I recently wrote about how I consider Cairo to have the worst major airport in the world. I asked if anyone had any other airports that they think deserve that title, and several people mentioned Miami.
Miami is my home airport, so I couldn’t help but chuckle. I wanted to talk about that in a bit more detail in this post. Before I do, let me say upfront that I’m by no means a Miami apologist or cheerleader (I’m talking about both the city and airport). I think I see it for what it is, and in 2021 I wrote about the absurdity of JD Power ranking Miami as North America’s best airport.
I’m absolutely not making the case that Miami is a good airport, I just don’t think it’s the worst airport in the world (or even in the country). Let me explain.
In this post:
There are lots of bad things about Miami Airport
Miami Airport doesn’t have many redeeming qualities, plain and simple. Where do we even begin when it comes to the downsides of Miami Airport?
Employees & passengers leave a lot to be desired
There’s no denying that the staff at Miami Airport aren’t terribly nice, on balance. If you’re not from Miami, maybe that will be noticeable to you. As someone who lives in Miami, I’m totally unfazed, as that reflects many of my service interactions in the city.
I kind of view living in Miami as an expat experience in many ways (though perhaps less so since the pandemic, when half of New York seemingly decided to move here). I’m just not very good with languages, while Ford has fully embraced it — I’m pretty sure his Spanish is better than his English at this point. Anyway, I digress…
Beyond the rude staff, the passengers at the airport, are, ummm, also a mixed bag when it comes to their behavior. I mean, I can’t count the number of times over the years that I’ve witnessed situations where police got involved. And that says nothing of the number of passengers who don’t use headphones when making phone calls or watching videos.
The terminal layout is bad in multiple ways
Concourse D is the home of American, and the biggest concourse at the airport. It’s just one very long terminal, so if you leave from the higher D gates, it’s quite a trek to the gate, whether you’re walking from security or the lower D gates.
Yes, there’s a train system, but it’s usually breakeven as to whether it’s faster to take the train or just walk (and I always prefer to get some extra steps anyway). I don’t know who thought that this one long concourse thing was a good idea, but it’s a pain. The single, long terminal is also bad in terms of congestion, since it means that all passengers walk through the same area, and it can get very crowded.
Even beyond the layout of Concourse D, the overall layout of the airport is annoying, with regards to how terminals aren’t connected airside. Concourse D & E are connected airside, then you have Concourse H & J, and then you have Concourse F & G (which are the saddest of all).
Funny story — I didn’t realize that Concourse F actually really existed or was a thing until my recent flight on Boliviana de Aviacion. The terminal makes a Greyhound bus station look like the Lufthansa First Class Terminal, by comparison.
The concessions & lounges are subpar
There are no two ways about it — Miami Airport’s selection of dining and duty free is really low end, unlike so many other major international airports in the US.
Some airports put a lot of effort into having local establishments serve up some of their best food and drinks, while Miami Airport largely has garbage concessions that incorporate things that make them sound like they’re local, by adding “305,” or “Wynwood,” or whatever.
The lounges aren’t much better either:
- The Amex Centurion Lounge is consistently crowded… then again, which Centurion Lounge isn’t?
- The American Admirals Clubs are overcrowded and outdated; at least the Flagship Lounge tends to be pretty decent
- There’s a lack of other quality lounges, with some of the only other options being the Delta Sky Club, the two Turkish Airlines Lounges, and the LATAM Lounge
To be honest, unless I have access to the American Flagship Lounge or Delta Sky Club, I’ll just generally skip lounges and sit in a quiet gate area, for those situations where I do have extra time.
What I don’t mind about Miami Airport
Now let me make the case for why there are worse airports in the world than Miami. Again, I’m not saying Miami is a good airport, just that it could be worse.
It’s convenient if originating your travels
As someone who lives in Miami, I find the airport to be pretty easy to use. For one, Miami has to be one of the biggest airports in the country that’s so close to a major city. From many parts of Miami, the airport is just 10-20 minutes away (it can be a bit longer with traffic, of course), so that’s quite a contrast to airports in Los Angeles and New York, where it can easily take over an hour to get to the airport from many parts of the city.
Furthermore, when departing Concourse D, I typically have to wait for under five minutes at TSA PreCheck. I think the most I’ve ever waited (after hundreds of flights) is maybe 15 minutes.
