Airport urged to halt Disney shuttle service

jcraycraft

Member
Original Poster
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...sep13,0,1395034.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

Beth Kassab | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted September 13, 2005



RELATED STORIES
Disney road paves way to skip I-4, enter park

Sep 13, 2005

POLL
Do you think OIA should stop the free shuttle to and from Walt Disney World?
31.3%
Yes (42 responses)

65.7%
No (88 responses)

3.0%
Not sure (4 responses)

134 total responses
Results are not scientific


A group of 200 bus, van and luxury-car drivers called on Orlando International Airport on Monday to put an end to Disney Magical Express, the free shuttle to and from Walt Disney World that the group says is killing its members' businesses.

In a letter to OIA Executive Director Bill Jennings, the Greater Orlando Livery Association asserts that the airport is violating its own rules with unfair business practices that benefit Disney World and threaten hundreds of car-for-hire businesses.

"I'm not sure how the aviation authority could not have seen this coming," said Larry Colleton, an attorney for the association. "[Magical Express] has had a direct and negative impact on small businesses that perform ground transportation at the airport."

Jennings did not return calls Monday for comment.

With Magical Express, introduced by Disney in May, tourists with Disney hotel reservations get free rides to and from the resort and the airport.

The service also transfers tourists' luggage from their airplanes and takes it directly to their hotel rooms.

About 5,000 people have used the service daily since it started, a Disney spokesman said.

One of the major points of contention for the livery association is where Magical Express employees are stationed inside the airport terminal. The "greeters," who wear big, white Mickey Mouse gloves, are on the third floor, where they are supposed to direct those with Magical Express reservations to the buses.

But the livery association says those employees are also soliciting Disney-bound tourists who did not reserve the service ahead of time, meaning they have far greater access to potential customers than other transportation services, which are banned from the third floor.

Face-to-face solicitation of travelers by car and bus services is strictly prohibited inside the terminal, Colleton said.

Mike McKenzie, a car-service owner and member of the livery association's board of directors, said the group had several people pose as travelers without Magical Express reservations who then approached the glove-wearing employees.

"We were solicited by the representatives on the third level," McKenzie said. "That's a violation right there."

A Disney spokesman said Magical Express does not violate any airport policies.

"Disney's Magical Express is offered to all of our hotel guests on a complimentary basis and has established a world-class standard of convenience for tourists," spokesman Jacob DiPietre said. "Our arrangement with the airport is not exclusive, and we have not violated any of the terms of our agreement."

Airport officials met twice with livery association members in July to address concerns about the Disney service, but a third meeting in August was canceled. Colleton, the attorney, asked Jennings to reschedule that meeting in the letter.

"There is great concern the subject contract will provide Disney with a monopoly," Colleton stated in his letter. "There will be less and less competition because more and more small businesses who make up GOLA [the livery association] will no longer exist."

McKenzie said four car-for-hire companies have gone out of business since Magical Express began service.

His business, Wheels to Wings, has cut back from six employees to three. "It was a tough summer," he said. "We basically had cars parked for a good part of the summer."

Beth Kassab can be reached at bkassab@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5448.
 

Hakunamatata

Le Meh
Premium Member
If the cabbies and limo drivers dont like it, let them start their own theme park and provide free transportation (thats built into the cost of the trip)....
 

brich

New Member
I do feel bad for the people who are effected by this but at the same time, these companies have banked their business on another business, Disney. It seems like they feel they deserve the Disney guest just because they are a livery service. If I was them, I would start looking at ways to win customers back creatively and not waste time fighting the mouse. Only the strong survive, only the strong.... :D
 

Shaman

Well-Known Member
Central Florida would be a far different place if Disney was not in town....These people have been making money because of Disney...Well some smart person over at WDC or WDW or where ever these decisions are made...said, "Lets get in on the action," and created this service...now those that were getting "rich" from taking people to WDW complain...Sure some businesses are affected by "Magical Express"....and maybe there is an unfair advantage...but considering who Disney is...these people should quit crying and find a way to compete or move out of the way...they should thank Disney for ANY business it gets.
 

will_hsv

Member
One of my problems with the Livery Associations argument is the following quote:

Mike McKenzie, a car-service owner and member of the livery association's board of directors, said the group had several people pose as travelers without Magical Express reservations who then approached the glove-wearing employees.

"We were solicited by the representatives on the third level," McKenzie said. "That's a violation right there."

If they approached the glove-wearing employees, I do not see how they could claim they were solicited.

What are the Disney castmembers supposed to say "No, sorry we can't help you, you need to go talk to the people who are trying to get us thrown out of the airport to get a ride."
 

Nemo14

Well-Known Member
I've flown into MCO 2 times since Magic express started and have never been solicited by the white-glove people - even when I've said hello to them. Clearly I must be doing something wrong!
 

