Multiple Airlines Merge With Disney World, New Luxury Service Confirmed

Getting from Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World with children, carry-ons, checked bags, and the general logistical chaos of a family vacation has always been one of the less magical parts of a Disney trip. The bags come off the carousel. Someone has to watch the kids while someone else wrestles the suitcases. You figure out the Magical Express situation, or the Mears Connect situation, or the rental car situation, and somehow everyone and everything ends up at the resort. It works, but it is not exactly seamless.

Disney has been quietly building a service designed to remove the luggage portion of that equation entirely, and it just became significantly more accessible.

The Airport Luggage Transfer at Disney service, operated by BagCheck, originally launched as a pilot program in 2025 with Southwest Airlines coverage. Disney has now expanded the service to include American Airlines and United Airlines, which represents a major shift in how many guests can actually use it. For families flying on any of those three carriers, the service allows you to check your bags at the airport on arrival, skip baggage claim at Orlando International Airport entirely, and have your luggage delivered directly to your Disney Resort hotel. On the departure side, you drop your bags at the resort and skip the airline check-in line at the airport when you leave. Disney says the expansion is part of an ongoing effort to grow the service, with additional airlines potentially added in the future.

Which Guests Can Use It

The service is currently available to guests staying at one of five Disney Value Resort hotels: Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and Disney’s Pop Century Resort. The flight must be a domestic flight on American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, or United Airlines. International flights are not eligible.

If you are staying at a Moderate or Deluxe resort, or at one of the non-Value properties, you cannot currently use the service. The rollout has been focused on the Value tier, and Disney has not announced a timeline for expanding to additional resort categories.

How the Arrival Service Works

Register for the service between 30 days and 24 hours before your flight. You will need your Disney Resort confirmation number and your flight confirmation number. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with a tracking link for your luggage.

Luggage tags are mailed to you if you register more than seven days before your flight. If you register within seven days, no tags are mailed, but your bags are still delivered. That distinction matters. If you are registering close to departure and you do not receive tags, your bags are still in the system and will still be delivered. The confirmation email is your tracking resource in either case.

Check in for your flight as normal and drop your bags with your airline at the airport. When you land at Orlando International Airport, skip baggage claim and go directly to Disney transportation. Once you arrive at your resort, contact Luggage Assistance either by calling from your room or by visiting the Luggage Assistance desk in the lobby. Your bags may take up to four hours from your flight’s arrival time to reach the hotel.

One timing caveat worth knowing: if your flight arrives after 11 PM, you have two options. You can pick up your luggage at baggage claim upon arrival at Orlando International Airport, or you can wait for BagCheck to deliver your luggage to the resort within four hours. Delayed flights that land after 11 PM fall under the same two-option structure.

How the Departure Service Works

Check in for your flight online starting 24 hours before departure and pay any baggage fees through your airline’s app or website. Then drop your bags at Luggage Assistance in the resort lobby between 24 hours and 4 hours before your flight. You will need a valid government-issued photo ID. You can also call Luggage Assistance from your in-room phone if you need help getting bags to the desk. Luggage Assistance is available 24 hours a day.

From there, head to the airport, skip the airline check-in line, and go directly through security. Your bags will be at baggage claim at your final destination when you arrive.

A few important notes from Disney’s FAQ: boarding passes are not printed at bag drop, so have your boarding pass ready before you drop off your bags. If your flight is cancelled, your bag is automatically redirected to your new flight. If your luggage is missing, delayed, or damaged, contact Luggage Services at your resort, or the airline customer service counter if you are at the airport.

What to Keep in Your Carry-On

Disney recommends keeping medications, electronics including laptops, tablets, power banks, and cameras, perishable or heat-sensitive items, and important documents like passports and travel itineraries in your carry-on. These are the items you should not send through the luggage transfer service regardless of how convenient that might seem in the moment.

Strollers and car seats can also be part of the transfer in most cases, but if you want to keep yours with you, check it at the departure gate before boarding and tell the gate agent you would like to claim it at the gate of your final destination.

How This Affects a Disney Vacation

The most immediately impactful version of this service is the arrival experience. Walking off a plane after a long flight, especially with children who have been traveling for hours, and being able to bypass the baggage carousel entirely is a genuinely meaningful quality-of-life improvement for a Disney trip. The four-hour delivery window means your bags may not be waiting when you get to your room, but that delay is offset by the fact that you are already at the resort, checked in, and potentially already in the parks while your luggage is making its way to you.

For guests arriving on American Airlines or United Airlines who are staying at one of the five participating Value Resorts,this service removes one of the most friction-heavy moments of a Disney vacation. The registration window gives you up to 30 days in advance to set it up, and the confirmation email handles the tracking.

The departure version is valuable in a different way. Dropping bags at the resort and walking through the airport without stopping at the check-in counter or waiting at a bag drop kiosk means the end of a vacation runs more smoothly. That last morning at a Disney resort is already bittersweet for most families. Not having to wrestle bags to the airport is a reasonable consolation.

If you are staying at one of the five participating Value Resorts and flying domestically on American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, or United Airlines, register for the Airport Luggage Transfer at Disney service at least 24 hours before your flight. BagCheck can be reached at bcsupport@bagcheck.com or by calling 407-505-7443 between 7 AM and 11:30 PM Eastern Time if you have questions or need to modify your registration. The service is free to sign up for and the registration process requires your Disney Resort confirmation number and your airline confirmation number.