US Government Shutdown 2026: Global Entry Suspended At Orlando Airport (MCO) UK Travel Guide

UK travellers flying to Florida for half-term and February getaways are walking into a perfect storm of airport congestion today, as a partial U.S. government shutdown has crippled expedited entry systems nationwide including the Global Entry System.

As of Sunday morning, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) escalated to "emergency operating status." For the thousands of UK tourists landing at Orlando International (MCO) today, the impact is immediate: the coveted Global Entry kiosks are offline, and expedited processing has been suspended.

If you are heading on your Disney World, Universal, and Florida trips in the coming days, here is the essential information you need to navigate the border roadblocks, the impact, and what this means for your trip from the UK.

Why is this happening now?

The U.S. government is currently in a partial shutdown due to a funding stalemate in Washington D.C. When the latest extension for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expired on February 13, the government entered the current partial shutdown.

Crucially, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers who stamp your passports, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents who screen your luggage, are deemed essential workers. They are currently required to work without pay, which has been the case for three out of the last four months.

This has caused staffing shortages as people look for other paid work. To manage staffing shortages caused by the shutdown, airport authorities have had to make tough choices. To keep the main borders open, staff have been reassigned from the luxury expedited services like Global Entry back to the standard visitor lanes.

The Impact on Orlando (MCO) Arrivals

Orlando International is the primary gateway for UK tourists heading to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort. It is already infamous among travellers for long immigration queues during peak afternoon arrival slots.

As the primary arrival point for British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Virgin Atlantic, Terminal C is seeing unprecedented standard lane queues. With Global Entry kiosks officially disabled as of 6:00 AM today, the merge into the visitor lane is creating a bottleneck at the very first touchpoint.

With the suspension of Global Entry, all arriving international passengers, regardless of their trusted traveller status, are being funnelled into the standard visitor queues.

Planning for significantly longer waits for security is essential at the moment. Travel analysts are warning that during the peak arrival window, (3:00 PM to 7:00 PM local time), times to clear immigration and customs could swell to between two and three hours.

Perfect Storm: Connecting Flights Affected

Adding to the misery, Winter Storm Hernando is currently moving through the U.S. Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Thousands of domestic connecting flights have been cancelled, so if you are flying to Florida indirectly, you may have delays for another reason too.

The Impact on MCO Departures

The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) is urging a strict 4-hour rule for all international departures to the UK. Queues are expected, and security lines are expected to be slow-moving.

If you have booked transfers and not left much time, it is advisable to change them at this time to ensure a less stressed TSA experience.

US Government Shutdown: A Deepening Travel Crisis

While the earlier shutdowns caused delays due to staff shortages and Orlando airport saw major delays at TSA as the government shutdown continued, this current situation has escalated:

• Most other government departments secured long-term funding earlier this month. The current shutdown is highly concentrated on the Department for Homeland Security (DHS), who did not receive their funding. (which oversees the TSA and CBP).

• Deliberate Suspension of Perks: Unlike the previous shutdowns where Global Entry was mostly left alone, the DHS has now officially declared an emergency operating status. They are intentionally shutting down "luxury" services, (Global Entry and, in some cases, Pre-Check, although they did go back on that decision on Sunday afternoon), to move every available officer into the standard lanes to prevent the entire border from collapsing.

• Many of the officers currently working without pay in Florida have already been through two previous pay-disruption cycles in the last five months. This has led to much higher rates of staff absences than we saw in late the 2025 Government Shutdown.

Timeline of US Government Shutdowns Impacting Travel

This is not a new crisis, but the breaking point of an old one:

• Oct-Nov 2025 Shutdown: Lasted 43 days. It was the longest in history and left federal workers financially reeling.

• Early February 2026: A 4-day partial lapse that served as a warning shot.

• Current Shutdown: Started February 14, 2026. Because Congress funded other departments but stayed deadlocked on the DHS budget, this shutdown is "surgical"-it is hitting only the agencies travellers rely on (TSA and CBP).

Tampa and Connections Affected

While MCO is the main focus for theme park goers, the shutdown is nationwide.

Tampa International (TPA)

Often chosen by savvy UK travellers for its historically faster processing times, TPA is not immune. While likely less chaotic than Orlando, the removal of expedited lanes means arrivals here will be significantly slower than usual.

Connecting Flights

If you are flying indirect to Florida via a major hub like Miami (MIA) or Atlanta (ATL), you are at high risk of missing connections. The standard advice of a 90-minute layover to clear US immigration is currently unsafe. A three-to-four-hour buffer is now recommended for international connections.

The UK Traveller Survival Guide: What To Do

If you are flying to Florida this week, prepare for a long haul through the airport:

• Use the toilets on the plane before landing. Once you hit the immigration hall queue at MCO, bathroom access can be difficult. Ensure you have water and snacks in your hand luggage, especially if travelling with young children.

• The CBP and TSA agents you encounter are working under immense stress and without a pay-check. Delays are inevitable, but taking frustrations out on staff will only slow the process down further.

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