Disney has expanded the Airport Luggage Transfer Service to all Value resorts at Walt Disney World. The service, which was initially tested over at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, allows guests to check their bags for Southwest Airlines flights at their resort.
This service is similar to what Disney offered pre-COVID, but the new Airport Luggage Transfer Service has several limitations. Below are the most important things to remember:
- Currently only available at Value resorts
- Only available to guests flying with Southwest Airlines
- Guests need to call or visit Luggage Assistance at the start of their stay to let them know you want to use this service
- Guests with flights before 1pm need to drop off their bags the night before
- Guests with flights after 1pm need to drop off their bags at least 4 hours early
More information can be found on Disney’s website about the Airport Luggage Transfer Service.
While we’re thrilled to see an old perk return (albeit modified), we hope it continues to expand and evolve. The Airport Luggage Transfer Service should ideally expand to include all airlines in the future. It also needs to expand to more Disney World resorts as it’s kind of odd Value guests would have this perk over Moderate or Deluxe guests.
We also think the requirement to drop off your luggage the night before for flights before 1pm isn’t going to sit well with some guests. That system may work on Disney Cruise Line, but we think a lot of resort guests won’t like it. Increased utilization may allow Disney to relax drop-off time requirements as they did in the past.
Now, the big question – does this pave the way for the return of Disney’s Magical Express? The free shuttle between Orlando International Airport and Disney resorts is still deeply missed by guests ever since it closed in January 2022. While the return of a modified resort airline check-in doesn’t guarantee anything, it’s certainly a step in the right direction that could allow for some sort of shuttle to return in the future.
