3 hr 25 min connection at MIA enough?

Old Apr 20, 20, 2:37 pm
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3 hr 25 min connection at MIA enough?

Would 3 hours be sufficient time for UK citizen to arrive into Miami International Airport with Air France from Paris and depart again 3 hours 25 mins later with American Airlines to Mexico? Air France flight lands at 2.10 pm into South Terminal and American Airlines flight departs at 5.35pm from the North Terminal.

Would obviously need to clear passport control on arrival, collect baggage, drop off baggage and check in with American Airlines before proceeding through security screening. Alternative option is a connection time of 5.5 hours. Each flight is booked on separate tickets. Should be one of the first passengers off the Air France flight hopefully.
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Old Apr 20, 20, 3:18 pm
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To put this in perspective, the MCT for an I-I connection is 1:30. You are close to 2 hours over that. AA ought to be able to issue your boarding passes at bag drop. Presuming non-US passport for travel to Mexico, the kiosk won't likely work, but you may try.
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Old Apr 20, 20, 4:06 pm
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Originally Posted by gordiegem
Would 3 hours be sufficient time for UK citizen to arrive into Miami International Airport with Air France from Paris and depart again 3 hours 25 mins later with American Airlines to Mexico? Air France flight lands at 2.10 pm into South Terminal and American Airlines flight departs at 5.35pm from the North Terminal.

Would obviously need to clear passport control on arrival, collect baggage, drop off baggage and check in with American Airlines before proceeding through security screening. Alternative option is a connection time of 5.5 hours. Each flight is booked on separate tickets. Should be one of the first passengers off the Air France flight hopefully.
More than enough in normal times, but if this trip is in the coming 3-4 months, keep in mind that flying on separate tickets is getting much more risky than normal. Indeed, cancellations or major schedule changes are likely and can mess up your journey and cost you a lot of money.
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Old Apr 20, 20, 4:07 pm
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From experience, I think this is enough but longer will always be safer. Also, there are more chances of getting some help if you were to fly with Delta as they will let you pre-tag or maybe even check through your luggage (MIA is one of the airports that allows checking bags through on International to International connections).
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Old Apr 20, 20, 4:11 pm
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You don’t have a connection, and MIA in the afternoons can be a big mess, so this seems to me to be on the thin side. I wouldn’t do it but it’s up to your individual risk tolerance.
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Old Apr 20, 20, 4:15 pm
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My error, missed the fact that OP is on separate tickets and is thus not connecting. MCT is irrelevant and the 3:25 ticket transfer is very risky. AA would rebook you on separate tickets on AA or OW, but not AF. 5.5 hours gives you the flex you need because you are bearing 100% of the delay risk.
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Old Apr 21, 20, 5:49 am
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Originally Posted by Often1
My error, missed the fact that OP is on separate tickets and is thus not connecting. MCT is irrelevant and the 3:25 ticket transfer is very risky. AA would rebook you on separate tickets on AA or OW, but not AF. 5.5 hours gives you the flex you need because you are bearing 100% of the delay risk.
Opted for the 5.5 hour connection time instead.
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Old Apr 21, 20, 7:15 am
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Originally Posted by gordiegem
Opted for the 5.5 hour connection time instead.
Smart. I had a similar connection(3 hrs) in MIA a couple of months ago, and I literally spent all the time in different lines.
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Old Apr 21, 20, 7:48 am
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Originally Posted by gordiegem
Would 3 hours be sufficient time for UK citizen to arrive into Miami International Airport with Air France from Paris and depart again 3 hours 25 mins later with American Airlines to Mexico? Air France flight lands at 2.10 pm into South Terminal and American Airlines flight departs at 5.35pm from the North Terminal.

Would obviously need to clear passport control on arrival, collect baggage, drop off baggage and check in with American Airlines before proceeding through security screening. Alternative option is a connection time of 5.5 hours. Each flight is booked on separate tickets. Should be one of the first passengers off the Air France flight hopefully.
You don't need to worry. It happens frequently that people miss their connection and they are rebooked onto the next one. The wait times for US processing can be unpredictable, but for the next 2-3 years it's unlikely you will have to wait long for immigration processing.

Bear in mind, though, that whatever times your flights are currently advertised for, they are unlikely to run at those times.
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Old Apr 21, 20, 10:35 am
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@irishguy: the OP is on seperate tickets from seperate airlines in different aliiances. If he misses his flight, he'll have to fix it himself - e.g. change and pay up or forfeit and rebook. I would be very careful with self-connect itineraries for the next 6 to 9 months or so, maybe longer. Schedule changes are always a risk, but right now schedules are very fluid and could easily lead to problems with your itinerary. Why fly this route in the first place? CDG-MEX with AF or AM is flown 4 days a week, CDG-AMS-MEX with KL or AM is flown 6 days a week (current schedule) and I can't imagine it's more expensive than these two tickets combined.
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Old Apr 21, 20, 11:46 am
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Originally Posted by irishguy28
You don't need to worry. It happens frequently that people miss their connection and they are rebooked onto the next one. The wait times for US processing can be unpredictable, but for the next 2-3 years it's unlikely you will have to wait long for immigration processing.

Bear in mind, though, that whatever times your flights are currently advertised for, they are unlikely to run at those times.
Not only is OP not connecting (he is on separate tickets), but he is not even eligible for AA's unique rebooking policy which applies across separate tickets for AA-AA and OW-AA (as well as AA-OW). This is ST-AA, so a no show on the AA ticket means being prepared to purchase new tickets.
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Old Apr 21, 20, 11:53 am
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Originally Posted by Often1
Not only is OP not connecting (he is on separate tickets), but he is not even eligible for AA's unique rebooking policy which applies across separate tickets for AA-AA and OW-AA (as well as AA-OW). This is ST-AA, so a no show on the AA ticket means being prepared to purchase new tickets.
Is that policy still going strong?
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Old Apr 21, 20, 1:08 pm
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I'm risk adverse and would book the 5.5 hours since it's on separate tickets. MIA is one of only a handful of airports accepting international arrivals, and the arrivals hall and TSA were miserable before Covid-19.
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