jcatman

As part of a Mileage Run from LAX to Puerto Rico and back last week, had nearly three hours at the new Flagship Lounge in MIA.

After arriving in MIA on my way back to LAX, visited the Centurion Lounge first for a pit stop and one glass of Prosecco. At 1:15pm, the lounge was busy. After check-in, went to the bar and happy to see they are pouring Nino Franco Rustica Prosecco........really good. Food buffet at the Centurion was sparse; as bad as I've ever seen it. The sweet potato soup was amazing, and that's all that was offered besides salad bar and braised swiss chard.

Check in at the Flagship Lounge got complicated for some reason. My access is based upon Gold status with British Airways. Attendant could not decide whether to input my boarding pass first or my BA frequent flyer number. After five attempts, with a few swear words in between, she decided the boarding pass gets scanned first, followed by the manual input of the BA number. Entry granted.

Warmly greeted at the entry doors upstairs, and the space is huge. The fire alarm went off three times in the first 30 minutes, which provided some live entertainment....since everyone ignored it. Unlike the FL lounge at JFK, you cannot just walk into a shower; each door is locked. You have to return to the front area of the lounge and get your name placed on a list, which records the time you take possession. The attendant then walks you over to the shower room and lets you in. Like JFK, the showers are beautiful.

Entered the main dining area and took a high-table just outside the Flagship First Dining Room. During the next 2.5 hours of my visit, not one passenger entered or exited the First Dining Room, except for a few "lookie-loos" wondering what was inside. How can this be sustained?

Immediately headed to the Arepa station. Your flour patty is topped with either of two different shredded meats, followed by choice of tomatoes, cheese, corn and onion. On this visit, the employee placed about a tablespoon of meat on each patty. I immediately asked for a double helping of shredded meat and was cheerfully accommodated. They are good.

Lots of choices at the main buffet. Dishes are replenished constantly, and the area is kept clean. At the wine bar, found a good Napa Cabernet and an Australian Shiraz. Again, all in good supply. The lighting in the main dining area seems "white and bright". That's probably due to the standard-height ceiling. The open "loft" ceiling of the LAX Flagship Lounge provides a much softer, warmer feel.

On this initial visit, I found the employees at the MIA lounge to be efficient yet reserved. They don't look you in the eye. At the LAX lounge, the employees are so proud of their lounge, they "glow" with enthusiasm and seem eager to engage the customer.

Repeating the same Mileage Run again at the end of January, so will have a chance to compare it all again.

susiesan

I have J award tickets for February, I will arrive MIA on AA 2738 from DFW in F connecting to LAN 501 MIA-SCL in J. I have 3 hours in Miami from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. Will I have access to Flagship Lounge and dining for dinner? If not, which lounge can I access at MIA?

Same question for return: arrive SCL-MIA from LAN 500 in J. Connection to DFW is in econ as there are no F award seats available. Arrive MIA 5:55am flight to DFW is at 9:05. Which lounge can I use for breakfast and a shower?

FlyingEgghead

In both directions, yes to FL (because you're flying Oneworld and connecting to or from international J), but no to First Dining (because you're not in three-class F) -- just the regular FL food offerings.

saaveraward

How many daybeds are there? I saw three in a photo on OMAAT, but depending on the way it was shot, there could be more.

ckd38

SFO-JFK redeye with an onward flight from JFK-MIA same day. Denied access on arrival in MIA. J all the way through. Agent said access based on international only for EXP and transcon access only for JFK/LAX/SFO.

jcatman

Earlier this week, I believe I counted 8. Two each in two semi-private rooms. Four more out in the open, so everyone can hear you snore.

jcatman

Flew LAX-MIA this week, with time in both FL lounges, both morning and afternoon in the MIA lounge.

The MIA lounge seems huge, with lots of choices for the seating and level of privacy you want. Even when the barking contest and eventual fight between two dogs started on Wednesday morning, was able to change venues and resume some relaxation time. Showers are amazing.

But, what's with the food? Who's in charge of this? We are back to dry citrus-marinated chicken, green beans and root vegetables. Salmon nowhere to be found during my two-hour afternoon stay. Charcuterie not even close to the quality of the LAX offering. Arepas station still a great feature. Free-style Coke machine was inoperable, with its panel gone so everyone could see the insides, which was then wrapped with caution tape. Coffee machine only serving decaf options when operated. During my two-hour afternoon visit, seated in the dining area, one person entered Flagship First Dining between 2:30 and 4:30pm. No one exited during that time.

Plenty of newspapers to grab as you leave.

saaveraward

Thanks!

These south American flights that land before 5 am kick my behind so I will definitely seek out those semi-private rooms.

Passmethesickbag

I, too, was underwhelmed with the food options of the MIA Flagship lounge, during my first visit last week. And yes, it's huge, but it's also very busy. Restrooms underdimensioned. However, all staff members I interacted with were lovely. But if it still exists next time I pass through MIA and if time allows, I will definitely return to the Premium Lounge next time — frumpier, but also calmer, and with a better choice of food.

jcatman

Just like the Qantas F lounge at LAX, there's an easy way to circumvent the lack of adequate restroom facilities at this Flagship Lounge. Request a shower room.

LilZeppelin

How is the lounge located in relation to AA London departure gates? I have an option of booking DCA-MIA-LHR with 1 hour connection in MIA. Would we have at least 15-20 minutes in the lounge? My other option via ORD seems vanished, so it's either PHL or BOS...

stimpy

When I did the London flight I don't recall it being a long trip to the gate, but the gates can change at anytime I think. I started the trip at MIA so I made sure to get to the airport nice and early.

coolcoil

If it were me, my choice would depend entirely on whether my flight was leaving from the D or E terminal. If D, then the FL, and if E, then the Premium Lounge. For such a short time, the difference in experience would be negligible. That said, if it were me and I only had an hour, I probably would not bother going into a lounge. AA tends to start int'l boarding 45 minutes ahead of departure, so unless boarding later in the process is not a problem for you, then you won't have much time to enjoy the lounge.

Ottermatic

Pedro M

You are talking about two different things. I think the confusion starts by thinking that the FL and the D30 lounge share some of the same space. The FL, that happens to physically be very close to the D30 lounge, is up and running. The D30 lounge, on the other hand, is closed for renovations.