So I find the airport to be easy to originate at, and that largely negates the negatives for me. I can reliably be at the airport well under an hour before departure, and still arrive at the gate before boarding begins. I also put in AirPods Pro the second I arrive at the airport until I get on the plane, so that I can be less annoyed by the poor manners of many people around me.
There are worse airports at which to connect
Miami Airport is not a pleasure to connect at. My only argument here is that I’m not actually convinced it’s the worst airport to connect at. For example, I’d rather connect in Miami than Charlotte (CLT), as I find the latter to possibly be the least pleasant connecting hub in the country.
That’s not because of anything wrong with the airport, but rather because of the number of people that American pumps through there during peak periods. There’s nowhere to sit, and the terminal feels about as crowded a a concert. Add in the lack of lounge capacity, and I just don’t enjoy connecting there.
I don’t want to throw too many airports under the bus, but I think one of the things that makes Miami a little less terrible in this regard is that it’s not a major domestic connecting hub, given its geography. I think any of the overwhelmingly domestic connecting hubs of the “big three” carriers are incredibly unpleasant during peak, banked periods, given the volume of travelers, and Miami doesn’t quite have that number of passengers.
Miami Airport is heaven for airline & aviation geeks
Perhaps this isn’t much of an argument in favor of Miami Airport not sucking, though as an aviation geek, I do kind of love the traffic we get at the airport.
Like, does your airport have daily service from Red Air MD-82s and World Atlantic MD-83s? Does your airport have flights to Havana using PLAY, Fly2Sky, and Eastern Express aircraft? Does your airport have a 68-year-old Convair CV-5800 cargo plane stationed there? I didn’t think so. 😉 And that says nothing of the huge number of Boeing 747 cargo jets we get here every day.
Take me to any other airport in the United States, and I probably won’t be caught off guard by any planes. Meanwhile at Miami Airport, there’s always something new.
Bottom line
Miami doesn’t have a good airport, and there’s a lot to dislike about it, from the terminal design and layout, to many of the employees, to the concessions. My only argument in favor of there being worse airports is that it’s actually a pretty convenient airport to originate at, and I’m not convinced it’s the least pleasant connecting hub in the country.
Where do you stand on Miami Airport — do you just dislike it, or think it’s the sixth circle of hell?
A better article would be which airports do people like and why. There are so many bad ones and not many good ones.
Not just for functionality, but whats inside, good shops, food, service, something special.
Ben, Maybe better to change the article to the Best Airports in the world instead of worst.
It surely would be a short article. Why? Because there aren't many that are good, convenient, good service, good variety.
Our recent trip thru NEWARK was horrible, we'd say one of the worst. We chose that over JFK and LaGuardia.
I remember nice airports like Hong Kong, Osaka Japan. San Franciso used to be nice, like Miami...
Ben, Maybe better to change the article to the Best Airports in the world instead of worst.
It surely would be a short article. Why? Because there aren't many that are good, convenient, good service, good variety.
Our recent trip thru NEWARK was horrible, we'd say one of the worst. We chose that over JFK and LaGuardia.
I remember nice airports like Hong Kong, Osaka Japan. San Franciso used to be nice, like Miami was. Yes Miami is the most convenient from any city.
We like Mexico City, pretty convenient and staff are good. We like seeing them employ physically challenged folks in wheel chairs working the lines and immigration. Thats a first that we saw and we applaud it.
Denver was supposed to be great, but too big too fail and it did when it opened. Don't know today.
But as said at the top, world's airports could be so much better then the are.
Lets see the changes coming. November & December 2024
Miami is one of our least favorite airports in the U.S. for many of the reasons you mentioned. It is not a clean airport and the people are rude. We live in Florida and live two to three hours from the major airports of Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm and Miami. Because we drive a distance we include the ease of getting to the airport and Miami is tough to navigate and it is difficult...
Miami is one of our least favorite airports in the U.S. for many of the reasons you mentioned. It is not a clean airport and the people are rude. We live in Florida and live two to three hours from the major airports of Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm and Miami. Because we drive a distance we include the ease of getting to the airport and Miami is tough to navigate and it is difficult to determine how much time is needed because of traffic and road construction.
We often travel for 4 to 6 weeks at a time so we do one way car rentals to and from the airport. Our grading system would include the easy of picking up and returning car rentals. In Florida, our opinion is West Palm beach has the worst car rentals as it takes forever. Our favorite airport is in Melbourne, Florida. We would love to see you rate some of these off the beaten path airports around Florida but realize that will not happen.
