Trip Reports - Serious Issues With Miami (the airport, not the city)

I won't bore everyone with another SJU-LAX jaunt on AA (I have a trip report somewhere in here from a couple of months ago on the same trip).

But I have to share this experience yesterday when changing planes in Miami. My flight from SJU landed on-time and we taxied around the airport and parked at C5. The C concourse, by the way, is pretty much equivalent to a row of double-wides through which people walk. It's literally the dingiest terminal I've seen virtually anywhere.

I wasn't too worried, though, because even though changing concourses at MIA is not too fun (up escalators, down escalators, and walking forever), I had time and I was going to E6.

So I make my way to E concourse and I find out that no, my flight was not leaving from E6, but from E25. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is. Because to get to gates E20-E35 at MIA, you have to go OUTSIDE Security, and then back in.

My sinking feeling was confirmed when I got off the little tram that takes you to the E gates. I rounded the corner, and there were approximately 1,000 people trying to get through three metal detectors. It was chaos. And the lines did not move. The only time they moved was when someone from AA would call out a flight and direct everyone on that flight to one of the metal detectors. "I need all the people going to Bogota to come to the right side now!" "I need all the people going to Lima!" And so on...

Of course, about 15 minutes before my flight needs to depart (and I've travelled a total of ten feet in 30 minutes), they finally tell everyone going to LA to go to the right. A French couple I am standing next to and I slice through the crowd, and we wait another 5 minutes and finally get through security. All in all the airline/airport made something that should have been easy, something stressful and difficult. I will definitely never change planes again in Miami if I can help it.

Suggestion to American Airlines: DO NOT SCHEDULE ALL CONNECTIONS TO DEPART OUT OF THE UPPER "E" GATES ALL AT ONCE.

Suggestion to Miami International: DO NOT MAKE PASSENGERS THAT ARE CHANGING PLANES WITH THE SAME AIRLINE GO OUTSIDE SECURITY.

As a side note, transcon on the AA 767-300 was absolutely wonderful in Biz class. And it almost made changing planes in Miami worth it. Actually, not really.

Side note #2: The young French couple had spent a month in Mexico, they were on their way to Australia to rent a motor home and drive around Australia for 2 months, and were going to travel about for another 3 months after that. Note to self: Be more like the French.

I presume you took AA1350 and connected to AA823 since you mentioned the transcon 763. I'm scheduled on this flight in February and thank you for your comments. I'm arriving in from Madrid and will undoubtedly face this security mess, I'll plan accordingly.

AA.com lists Miami concourse E - high and low gates as having Premium Security Checkpoints. Was this not the case for you? And I was under the impression it was possible to connect inside security from C to D to E, has this changed also?

Yep, I was on #1350 connecting to #823.

AA's magazine says you can connect between terminals without going through security. What they don't say is that if you have to go to gates E20-E35, this is not true. And there was definitely no premier security line to get to the upper E gates that I saw.

I hope you have a lot of time between flights, because between going through customs and potentially going through security again, you could have a long wait ahead of you!

But if you get business class on flt 823, the legroom is incredible, and it's a full-service dinner flight, which is really nice. And I flew on a Tuesday, so the biz class cabin was only half-full with the seat next to me unoccupied.

As a first time traveller through MIA, doing LIM - MIA - LHR, I have to say I absolutely HATED the experience. After the 45 minute queue to be roundly abused by an INS agent, to then be confronted with a truly epic security queue sent me totally over the edge. It has been made worse by an hour in the FL which was pretty civil - but would have been much nicer inside security.

There was no sign of a premium line (they have been abolished according to the FL team). What I find even scarier is that is the 'improved' security facility! Now the FL is to be abolished, I can think of no reason to ever go through MIA again. Sheer hell.

The only bonus was an op-upgrade to LHR!

I went through MIA in September and I had to use the upper E gates. The right most line was completely empty with only crew using it. I walked through and the lady say, "hey get back here", but when I showed my first class (X class) boarding pass she let me through. This should work for elites too if the setup is still the same.

