Flying into Miami

[Mayflower1]

I have posted on the Spirit Transatlantic Rollcall but feel a wider Post may be better.

My wife and I will be flying British Air to Miami arriving on Easter Saturday ahead of the Cruise. I understand that it is taking Non US Passengers upwards of 3 hours to clear Immigration, Baggage & Customs on even a normal busy day. I have an unstable Back and would find it difficult to queue for such a time after a 9 hour Flight. Is there anything one can do to ease the situation such as a FastTrack for First/Business Passengers such as we have in Europe ? Any advice would be appreciated.

[Herman The Cat]

While we have not done that flight, we have a friend who has flown on BA to Miami pre-cruise several times. He has never had a problem or a long wait--typically he was done with immigration, baggage claim and customs in less than an hour. It may have to do with what day you arrive. For example, a lot of the flights from the Caribbean are on Saturday and we have had to wait over an hour in Charlotte, North Carolina; when I've arrived mid-week in Toronto during winter school vacation it's been over an hour; when flying Virgin Atlantic from the US it was 1 1/2 hrs since all the overseas flights arrived at the same time. We will be meeting some friends from London on Silversea in January who will be doing your flight so I will be certain to ask.

 

Did you check the Miami airport website about options?

 

Also, this does sound excessive (and unacceptable)--what was your source for this information?

[joysav]

Miami is the worst airport I have been in. :eek:

It is even worse than the old Terminal 1 and 2 at Heathrow. :mad:

 

Thank God that Heathrow East Terminal has replaced them. :p

 

I refuse to use Miami and in the future any cruises from around

that area we will be flying to MCO Orlando, stay the night at

WDW and drive down. :cool:

 

"FastTrack for First/Business Passengers such as we have in Europe"

and the rest of the World.

[Keith1010]

Before anyone ridicules Miami International Airport the airport has undergone some major changes the past few years and that includes a new international arrivals center at Miami airport.

 

Mayflower1, I am not aware of a fast track for arrivals.

 

It's always difficult to know how long the time will take on line as it really will vary based on what time you arrive and even day of week. Do you think arranging for a wheelchair would be of benefit to you?

 

Keith

[Mayflower1]

Thank you for the advice - I am pleased to say that I am nowhere near requiring a wheelchair, just that standing in line for a long period can be a problem. Our arrival on an Easter Saturday may not be the best move but it suits our pupose in visiting friends in Boca Raton pre Cruise.

[Seafairer]

Mayflower, since you're concerned that standing on a long line is a possibility, I politely agree that arranging for the airline to provide a wheelchair might be something to consider, even though, thankfully, you don't require one. Removing this as a concern will certainly ease your mind about an issue that could affect your comfort onboard in the days ahead. If the line moves quickly and you don't need it, great. But if you do have a long wait, having a wheelchair at your disposal will ensure that you board the ship in good shape and can fully enjoy your voyage.

 

There are also various portable devices that accomplish the same goal, such as a cane with a small seat that folds out when needed.

[Talisker92]

My wife has a problem walking long distances, and I get her a wheelchair, This also expedites us through immigration and customs. It is usually a good idea to tip the pusher at least $5

[Dmgmd50]

Thank you for the advice - I am pleased to say that I am nowhere near requiring a wheelchair, just that standing in line for a long period can be a problem. Our arrival on an Easter Saturday may not be the best move but it suits our pupose in visiting friends in Boca Raton pre Cruise.

 

What time does your flight arrive in Miami? Saturday mornings are usually very busy due to the cruise ship departures. The afternoon should not be bad for arriving passengers. We often fly to Florida on Saturday afternoons since the airports tend to be less crowded.

[Grandma Gilly]

This is a repeat of my post on the roll call.

 

Last time we were in Miami ( last November) we queued for over two hours at immigration.The only advantage of being in a premium cabin was that we reached the queues first!! There is no fasttrack.

 

If you are unable to stand that long, then I suggest you organise special services who will take you through in a wheel chair.

 

You may hate it but it will solve the problem.

[conchyjoe]

The BA flights into Miami generally go through a different immigration line than the bulk of international passengers arriving. As a Club World (Business Class) passenger you will be first off the plane and first to arrive at immigration. I have often had no wait at all.

 

That said ...you then have to wait an hour for your baggage to arrive before you can head through Customs but at least you can sit on the baggage cart. Miami baggage handlers don't seem to pay much attention to the luggage priority tags.

 

I fly this route 2-3 times per year.

[Ballyboffin]

We will be flying from Miami in November after a cruise. Are there any problems outbound? Should we try to check in early?