Miami isn't that bad if you're in one of the first-world "main" terminals. Still, if you are flying out of the baren hallways they use for Southwest, etc., which also have the worst security lines in the region outside Atlanta, then it is one of the worst airports in the USA.
As far as it being a good Av-geek airport, that might be true in some ways but I believe it lacks any sort of good viewing platforms or encouragement of that sort of activity.
Well, I didn’t imagine the day I’d be defending MIA, as it is quite a filthy outdated airport, still stuck somewhere between the 60s and 80s, in desperate need of a refresh… But it’s not that bad. I fly in and out at least a couple times a year and though I definitely agree a major overhaul would certainly make it more aesthetically pleasing, it currently does what it needs to do. And the people...
Well, I didn’t imagine the day I’d be defending MIA, as it is quite a filthy outdated airport, still stuck somewhere between the 60s and 80s, in desperate need of a refresh… But it’s not that bad. I fly in and out at least a couple times a year and though I definitely agree a major overhaul would certainly make it more aesthetically pleasing, it currently does what it needs to do. And the people mover to the rental car center works great (when it works). I also very much like that it’s so close to the city which is quite unique.
Maybe my bar is low as I’ve generally accepted US airports not being amongst the best in the world. I do agree the concessions are very bare and definitely some of the rudest CBP unfortunately. Standing in TSA lines also feels a bit like a third world country. But it generally does what it needs to do and is quick and convenient, looking at it from a door to (plane) door perspective. Just my two cents.
This writer is absurd. He's talking about an airport that opened in 1959. Long before he even saw an airplane. And by no means am I defending the airport OR the city. I live here and I worked at that airport. But he reminds me of the whinersI dealt with on a daily basis.
MIA also adds 18% for all bars and restaurants for their friendly and fast service. ✈️
Several experiences - some worse than others
1. 3 generations (age 2 - 67) flying SEA-ATL-MIA-GRA on Eastern arrived in MIA at 6? Departure scheduled for 1 PM. Sat at isolated gate for hours with noone else. Eventually panicked and discovered gate change to other end of airport. Scrambled like crazy and finally got to aircraft as doors closing. Never any update or announcement.
2. Flying in on BA J from UK back...
Several experiences - some worse than others
1. 3 generations (age 2 - 67) flying SEA-ATL-MIA-GRA on Eastern arrived in MIA at 6? Departure scheduled for 1 PM. Sat at isolated gate for hours with noone else. Eventually panicked and discovered gate change to other end of airport. Scrambled like crazy and finally got to aircraft as doors closing. Never any update or announcement.
2. Flying in on BA J from UK back when they introduced picture and fingerprints. Hours in the non-American line (we are Canadian) behind all regional. Luckily first off plane. Missed 3 connecting flights to Bahamas. Agent at next gate sat with nothing to do and would not assist.
The one thing nice about Miami is that it's located pretty close to the United States. Besides that, it's a giant cesspool.
@JohnRossa
What in the world are you talking about ? Miami has one of the lowest crime rates in the United States.
Mia is basically SIN compared to the trailer park of atl
But those that chase a mileage program that despises you have to defend their stupid loyalty
What a coin flip between MIA and CLT. Both on my avoid list.
MIA is one of the (only four) USA airports to have ever had scheduled Concorde service, so there's also that distinction.
Though sucks that it's been 30yrs since.
MIA get bonus points for being the most diverse (number of airlines flying there) in the United States. It gets bonus points for having a branch of Versailles Restaurant for amazing Cuban food.
For negatives, yes, those long walks to an alternate Immigration station when the one in your arrival terminal is closed. The airport hotel is hopelessly dated. Surprised one of the big 4 hotel companies hasn't bought and refurbished it for its...
MIA get bonus points for being the most diverse (number of airlines flying there) in the United States. It gets bonus points for having a branch of Versailles Restaurant for amazing Cuban food.
For negatives, yes, those long walks to an alternate Immigration station when the one in your arrival terminal is closed. The airport hotel is hopelessly dated. Surprised one of the big 4 hotel companies hasn't bought and refurbished it for its amazing location in the terminal. Lastly, only one Dunkin Donuts.
Concourse F & G have not been touched since the days of Pan Am. Horrible third world concourses that mostly serve third world charter carriers with the exception of a few regular carriers. The horribly low ceilings in G and in bag claim are awful. Most aiports in Latin Am are now much better than MIA. PAP is marginally worse (they shoot the planes there).