MIA just seems to be a ****hole of an airport no matter WHAT carrier from my observation. I fly in there 2 or 3 times a year on UA and it ALWAYS is a long walk to customs. And always at 5am or whatever, and often there are TWO customs guys rostered for "others" desks for the 5 x UA flights that usually arrive then. "Overtime before 6am so the Govt will not pay it" I was told. Mid year there were 1000 folks in line and just 2 guys doing the paperwork and 20 empty and unmanned booths. And We all paid $25 each or whatever for this third world service. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

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~ Glen ~

Come and visit (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum13/HTML/000502.html) the most ** FRIENDLY FORUM ** on FlyerTalk. No flame wars, no personal abuse, no substance abuse. Not much of anything really!

As an AA flyer I have all the issues with MIA described above. Those early morning marathons are not fun.

Don't care for the city too much either.

Stop ragging on my airport!

Boo hoo hoo, long walks....that happens at every airport. Do any of you able bodied folks ever ride the courtesy carts at MSP, CLT, ORD et. al. ? I think not.... The walking distances are the same. That being said, some of inefficiencies are being addressed, and AA will at some point move into their own Super A Terminal, instead of being scattered throughout 4-5 concourses.

As for the TSA/INS/Customs, that hardly is a reflection of the 'airport'

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Miami_Flyer:
Stop ragging on my airport!

Boo hoo hoo, long walks....that happens at every airport. Do any of you able bodied folks ever ride the courtesy carts at MSP, CLT, ORD et. al. ? I think not.... The walking distances are the same. That being said, some of inefficiencies are being addressed, and AA will at some point move into their own Super A Terminal, instead of being scattered throughout 4-5 concourses.

As for the TSA/INS/Customs, that hardly is a reflection of the 'airport'

</font>

Sorry but MIA just sucks. From the huge lines of people with more baggage than I needed to move house (even at F class checkin!) to the preponderance of malicious oldsters (one guy was PROUD he was holding up a security line for 15 minutes and said so rather loudly... I'm paying this guy's social security why?) to the idiotic hassle of having to leave and clear security while making a connection it's just about impossible to like the airport. The only redeeming factors are La Carreta and the large numbers of beautiful women with which to distract oneself while waiting an eternity in one line after another.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Miami_Flyer:
Sto
As for the TSA/INS/Customs, that hardly is a reflection of the 'airport'

</font>

Sorry, but security hassles/inefficiencies and the attitudes of Customs people are absolutely a reflection of the airport. And I wasn't putting this experience on the trip reports section merely to complain about MIA, I was doing it to warn people about connecting through there. With all the hassles, I'd recommend against connecting there unless you absolutely have to. It simply is currently not an airport designed well for connections.

If I were Arturo, I would say

'walkin good for you' especially before or after a flight!


http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

we have to walk people through security all the time.. it really sucks too since our gates are down at the VERY end of the G concourse.

In regards to the C gates, that concourse is being torn down, so just bear with it :/ Nothing the MDAD can do about it, it's AA's dime...

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ozstamps:
Mid year there were 1000 folks in line and just 2 guys doing the paperwork and 20 empty and unmanned booths.</font>

The last three times I've passed through MIA the two INSPASS machines were out-of-order.

Fortunately they are located close to the airline crew queue. The inspectors have been very kind to let me through. Otherwise I know I would have been waiting over 2 hours judging by the length of the regular queues.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Miami_Flyer:


As for the TSA/INS/Customs, that hardly is a reflection of the 'airport'

</font>

Well yes and no - I found the whole security and INS procedures far more painful than elsewhere in the US.

Having never visited Miami itself, I am sure the city is great, it's just that the airport doesn't give that good an impression

I have a question: Would arriving at 5am from EZE (on AA) with a 0638 connection be too close?

Terenz .. I presume you do NOT have a USA passport? In which case, and please trust me on this - it could and WILL possibly be 6 am before you get thru immigration, find your bag and check it on to wherever after you get thru customs.

