clearly signed from the terminal exit road.
Orlando Sanford is a small, single-terminal airport about 30 miles northeast of downtown Orlando. The building is compact enough to walk from check-in to any gate in a few minutes. There are no trains between terminals and no long walks.
The airport handles a fraction of the traffic that Orlando International sees. Security lines are short, check-in is fast, and the terminal is rarely crowded. Past security, food and shopping options are limited to a handful of shops and a small number of restaurants.
No high-frequency connections found. Check SFB routes for all options.
Which Airlines Fly Which Pairs
Frontier and Spirit Airlines and Sun Country Airlines and United Airlines and Southwest Airlines serve both MIA and FLL to MCO — airport flexibility on the Miami side.
Not all planes are the same size. The aircraft type below each checkmark tells you whether you are getting a widebody (777, 787, A350) with wider seats and a quieter ride, or a narrowbody (737, A321) with a single aisle. On flights over five hours, the difference is significant.
A319
A320
A321neo
C56X
A320, 32S
737-800
737-800
737-800, 737 MAX 8
737 MAX 8