Miami International - worst airport?

terf

We flew with American Airlines over Xmas to Miami and have never experienced such a truly awful aiport - and this includes airports in africa and poorer parts of Asia. First AA made us check out our bags at JFK (where we were transiting) go through customs, recheck them in again, then go to departures and go through security - even though we were catching a connection AA flight to Miami (most airlines check your bags right through to your final destination - esp when travelling with the same airline). Then in Miami the true horror begins - the airport has been under construction for years - it was like descending into chaos - the closest airport it resembles that I've been to is probably Nairobi - but probably not lately. There were hundreds of people squashed into gates, arriving and departing passengers trying to figure out where to go, dogs defecating on the carpet! And then a 2 hour wait at the carousel for the baggage to arrive.

On the way back it didnt get better - this was like bureaucracy from hell. First you have to queue up to use the machines to print your boarding passes, then queue up to get someone to tag and weigh your baggage, then queue up again to get someone to check your baggage. Everywhere else in the world all these three procedures happen at the check in desk. Plus staff are unhelpful and surly - probably because they have to spend days surrounded by such chaos. There is no way to get around this three step process either it seems. Then you have at least an hour long queue at security.
My tip - dont fly AA into Miami - and while you're at it don't fly AA at all. Terrible airline - but thats a whole other story.

bringmeshoes

i think zante airport is pretty horiffic. (although i love zante itself) its about the size of a shoe box and they made us queue outside in the blazing heat for nearly an hour as there was 3 flights back to the uk tiwhin 20 mins of each other so there was not enough room for everyone to check in.

Alan_Bowen

Let this be a warning to anyone travelling on connecting flights in the US, yes you may save £30 but no matter which airline you fly with, and no matter which airport you are changing flights at, it is a US government requirement that at your first stop you must deplane and go though the entire customs and immigration procedure and then recheck your bags. It isn't limited to AA or JFK. Book direct whenever you can!

chalky_bertie

Off to Costa Rica in May via Miami and at first left a layover time of 2 hours then read how bad Miami could be and then changed it to a 6 hour layover. There is a thread on FLYERTALK about Miami.

M4RKM

Totally 100% agree with Alan Bowen. wherever you first land in the USA, you will get off the plane, go through immigration, pick up your bag, go through customs, and recheck your bag, this is normally a perfectly smooth process, and I've done it 6 or 7 times in the past couple of years. AA did not make you do this, the US Immigration Dept do!

If you have to change, the only way to avoid this is to change in Europe, however, this is normally more expensive, as you have to pay taxes for UK and European Airports, and these are normally higher than US taxes at airports.

I don't see how you can criticise AA for this part of your trip, as it is out of their control. As for what happened at Miami, getting a boarding pass, on an automated machine, tagging luggage, and then checking luggage, again i've done this, at NY LaGuardia before, and again it works smoothly, and i'm never stressed, but that is probably because i'm extremley early for my flight!!!!

terf

No I'm not criticising AA in my post - as much as I should - for someone who takes 30-40 flights a year my first experience of AA is likely to be my last. This is a post about Miami airport - as is mentioned in the title and as many others I found this airport awful. I have flown to JFK a number of times with BA and never had to do the check in procedure I had in Miami. It's great Markymoo that you love going through the 3 step procedure and are so much better than other travellers by arriving "extremely early" and are "never stressed" - lucky you - but for other travellers with children, coming from other countries, who expect better from airlines and airports what I saw in Miami wasnt satisfactory at all.

dmg24

This sounds as bad as Male airport ... like something you would imagine from the third world ... on my last visit I booked into the airport lounge, and conversely, this is one of the best lounges I have used! x

M4RKM

terf wrote: »

No I'm not criticising AA in my post - as much as I should - for someone who takes 30-40 flights a year my first experience of AA is likely to be my last. This is a post about Miami airport - as is mentioned in the title and as many others I found this airport awful. I have flown to JFK a number of times with BA and never had to do the check in procedure I had in Miami. It's great Markymoo that you love going through the 3 step procedure and are so much better than other travellers by arriving "extremely early" and are "never stressed" - lucky you - but for other travellers with children, coming from other countries, who expect better from airlines and airports what I saw in Miami wasnt satisfactory at all.

well i'm sorry for being organised, and arriving early, and not stressed.. i'm on holiday/business and why should i get stressed, when everything is out of my control.. maybe i'm just one of these people that take things in my stride. i never said i was "better", and i think you're extremley rude to say so.

I didn't say i liked the 3 step check in process that most of the US carriers i've flown with have, i said it worked at LGA, which is a much smaller airport.

Hagar_uk

terf wrote: »

First AA made us check out our bags at JFK (where we were transiting) go through customs, recheck them in again, then go to departures and go through security - even though we were catching a connection AA flight to Miami (most airlines check your bags right through to your final destination - esp when travelling with the same airline)

This happens everywhere, Why? because the flight from JFK was an internal flight, hence no customs or immigrations are needed. hence you must do this at JFK.

exel1966

Having passed through MIA approx 30 times split between domestic and international I'd say the airport is no better or worse than any other.

AA didn't make you re-check your bags, but the US Govt. did. This is not uncommon for US connection.
Certain parts of the MIA have been under construction for a while namely the new international terminal (you wouldn't have been anywhere near this though) and part of the AA terminal. The AA works have been hampered by a faily recent major fire within the baggage delivery area. That's the thing with large international airports, nearly all of them are construction sites as the demand for flying has never been greater.
Printing your boarding pass at a machine and then having to queue for baggage drop happens everywhere. Maybe it was just a particularly bad day due the time of year, but that would have been the case all over the world at Xmas (give or take a few places). The only real way to avoid it is to book first or business. As you've also flown with BA from JFK you'll know it happens there too so to say it only happens at MIA isn't accurate.

Oh and the worst airport is far closer to home - LHR !!

duchy

It's a bit silly to blame AA for US govt customs regulations-it doesn't matter who you fly with you still need to reclaim your luggage at your first point of entry into the US to clear customs. Miami airport is a horror though as US airports go. Simply too many flights down to South America and the Caribbean but it has been notoriously bad for years. You'll find all airlines are moving (moved) over to the automated check-in machines now in the US and also at UK airports too over the next few months(I'm amazed you didn't notice them at Heathrow perhaps you flew out of Manchester although they have those nasty machines too. Amazing that you missed them on your supposed "thirty to forty flights a year" and are unfamiliar with the concept of on-line check in and pre-printing your boarding passes). You DO realise AA have a direct flight from Heathrow to Miami I assume. I fly to the US at least three or four times a year with AA (although I avoid Miami like the plague-horrible airport-you'd have done better to fly from New York to Fort Lauderdale instead) routing through either JFK, Chicago or Dallas and have never had the kind of issues you've had but you were travelling at Christmas when all airports are under strain. AA treat me really well consistently. (Tempting fate saying that with a trip in two week's time !! ).I flew with Virgin in September just to use up some miles and they were nowhere near as professional as AA.