Ref CLT- when it was a USAir hub it functioned...
Concourse F & G have not been touched since the days of Pan Am. Horrible third world concourses that mostly serve third world charter carriers with the exception of a few regular carriers. The horribly low ceilings in G and in bag claim are awful. Most aiports in Latin Am are now much better than MIA. PAP is marginally worse (they shoot the planes there).
Ref CLT- when it was a USAir hub it functioned fairly well. Most a/c were 737s or Airbus narrow bodies, so not as overcrowded as now. AA has too much put through in the limited terminal.
I actually don't think Miami is that bad. It's way better than Fort Lauderdale by comparison, and airports in the northeast. I quite like the 1 terminal and 1 hall layout for American, as it makes navigating the terminal so easy. Compare that to Chicago, which has so many terminals and where it is so easy to get lost. I do agree that the Admirals clubs there suck, but that is the case in many...
I actually don't think Miami is that bad. It's way better than Fort Lauderdale by comparison, and airports in the northeast. I quite like the 1 terminal and 1 hall layout for American, as it makes navigating the terminal so easy. Compare that to Chicago, which has so many terminals and where it is so easy to get lost. I do agree that the Admirals clubs there suck, but that is the case in many other places. The Flagship lounge is quite good though.
I also don't mind Charlotte. They have done a great job renovating all the concourses and the main food court area is really nicely done. The two Admirals clubs aren't great and can get crowded, but the Club Lounge by Priority Pass in concourse A is quite nice.
Miami and Charlotte are way better than transiting through airports like Chicago or Philadelphia
As someone who just connected there this past week. Worst. Airport. Ever to enter the USA….rude CBP, rude TSA. Sea of people and lines for security.
AA operation is also a complete mess. (I had 2 cancelations there took 3 days to get home thanks to me booking on UA instead).
If it makes you happier, LAX is awful to make a connection through also.... (but I still really dislike Miami - terrible concessions, rude employees, etc.)
You haven't been here in a while if you think that. Half the terminals have been completely redone, all of them are now connected airside, and lounge/private space has nearly tripled over the past 10yrs.
Not perfect by any stretch, but hardly "awful" anymore, particularly if in terminals 1-4.
Tough to keep track of your location the last 24 hours between TIJ and LAx
You pretend to be so well traveled from all but if you fly from TIJ, it’s fairly obvious you fly ULCC mostly
Your assessment of MIA is terrible. It’s a great airport and offering an opinion of the passengers at concessions makes me wish you a long layover in PTY. DFW almost always requires a hectic terminal change. LAX as well. Maybe you should order a wheel chair. Charlotte Atlanta JFK I could go on and on about how much better MIA is. You offer nothing truthful or accurate to say the least. Anybody reading this should ignore you.
I fly in and out a few times a year. My last flight landed after 1am from DFW when the airport was a ghost town. We had to wait for our gate as no one was around. The FA’s on AA said it’s their worst hub and jr FA’s primarily get sent there as they all hate it. Seems all ops in MIA are somewhat third world. And I second the Centurian lounge, it’s always crowded and way too small
My most memorable MIA layover was in the Centurion lounge, nearly empty at opening, and water started pouring from the ceiling when it began raining. We let the front desk know and moved sections. When we left a few hours later, 4 buckets were placed around the lounge to collect water still coming down from the deluge. ;)
Connecting from international to domestic is a nightmare; there's no PreCheck at the transfer point outside immigration/customs, and the line can be LONG. It's easier to just go upstairs and go through security as if originating from MIA.
I was based in MIA for 4 years with Pan Am.....yes a long time ago. The airport was a toilet then and it still is a disgrace. I fly from Tampa which IMHO is the best in North America...I pass through MIA to get to friends in Chile & Equador. I speak fluent Spanish and love the city of Miami. The airport just bites though !
Former Miamian and agree with most of Ben's points, especially about originating there. 10-15 min from Wynwood/Midtown made life a breeze. I could leave my house under 1 hour from departure and still easily make it.
I will say the domestic connections can be pretty terrible. Flying into the D60 gates on a small plane with a connection at D1-10? Good luck! Actually worse than CLT E -> B connections if you ask me....
Former Miamian and agree with most of Ben's points, especially about originating there. 10-15 min from Wynwood/Midtown made life a breeze. I could leave my house under 1 hour from departure and still easily make it.