5am arrivals are a DISASTER as outlined above. All the UA Sth America flights arrive then too. No-one seems to have told this reality to the morons who roster immigration staff - using OUR pre-paid money to do so I might add once again.

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~ Glen ~

Come and visit (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum13/HTML/000502.html) the most ** FRIENDLY FORUM ** on FlyerTalk. No flame wars, no personal abuse, no substance abuse. Not much of anything really!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by LLZ:
Don't care for the city too much either.</font>

i actually like Miami, particularly after the winter we have had up here in the northeast. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by fly co to see the yanks:
i actually like Miami, particularly after the winter we have had up here in the northeast. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif</font>

Visiting is one thing...living here is another. Fort Lauderdale is better with regards to the latter.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by terenz:
I have a question: Would arriving at 5am from EZE (on AA) with a 0638 connection be too close?</font>

Yes, too close! I won't arrive at MIA from an international flight unless obligatory.

They have the worst customs in the US and I pitty the non-US passport holders who must wait in line for days.

Miami is a great city. 80o F in the winter, you can't beat it. The Airport is great for aviation buffs who can see DC-8s, etc.

Anything from Latin America is fair game at MIA, have to love it.

I guess it's a matter of preference, but I would hardly rate Ft. Lauderdale as a better place to live....

Ozstamps: I make no apologies for the pathetic INS staffing levels at was is clearly a peak arrival time for many flights into Miami. It is inexcusable and should be addressed.

However, I'm confused about the "pre-paid fee." If I understand correctly, this fee is actually the non-refundable "MRV" or "machine-readable-visa fee" paid to the US Department of State at the time of visa application. It was $45 for long time but was increased after 9/11. The fee does not go to INS, rather the US Congress gave the State Department authority to collect this fee to create a revenue neutral way of paying for visa processing and technology (i.e. Congress didn't want to find the money in the general budget). INS does not see any of this money.

I don't know of any visa fees payable to INS for normal business or visitor visas (B1/B2).

this morning at FLL, we got a nice surprise...

4 United widebodies (763s, 777s)

a Tam Brazil A330

Lloyd Boliva A310

Lan Chile 763

and a few others...

I found it shocking that I couldn't see any AA 763s/777s...

I guess Miami Intl was down to zero/zero this am.....

-n

Yes, I was sitting on the UA 777 - for 5 hours on the ground. We landed FLL at 430 and took off at 930. Then, the MIA experience was HORRIBLE as all the diverted planes landed @ MIA w/in 1/2 hr (including those that went to PBI). I may write a report about the entire trip. Immigration, the UA connection desk, the TSA, and also almost missing my 5 hour delayed connection...

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Eastbay1K:
Yes, I was sitting on the UA 777 - for 5 hours on the ground. We landed FLL at 430 and took off at 930. Then, the MIA experience was HORRIBLE as all the diverted planes landed @ MIA w/in 1/2 hr (including those that went to PBI). I may write a report about the entire trip. Immigration, the UA connection desk, the TSA, and also almost missing my 5 hour delayed connection...</font>

Uff! Why didn't they just let you deplane in FLL? We have customs here too!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Eastbay1K:
Yes, I was sitting on the UA 777 - for 5 hours on the ground. We landed FLL at 430 and took off at 930. Then, the MIA experience was HORRIBLE as all the diverted planes landed @ MIA w/in 1/2 hr (including those that went to PBI). I may write a report about the entire trip. Immigration, the UA connection desk, the TSA, and also almost missing my 5 hour delayed connection...</font>

ah, ok, so, what happened at Miami today?
snow?

Very very thick low fog. FLL can't handle a dozen or so int'l arrivals, especially with baggage separation issues and the aircraft needing to be ready to leave quickly upon MIA clearing. Also, the fuel delivery to the various aircraft took quite some time. Also apparently there's no one to process int'l flights there until about 8AM. I did write a report about the whole trip.