shobday96

Hi all,

Looking at the family's annual jaunt to Florida for next summer, BA Holidays is churning out DUB-LHR-MIA-MCO. The routing's fine, we're not concerned with taking extra flights. However, we'd arrive at 1500 in MIA and leave at 1705 to MCO on AA. After a horrendous experience in PHL this year, just wanted to check with the all-knowing experts on here that 2hrs and 5mins would be enough to connect? I'm pretty sure it would be, and it's all one ticket so we're protected but thought I'd check before taking the plunge.

Thanks in advance, hope you all have a good weekend!

bensyd

I hate having to clear immigration in MIA. A good day is 45 minutes. A normal day is 75 minutes. A bad day is over two hours. Then you've got to get your bags, and re-clear security. No way I'd do a two hour connect through that awful airport. My most recent int to domestic through MIA was in September and was 1:50 from gate to being back in the terminal. (and that was with ESTA).

Tdgraves

No chance. Don't do it. Even with a one world short connection bright orange folder/pass, we were last to board our flight and we had longer than you to do so. Doesn't help that security will not allow you to skip the queue, even with so-called priority. Given the choice, I will NEVER connect in MIA again. The first time we missed a connection inbound as passport control was such a mess...

englisha

Clearing security is slightly easier now in MIA when connecting to an Internal flight. After passport control and collecting the bags, there is a channel for connecting flights just before you exit the secure area. You have to present your bags there and then its a kind of shortcut back into the main secure area. There are also 2 or 3 AA desks, so you can also get the luggage tag if you dont have it already (ask in DUB if they can put the tag through to MCO to save time).

Of course, there may be a queue there (wasnt last time I went), but its still better than exiting altogether.

At least this was my experience last time flying to MCO, connecting in Miami from Lima, i'm sure the experts can confirm or add any clearance to this.

Markie

It's a pretty long walk from BA's gate(s) to Immigration and whilst the machines do short cut the immigration queue, unless you have Global Entry I wouldn't risk it.

MrMutton

Hmm - doesn't sound promising. I'm going to SXM in Feb via MIA. So do I need to immigrate or is there a connections route as I'll be in transfer?

Markie

No, I am afraid if MIA is your first port of entry to the US, you must clear there even if going on to another international or domestic destination.

shobday96

Thanks for the advice everyone, feared you might say that! The other option is DUB-LHR-JFK-MCO, but this comes with 4 hours in JFK (!) and only 1hr5 in London - so this might not work any better??

golfmad

What about the later flights to MCO from MIA? After the 5:05pm I'm seeing an 8:01pm and a 9:55pm summer 2017.

shobday96

Just been back and had another look, found an AA flight that arrives MIA at 1645, then an MCO flight that leaves at 2001, so this is a much less sweaty connection. However, only leaves 2hrs for a T5 to T3 transfer at LHR? Do you think this looks better?

Markie

Yes I would do that. As much as I loathe the T5->T3 connection, 2 hours should be fine.

Skimo

Absolutely avoid connecting through MIA if you can. Immigration is painful. I arrived there as a passenger a couple of months ago and it took 67 minutes to clear, and I was the first off a completely full 747.

headingwest

MIA is my most hated airport in the US so far. Once it took 3 HOURS to get through immigration, now I avoid it like the plague.

o0herbie

Don't do it - 15:00 hours is peak arrival time and it is *HELL*.

Ended up running for a connecting flight - with a transfer time of 3.5 hours. I swore never to use MIA ever again.

Fly to Tampa and drive instead if you can't get to MCO direct.

o0herbie

There is no concept of 'transfer' at US airports. You are arriving, clearing immigration, sometimes even collecting and re-checking your luggage, and then going air-side again through security.