I will say the domestic connections can be pretty terrible. Flying into the D60 gates on a small plane with a connection at D1-10? Good luck! Actually worse than CLT E -> B connections if you ask me. The design of the airport is idiotic at best. The people mover is so inefficient due to high above the terminal walkways it is. Agree it's almost always a tie with walking.
And yeah, the people. Miami is full of some of the worst people on the planet (both residents and tourists) and both crowds make MIA far worse. LAS and MSY are also bachelor party type destinations, but you don't see or hear near the number of issues that happen at MIA. There are also some really incredible people in Miami, you just have to look (really hard lol).
As a 40 year+ traveler, I feel very qualified to dispute your review. How can you write I review is this horrible airport (definitely the worst in the U.S. with out references the following: 1) On any give. day, up to 50% of the elevators, moving sidewalks and trams you will encounter at MIA will not be in working order; 2) The trip to and from the Rental Car Center is the most convoluted of...
As a 40 year+ traveler, I feel very qualified to dispute your review. How can you write I review is this horrible airport (definitely the worst in the U.S. with out references the following: 1) On any give. day, up to 50% of the elevators, moving sidewalks and trams you will encounter at MIA will not be in working order; 2) The trip to and from the Rental Car Center is the most convoluted of any on the country. It requires long walks and relies on a sky tram that has broken down more than once when I have been there — creating absolute chaos for anyone needing to get to or from the terminal; 3) Getting anywhere from the airport can take an eternity due to some of the worst traffic congestion on the country; and 4) Given all of the above plus the people, terminal and other facility negatives you have already covered, the average traveler must plan for more time to use this airport than any other I am aware of in the country.
awful bloody airport on every level.
MIA: Definitely awful!
Problem is the airport facilities are so poorly maintained. Elevators, moving sidewalks bathrooms etc. and don’t get me started on the train they can’t keep running. It’s emblematic of the city writ large, tons of graft and nothing done to improve the quality of the operation.
Add LAS to the list of airports I really hate
Smoking areas with slot machines and booze every ten feet. What is your problem?
EVERY time that I've arrived at MIA on an international flight (usually on AA or IB), the trek to Customs & Immigration was ridiculously long. I've had long walks to Customs & Immigration at other airports (e.g. FRA) but MIA has been the longest.
I appreciate the exercise (at least somewhat) but I hope that I never need to make a tight connection there.
Arriving on IB/BA/any E Satellite airline is the worst for that. Train ride to the main terminal, then a long miserable walk to immigration all the way at the center of D
Are they not using the E immigration facility anymore? Last time I arrived on BA (before Covid) we just went there while AA passengers in E were made to head over to D.
Regardless I don’t really mind a bit of a walk after being on a plane for several hours, though I know others would feel different.
I have used it multiple times in 2021 and 2022. Last time I arrived on an international flight in Concourse E was October 2022 on QR and we used the E Immigration area.
You should try the new Istanbul airport if you like a long walk to customs.
The walk to customs can't be as bad as YYZ.
can't believe no mention of the people mover tram between terminals that don't have clear doors. it's like a steel elevator to the gates of hell
You can get a cafecito for $1.25. That's a great deal. Metro connectivity to downtown and Brickell is also good, not to mention Tri-Rail. I think most of MIA's problems can be traced back to neglect from the corrupt local government and airport authority using allocated money to do anything except keep the airport clean and functional.
As a former Miamian I can honestly say that Miami is a sh**hole city full of uncivilized and rude people and the airport is a representation of it; and don't get me started with the snowbirds that bring horrendous traffic congestions with them. As for the airport which is a major gateway to Latin America you would expect to have a beautiful and efficiently laid out terminals but instead you get a filthyp lace with...
As a former Miamian I can honestly say that Miami is a sh**hole city full of uncivilized and rude people and the airport is a representation of it; and don't get me started with the snowbirds that bring horrendous traffic congestions with them. As for the airport which is a major gateway to Latin America you would expect to have a beautiful and efficiently laid out terminals but instead you get a filthyp lace with rude staff, fast food and subpar restaurants. I would go out of my way to fly to Ft. Lauderdale airport every chance II ge, it's a smaller but efficient airport with much nicer staff.
Amen. The corruption is second to none.
