Miami Customs Experience?

[3dogmom]

I want to book a flight; LHR - MIA - TPA which includes a 1 hour and 50 minute layover in Miami. Is this enough time to get through customs?

 

I'd rather book this flight than the 3 hour layover. Thoughts?

[Zach1213]

Miami can be very slow quite often. 1:50 is doable, but tight. I'd feel more comfortable with a 3 hour layover, to be honest. You just need to think about it this way - if you miss the connection, how many more flights are there MIA-TPA to get you to your destination? There's no guarantee you'll get on the next flight.

[Fattony]

I assume you really mean Immigration, since Customs is usually a matter of just handing over a form you filled out on board the flight and had initialed by Immigration. I haven't gone through MIA a lot, and on our last visit (in Oct.), the process was quick, but I would not have wanted that short a layover. Are you a U.S. citizen? If not, I'd say 3 hours will be comfortable and you won't have to worry about tons of time waiting around.

 

After you disembark the plane, you have to go through Immigration (length of lines can vary widely by time of day, number of flights landing, etc.), then wait for your bags at a baggage carousel (this can take a while), then go through Customs, then exit the secure area and go upstairs, stand in line for TSA security (could be quick, could be slow), then go to your gate. We landed just before 4 a.m. and had to wait on the plane until Immigration opened.

 

If your flights were ticketed together, especially on one airline, and you miss your connection, the airline will endeavor to put you on the next flight with available seats, but this may not be the very next flight (i.e., if you book with the 90 min. connection and miss it, and there's no space for you on the next flight, you could end up waiting even longer). As Clint Eastwood said in "Dirty Harry": are you feeling lucky?

Edited November 19, 2013 by Fattony

[3dogmom]

I assume you really mean Immigration, since Customs is usually a matter of just handing over a form you filled out on board the flight and had initialed by Immigration.

 

Yes, Immigration! I new Customs didn't sound right to me....:rolleyes:

 

I am a US citizen and I will go ahead and book the flight with the longer layover. At the end of a long cruise I just want to get home and not be looking at my watch stressed out!

 

Thanks for the inputs!

[critterchick]

Or you could apply for Global Entry, which could cut your processing time to mere minutes. It's a $100 fee to apply, followed by an extensive background check and interview. Your trusted traveller status is good for 5 years.

 

I think it's one of the best $100 I've ever spent. When we arrived at MIA from Quito in September, we were through immigration in under 5 minutes.

 

It won't save you a lot of time if you have to collect luggage (instead of having all carryon as we did), but I think of it as another reason to travel light, since it then only took another 10 minutes to get through baggage screening.

[headhunterke]

MIA is crazy at times. And immigration is always an unsure thing. There can be 15 officers at work, but there could be just a couple as well.

But I see you live in FL, so I assume you are an American citizen. Those lines can be long as well, but a lot of times, there's less wait then in the 'visitors' line

[waterbug123]

Or you could apply for Global Entry, which could cut your processing time to mere minutes. It's a $100 fee to apply, followed by an extensive background check and interview. Your trusted traveller status is good for 5 years.

 

I think it's one of the best $100 I've ever spent. When we arrived at MIA from Quito in September, we were through immigration in under 5 minutes.

 

It won't save you a lot of time if you have to collect luggage (instead of having all carryon as we did), but I think of it as another reason to travel light, since it then only took another 10 minutes to get through baggage screening.

 

Actually it still saves a good bit of time even then. You may have to wait for your actual bags to come off the carousel, but you still go through immigration at the self-serve kiosk and then once you have your bags, your kiosk receipt generally gets you bumped to the front, or near the front, of the customs line.

 

As for the $100, I agree- a very good value. In addition to its original intended Global Entry purpose, it also makes you eligible to use the Pre-Check line at security, and if you have a platinum American Express, you can link it to your airline of choice to get up to $200/year in eligible airline fees refunded, and the GE fee is considered a eligible fee. I had my entire GE fee refunded that way.

[Keith1010]

For any USA airport I would go with something like three hours. It's not just Miami because I have seen things go bad at a number of USA airports.

