Terrible international arrival at MIA
 

We arrived at MIA from MAD July 23rd and missed our connection because Agricultural Inspection required ALL incoming luggage and carry-ons to go through their 2 x-ray machines. With several flights there, the lines were very long and the process slow. We missed our connecting flight and fortunately only had a 2+ hour wait.

Better safe than sorry!
I rather stay in line and wait for the next flight. We better don't import the food problems they have abroad, it would be a desaster.
I also just arrived from Europe, from LHR with BA on a 747. BA is now in terminal A and I was (with priority tags on the baggage) one of the first on the x-ray. I think terminal A is better than terminal E, E has lots of international passengers and very often long lines.

BTW, I like MIA, it's becoming better and better every time I fly.

Absolutely. I refuse to enter the USA there. Chicago and Dallas are a delight. So too is Boston, Detroit, and Washington. BTW I do dislike being termed an "alien", I come from Britain not the Klingon Home World.

Be careful - you may upset the Klingons and other Trekkies around here. However, shouldn't you be thankful for small mercies? At least, you are not "being termed" an illegal alien or worse yet - a British subject - whatever that is... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif




[This message has been edited by BajanYankee (edited 07-30-2001).]

"Alien" is actually a legal term used in immigration law, plain and simple.

BTW, did anyone else catch those news reports recently where the Klingons (Trekkies who gather together dressed up in Klingon costumes and speaking in "Klingon" language to each other) are seeking to have Klingon recognized as an official religion? Gee, and to think I was hoping FT who get there before the Klingons... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ideasmilie.gif

[This message has been edited by BajanYankee (edited 07-30-2001).]

"terrible international arrival at MIA"? Isn't that redundant?

Djlawman

It maybe well be very legal, but that doesnt make it all of a sudden a "likable" term. Many legal terms are throwbacks to another era.


Staying on topic, I dislike MIA in general, but for international arrivals (only talking about immigration and customs), I think I dislike LAX even more than MIA. I get the impression that the INS has a policy of making sure that there are always long lines for at immigration -it helps convey that message of "look! long lines! lots of people want to come to this country"

I come into Miami a lot, and I really can't complain, beyond the fact that it's 4:30 AM. I usually make it from wheels down to out side immigration with 20 minutes, including the always invigorating speed walk (about 10 minutes) from gate F-whatever to customs. I have arrived at other times, and the facilities seem to be over-burdened.

In general all aspects of the Miami airport is awful. Living in Florida I make all attempts to avoid that dump.
Went through there last night and the connection at AA terminal was horrendous.
Matter was more distasteful when a small boy
got his foot caught in the moving walkway after much screaming by parents etc other passengers pushed the emergency stop. Two airport personnel with walkie-talkies just stood there perhaps the screams were not in Spanish.
Mike

The problem is that the locals that work at the airport there do not even speak a half decent comprehensible Spanish, but a strange mixture of their own "miami-made-spanglish." Every time I go through Miami I can not avoid remembering "Tony Montana" played by Al Pacino in Scarface.

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The trouble with resisting temptation is...that you may not get another chance :-)

Boy I'm with you guys, the first time I landed at Miami I though "Is this an airport in the US or did we overshoot and land somewhere else".

It is dark and dingy and when you walk through the terminal there is always stuff stuck in the walkway like it was built as an afterthought. Alfred--

Miami's my hometown. MIA is just one of a number of good reasons why "it's a good place to be from."

That does not even include all those forms that have to be comleted before arrival. Some passengers get quite nervous about whether they have filled them out properly. I wish that the US allowed passengers to clear prior to arrival as they do in Dublin. Is this the UK dragging their feet (again!)? I remember that they did this as an experiment in the early 90s, the over-riding reaction was most positive, and practically everyone said that the officers were so much nicer then some of the sour-pusses in those hideous halls! Not quite on thread, but wouldn't arrival in MIA be eased if at least some of the formalities were dealt with before travel?

Paul, I hope you realize that my comments were all tongue-in-cheek. I've been a "Resident Alien" for the last eighteen (18) years myself and I detest the designation just as much as you do - but what can I do about it? On the brighter side, at least they can't call you for "Jury Duty;" and who wants to do that anyway??? Well, you can't vote either but the last time I checked they are planning to bribe the whole country with a new holiday just to try to get people in the polls, so voting can't be all it's cracked up to be also.

I share you feelings about MIA and have also used FLL when and where I can. I recently got one of those $100 US Air Boston-Miami Summer Sale fares and will be using it soon for a long-weekend mileage run, and for the first time I'll be using West Palm Beach as another alternative gateway to South Florida .

God bless you all.
God save the Queen.

Being from Cayman, MIA is effectively my "home" airport too, and it ain't so bad if you manage it right.

A few hints and thoughts :
- Get an INSPASS to avoid the lines. Even if the INSPASS machine ain't working, at least you can then use the special services line.
- Even though the lines can get long, in general the INS officers in Miami are excellent and customer focussed, great ambassadors for Miami and the USA for arriving visitors.
- Take carry on baggage only, baggage claim at MIA Concourse E is a nightmare and can take forever.
- With an INSPASS and carry on bags, you can normally be out of the airport 20 minutes after wheels down, so no problem.

On the other hand....the other week I flew in from LHR on AA and they landed us at concourse B and we had to walk in all the way to Concourse E....that is some walk with two small kids in tow !

I've been thru LAX....which was hell....and I'm sure that they take some sadistic pleasure in making it that way too.

I just went thru MIA for the first time last week and found the experience painless to say the least. Maybe it was the 5am arival from GIG and the fact that I was sitting up front with just 2 carry on's that made it easy for me to wisk past everybody and thru INS and Customs. I had a very pleasant brief chat with the inspectors and was out of there in less than 15 minutes.

Now.....walking back to United's "F" concourse for my connection was a hike I'd like to forget. It's definitely a dark and gloomy airport in need of something....and what that is I don't know.