Just look at the recent news. They’re gonna spend 2 years and millions to “study a new airport location”. Mayor’s friend awarded the bid. Meanwhile the latest architectural contract was awarded to a local firm with zero reputation besides, you guessed it, numerous contracts for MIA. Bigger name firms were rejected
What city in America isn’t “a sh**hole city full of uncivilized and rude people”?? Honest question.
JFK is worse because of Noo Yawkers. BOS is worse because of Massholes. MSP is worse because of C Concourse and the horrible layout of concessions. CLT lives in its own universe of awful. MCO is worse because of the critical mass of children. LAX lives in infamy because of the Horseshoe. I'm a United 1K and even I can't excuse EWR or DEN. Or maybe it's because I never travel through MIA.
Rudest TSA I have ever seen was at ORD. A woman didn't have her boarding pass ready before the podium. The document checker chewed her out. But at BOS, a man handed his credit card (he was not visibly intoxicated.) The BOS checker said, matter-of-factly but not yelling, "Sir, this is your credit card." The passenger said oh, ok, then went digging in his wallet for his ID while the checker waited patiently. This was...
Rudest TSA I have ever seen was at ORD. A woman didn't have her boarding pass ready before the podium. The document checker chewed her out. But at BOS, a man handed his credit card (he was not visibly intoxicated.) The BOS checker said, matter-of-factly but not yelling, "Sir, this is your credit card." The passenger said oh, ok, then went digging in his wallet for his ID while the checker waited patiently. This was a peak departure time with hundreds of people in the PreCheck line.
TSA at NYC airports (LGA and EWR, I rarely use JFK) are better than expected for the region. There is a reasonable explanation. NYC is not uniformly rude, it's mixed. Most people are just expressionless which is interpreted as not warm or friendly, but not hostile either. Pay for TSA positions is actually pretty decent compared to other blue collar customer facing jobs. You get a few barkers in NYC, but not materially more than other airports. For the most part NYC TSA is stoically calm.
MCO will yell at children which is inexcusable (I reported a TSO to a Supervisor for that, fortunately the Supervisor was very polite).
MSP is indeed very polite, reflecting the Minnesota niceness of the entire region.
DEN is squarely average.
Forgot to close a bold
Attempt 2:
Your judgement is rendered negative due to your incompetence. Chicago is the only perfect city, because it gave birth to me.
As for the rest of your comical assertions, Noo Yawk Yankers and Massholes are so crude and disgusting that the Neanderthals went extinct rather than share the planet with them. MCO doesn't go far enough; children should be beaten. I don't care about TSA, since I have CLEAR and Pre-check and my interactions with them are minimal. I said that MSP sucked, not the people. You've obviously never connected from a mainline to an RJ...
As for the rest of your comical assertions, Noo Yawk Yankers and Massholes are so crude and disgusting that the Neanderthals went extinct rather than share the planet with them. MCO doesn't go far enough; children should be beaten. I don't care about TSA, since I have CLEAR and Pre-check and my interactions with them are minimal. I said that MSP sucked, not the people. You've obviously never connected from a mainline to an RJ at DEN.
Translation: You're kack of sentience negates your ability to have an opinion that would be relevant to me.
Unironically, ORD is a phenomenal airport for its size. It was built forever ago so it didn't need to sprawl massively to put in every dumbass overpriced shop under the sun, so it's generally pretty darn efficient to walk between terminals (5 obviously excluded). TSA is perfectly fine and have a "get them in and out as quickly as possible" mentality. ORD has no tolerance for buffoonery and I deeply love it as a home...
Unironically, ORD is a phenomenal airport for its size. It was built forever ago so it didn't need to sprawl massively to put in every dumbass overpriced shop under the sun, so it's generally pretty darn efficient to walk between terminals (5 obviously excluded). TSA is perfectly fine and have a "get them in and out as quickly as possible" mentality. ORD has no tolerance for buffoonery and I deeply love it as a home airport for that.
Elevators are positively glacial at ORD though. That and the awful lounge scene are the airport's chief drawbacks.
One important point Ben forgot -- getting from the terminal to the rental car center is fairly painless using the MIA mover (as opposed to other large airports when you need to physically go outside and wait for a shuttle bus).
Miami is one of the worst airports in the United States. The concessions are atrocious, there is zero flow, and most of the time the place is filthy.
It's Florida - what do you expect?