FanofDinsey1981

Active Member
I agree with those above, I am sorry for the loss of business, but Disney is bringing in the people, they have a right to give transportation too.

I haven't used the bus yet, only becuase our vacation usually starts out with a trip to vero beach, then a drop off of the car near disney, then quicksilver back to the airport (or some variation of it).
 

Mariosdad

New Member
will_hsv said:
If they approached the glove-wearing employees, I do not see how they could claim they were solicited.
"

That is a great point. I didn't notice that part. You are correct that the
Disney employee has to offer this to them.
 

Magic Maker

New Member
Disney does not owe them anything. Disney has a right to be fair to the community and practice business ethically, but having a competitive advantage does not always mean ethics are absent.
 

Pumbas Nakasak

Heading for the great escape.
Ive never been solicited by anyone at the airport (some streets in Berlin and Amsterdam but thats a whole different bus route) but perhaps thats because its curtains for anyone who holds me up enroute to my hire car and the resort, women and children dont dally in my flight path, theres no discrimination from me. 17st of prime Scottish beef on the hoof thats not stopping white gloves or Virgin badges :drevil: :animwink:
 

Laura

22
Premium Member
I feel bad for the smaller businesses, they just don't have a chance against Disney. But you can't just tell someone to quit their business just because they're providing something better than you are. The truth is, these businesses only HAD business because of Disney.
 

hcswingfield

Active Member
At any airport that services cities with major resort/convention hotels, there will be free shuttle service to most of the hotels. Travellers always have a choice of the free shuttle, cab, limo, etc. Why should Orlando be different? It's called free trade.
 

dflye

New Member
Would they make such a big stink if it was some other theme park in the area coming up with a similar plan?

I think there are a lot of people that treat Disney in Orlando like welfare; they expect to get a free ride for their business just because they are in the right location. Disney doesn't owe them diddley.

If they want to regain their former position on the playing field at OIA, they need to find a new way to make their service appealing, such that those staying at a WDW resort would prefer a paid limo ride over a free bus ride.

About all they can offer is a roomier vehicle, a more intimate ride (assuming no ride-sharing), and some sort of free munchies to make up for the atrocity most airlines call "food" these days! :lol:
 

LaughingGravy

Well-Known Member
original article said:
McKenzie said four car-for-hire companies have gone out of business since Magical Express began service.

That could also constitute 4 cars and 4 drivers. You only need one of each to constitute a company. Even if that were or were not the case, four car-for-hire companies going out of business in the many months the DME has been in existance might have happened anyway for various reasons, not the least of which could be competition from other existing Livery services.


I'd be very surprised if Disney did not provide strict guidelines to their mouse glove wearing attendants as they are priveleged to have the third floor access.
DME employees pointing the way to DME Disney's Magical Express cannot be considered soliciting, especially if a Disney Hotel guest then asks" What's DME?" The DME employee would then ask/confirm they are guests of an on-site hotel and then explain. Then the guest would of course ask by return if they could get on the bus,too.

Does an On-Site guest who hasn't pre-registered for DME have to pay a fee to get on at short notice from the airport? If not, how is that even soliciting?
 

dflye

New Member
hcswingfield said:
At any airport that services cities with major resort/convention hotels, there will be free shuttle service to most of the hotels. Travellers always have a choice of the free shuttle, cab, limo, etc. Why should Orlando be different? It's called free trade.
I think the distinction the livery folks at OIA are making is that Disney has several unfair advantages:
  • They are getting the guests baggage before it hits the luggage carousel
  • They have cast members inside the terminal that are picking up new business, while livery has to do that outside the terminal (jury still out if this is considered soliciting or not)
 

FanofDinsey1981

Active Member
dflye said:
I think the distinction the livery folks at OIA are making is that Disney has several unfair advantages:
  • They are getting the guests baggage before it hits the luggage carousel
  • They have cast members inside the terminal that are picking up new business, while livery has to do that outside the terminal (jury still out if this is considered soliciting or not)

and the service is FREE. You can't get better than free.
 

dflye

New Member
LaughingGravy said:
Then the guest would of course ask by return if they could get on the bus,too.

Does an On-Site guest who hasn't pre-registered for DME have to pay a fee to get on at short notice from the airport? If not, how is that even soliciting?
From perusing Disney's Magical Express Service FAQs, it isn't terribly clear if you can get away with catching the bus without previously signing up for the service.

It does sound like you need to coordinate ahead of time, as they are using some sort of luggage bar-coding (on top of the ones the airline already uses?) to locate your bags before they get thrown onto the luggage carousel.

Anyone want to call 407-827-6777 and find out the real story? :lookaroun
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom