Swiss International Airlines - Immigration queues at MIA with LX arrival?

Hi,

Am contemplating using LX to MIA next summer. I used the airport on family holidays a few times in the 1980's and remember immigration being synonymous with long queues. I see LX now use terminal J - is this similarly afflicted when the LX flight lands, or is the process any better some 20 years on?

Also, can someone explain what the transit at ZRH would be like going from the UK (BHX) to the US?

I assume it would be a case of a coach taking us to the main terminal then the train over to the E gates, but at that point can you avoid passport checks and just have 1 security check, or is it rather more complicated? Flights I'm looking at have just over a 1hr connection each way.

Many thanks

Tony

I can't answer the immigration queues - although sadly, my more recent experience isn't any better (not with LX, not in J, however).

The transit at ZRH isn't bad, but a little annoying - it will be a bus from the plane to the main terminal, and you can indeed avoid passport control by heading straight on the shuttle train (ah, the yodelling) to dock E and go through security there. The annoying part is that the US section of dock E has no lounge, so with 1h connection, you will effectively have no lounge access, as you won't have time to get through passport control twice (LX lounge) or security twice (Bellevue lounge).

When I took the ZRH-MIA flight last year, the immigration counters at MIA were deserted and I walked right up to an agent. Could have been luck though, I guess a lot depends on flight arrival timings. It's a brand-new and nice facility in any case.

Thanks

They seem to share the terminal with a bunch of S. American carriers but looking at the MIA arrivals website it seems pretty quiet most days. I guess that means if everyone lands on time, it has the potential to be queue-free...

Immigration is hit or miss , but certainly much better in J .