I travel to Miami Beach at least twice a year and grew up in Broward. Whether I fly into/out of MIA is simply determined by if I want to have a rental car on the particular trip. If I do, I'm flying into FLL, without hesitation. The amount of time you spend in the nightmare rental area (And I'm top tier with Hertz and Avis) and then factoring in the ungodly walk to and from...
I travel to Miami Beach at least twice a year and grew up in Broward. Whether I fly into/out of MIA is simply determined by if I want to have a rental car on the particular trip. If I do, I'm flying into FLL, without hesitation. The amount of time you spend in the nightmare rental area (And I'm top tier with Hertz and Avis) and then factoring in the ungodly walk to and from the rental car counters (has to be 1.5 miles in some gates) can be greater than the time it takes for the brief FLL to Miami drive.
Other than that, MIA is generally a quick no-frills in and out kind of airport to start or finish a journey, much like LGA was. I don't want to hang out longer than necessary anyway.
Oh that’s quite interesting. I usually use Avis at MIA (also top leve for Avis) and I can just view my car (and where it’s parked) in their app as I walk the terminal. Just walk up to it and drive off. No time spent at those god awful counters. Quite a breeze really.
Have never rented out or FLL though, so will have to give that a try.
I have a memory of terminal around the Centurion lounge smelling nice because of a consistent perfume pumped into the air. I could never figure out if it was a shop or just the airport itself
MIA is a nightmare depending on what time you land. It feels like every airport in Latin America has a flight arriving at MIA at the same time so immigration can be a total nightmare if you don't have GE. I also find the rental car return at MIA to be horrible and the trip back to the terminal by train can take very long. Now, MIA is paradise when compared to CLT. CLT has...
MIA is a nightmare depending on what time you land. It feels like every airport in Latin America has a flight arriving at MIA at the same time so immigration can be a total nightmare if you don't have GE. I also find the rental car return at MIA to be horrible and the trip back to the terminal by train can take very long. Now, MIA is paradise when compared to CLT. CLT has to be the worst airport in the US by far. What a nightmare. As far as convenience and proximity to the city, although smaller than MIA, MSP is hard to beat.
Horrible layout. A very long walk and then a shuttle train to the Rent A Car center and public transportation. A very long Terminal D and long airport in general. I remember back in the day the pain to connect from AA to LA.
Broken moving side walks, crowded terminals, dirty bathrooms and my favorite no dedicated Uber/Lyft. It's a total nightmare in the early to mid evening to figure out where your Uber/Lyft is in a sea of car traffic.
A few more areas of horror with this airport.
MÍA jetbridges are carpeted uniquely. The ground in dirt suggests they are not on anyone’s s radar for cleaning, and never ever ever have been.
Washrooms in public areas are few and far apart, small, and marginal for cleanliness.
I live closer to PBI and FLL but use MIA several times a year for international connections/convenient nonstops, and think Ben's assessment is pretty spot on. The location really is convenient, and unlike too many other airports in the U.S., it's accessible by multiple public transit options. Even arriving by car, the "horseshoe" is by far less crowded than other airports with similar designs, such as my former home airport LAX.
Concourse D is not...
I live closer to PBI and FLL but use MIA several times a year for international connections/convenient nonstops, and think Ben's assessment is pretty spot on. The location really is convenient, and unlike too many other airports in the U.S., it's accessible by multiple public transit options. Even arriving by car, the "horseshoe" is by far less crowded than other airports with similar designs, such as my former home airport LAX.
Concourse D is not my favorite for the reasons Ben described, but flying Delta from H or Air France/Swiss/etc from J with Sky Club or LATAM lounge access is perfectly pleasant. And even D is much better than FLL Terminal 3.
CLT is absolutely the worst hub airport in the USA, and it isn't close. MIA still carries a bad reputation that is a bit undeserved. It isn't an overall great airport because international baggage in insanely slow compared to other US gateways, and the train in D is broken half the time, but after the renovations 10 or so years ago, the airport improved substantially from being one of the worst in the US to just OK.
@Bosshawk slow
CLT sucks. PHX too
MIA is run of the mill. Good American FL. Helpful concessions ; cafe versailles, Miami Heat store , cigar outlets.
I would be bitchy if I were a GA in MIA. You need to keep your guard up and all announcements throughout the airport should be in Spanish as it’s a Latino market. Groupo Ocho will board whenever they damn please.
I think CLT sucks more than MIA. PHX also sucks but not as much as MIA. Although the AA ACs at PHX are a joke.