[Keith1010]

We will be flying from Miami in November after a cruise. Are there any problems outbound? Should we try to check in early?

 

Not sure what time your flight is.

 

For Domestic USA Flights I recommend a Noon flight or later. In your case, I would give it bit more time and ideally a flight at 1:00 PM, but again that's jus to give sufficient time without having to stress about it.

 

Keith

[Grandma Gilly]

We will be flying from Miami in November after a cruise. Are there any problems outbound? Should we try to check in early?

 

The only problem can be the line for security so just allow plenty of time to clear it.

[conchyjoe]

We will be flying from Miami in November after a cruise. Are there any problems outbound? Should we try to check in early?

 

Should not be any major problem unless it's the last weekend in November (Thanksgiving Holiday). Weekends are normally pretty busy with cruise ship passengers but the bulk of these have departed by 1.00pm

 

It's good to check-in as early as possible but if you are on BA then the earliest you can check-in is around 2.00-2.30pm as the desk is not staffed before that. There is normally already a queue for Economy by the time the desk opens. Club World and First is normally clear.

 

The BA outbound flights are around 1750, 2050 and 2230 so if you are not doing a tour after leaving the ship, you will have a lot of time kicking around Miami airport which doesn't have a great many places to sit. The BA lounge is also not accessible until after you have physically checked-in.

What I normally do under these circumstances is pre-book a room at the MIA Hotel (http://www.miahotel.com/) which is right in the terminal and a short walk from the BA & Virgin desks. If you are on the early evening flight you could try to get a day room valid until 6.00pm but you cannot book these in advance. The same hotel also has a pretty good restaurant on the 7th Floor where you can hang-out and have lunch or an early dinner.

 

Hope this helps.

[patnlcc]

Sorry, Mayflower1, all passengers have to join the queue. We flew Virgin Atlantic Upper Class in March this year and the only advantage was, we reached the queue earlier than most other pax. It was a Friday around 4pm (US time) and we waited around two hours.

[sakaara]

Hi Mayflower,

 

I too am flying from London to Miami next year with Virgin also Upper class and was very much looking forward to the flight until reading your post.

Had I of known about delays I would have flown Aer Lingus Premiere to Orlando and driven down. Flying from Ireland, we go through immigration in Dublin, it only takes a few minutes.

I have previously experienced long delays in Orlando prior to this arrangement and I understand how stressful this delay can be particularly with injury as I have fractured my coccyx twice and still suffer!

 

Just a suggestion, I'm not sure if this is possible due to airport security, but would a small collapsible stool be possible or allowed in hand baggage?

 

Kind Regards

 

Sakkara

[Keith1010]

Hi Mayflower,

 

I too am flying from London to Miami next year with Virgin also Upper class and was very much looking forward to the flight until reading your post.

Had I of known about delays I would have flown Aer Lingus Premiere to Orlando and driven down. Flying from Ireland, we go through immigration in Dublin, it only takes a few minutes.

I have previously experienced long delays in Orlando prior to this arrangement and I understand how stressful this delay can be particularly with injury as I have fractured my coccyx twice and still suffer!

 

Just a suggestion, I'm not sure if this is possible due to airport security, but would a small collapsible stool be possible or allowed in hand baggage?

 

Kind Regards

 

Sakkara

 

I really think you made a wise decision to arrive in Miami over Orlando.

 

You really never know what to expect when going through customs/immigration at just about any airport in the world.

 

Orlando has its issues as well plus you avoid a few hour drive to pick up the ship.

 

Keith

[patnlcc]

We are retired so have extra time - we always fly in at least one day prior to any cruise. Flight delays, missing baggage, long immigration queues, all sorts of potential hiccups, so we try to minimise these by going 24 hours before we board. I appreciate that not everyone can do this.

[sakaara]

Many thanks Keith, Patnicc.

 

We will fly 2 days early to adjust to time difference. Don't want to miss any precious hours on Spirit being tired!

 

Regards

 

Sakkara

[patnlcc]

Great idea, and then if you do get caught up in queues, delays, etc, it isn't nearly as stressful.

[Ballyboffin]

Thanks for the information conchyjoe. We are flying back to Heathrow with VA later in the evening so plan to take the tour and transfer to Miami. Hopefully we will not have too much time to kill, but will bear in mind the restaurant in the hotel for something to eat.

[conchyjoe]

Thanks for the information conchyjoe. We are flying back to Heathrow with VA later in the evening so plan to take the tour and transfer to Miami. Hopefully we will not have too much time to kill, but will bear in mind the restaurant in the hotel for something to eat.

 

You are very welcome.