 

So, I would go with a three hour layover.

 

Remember it is not just about customs/immigration. It is also about your flight getting delayed or your suitcases taking a while coming off the first flight.

 

Keith

[Zach1213]

For any USA airport I would go with something like three hours. It's not just Miami because I have seen things go bad at a number of USA airports.

 

So, I would go with a three hour layover.

 

Remember it is not just about customs/immigration. It is also about your flight getting delayed or your suitcases taking a while coming off the first flight.

 

Keith

 

So true. Often times, immigration can be the quick part. Last year, before I had Global Entry (what the heck took me so long?!), I remember clearing immigration at LAX in a matter of about 3 minutes. It then took 45 for Qantas to deliver my bag (with a priority tag). Aggravating...

[OVgirl]

Two weeks ago, we also came back from Quito and had to make a connection in Miami at Terminal D. We used the self serve kiosks, lined up for immigration, collected our luggage, went through customs, hand over our checked luggage, went through TSA screening, got some lunch at Wendy's and had about 30 minutes to wait at our gate. AA had given us 2'25" to connect and it worked out fine.

 

I guess it might really depend on the number of people coming off flights and going through immigration.

[Keith1010]

Just remember that while one time you might go through customs/immigration quickly as OVgirl did another time it might be the opposite. I have seen cases where people are screaming because the lines are so long and it will take an hour or even longer to get through them and people are missing flights. You might hit it during a peak time, or when there are not enough employees or when there are just holdups.

 

Keith

[Gathina]

Echo what others have said. You could breeze through in minutes and still wait forever for bags. Depends on how many flights are coming through, which ones are coming late, who didn't show up for work that day, shift changes, how fast lines are moving, there is no guarantees. I've gone through in the wee hours and seen 4 flights from South America arrive at the same time and a handful of officers. I've passed through on a Monday afternoon within moments. One tip I will pass on for any airport is to go the lines the farthest out-not the ones in the middle where people tend to congregate to as soon as they get off. Global entry is faster but not always-passing through Atlanta a few weeks ago by way of Europe the regular lines were moving faster than the long line at Global entry. To save $ and be stressed isn't worth it to me by cutting it too close.

[waterbug123]

Two weeks ago, we also came back from Quito and had to make a connection in Miami at Terminal D. We used the self serve kiosks, lined up for immigration, .

 

Are you talking about the Global Entry kiosks? If so, you shouldn't have had to "line up" for immigration...you just hand your kiosk receipt to the CBP rep and walk through to baggage claim.

[OVgirl]

Are you talking about the Global Entry kiosks? If so, you shouldn't have had to "line up" for immigration...you just hand your kiosk receipt to the CBP rep and walk through to baggage claim.

 

These were not for Global Entry, they were just for us regular travelers.You had to pull up your flight info, scan your passport and insert your blue and white customs card that you had filled out.

If you got a yellow X printed on your slip, you had to line up for immigration. You are right that we did not have to do that. We did have to line up for Customs and handed our slip to them. They were also totally confused because we didn't have the blue/white card anymore. Must be a fairly new system.

 

Then we proceeded to get our luggage and hand it back in at the 'connections' desk.

[wrp96]

Are you talking about the Global Entry kiosks? If so, you shouldn't have had to "line up" for immigration...you just hand your kiosk receipt to the CBP rep and walk through to baggage claim.

 

MIA has recently installed self immigration machines for everyone, not jus global entry. They've only been available a few weeks.

[FlyerTalker]

Let's make it even easier to pass through our porous border.

 

Can you sign up for healthcare at the same time?

[FionaMG]

Last December it took us over an hour to get through immigration at MIA. The lines were so long they were using US-citizen lines for non-US citizens as well. :eek: That was at about 4.30 pm.

[waterbug123]

These were not for Global Entry, they were just for us regular travelers.

 

Interesting. I didn't realize they had these.

 

MIA has recently installed self immigration machines for everyone, not jus global entry. They've only been available a few weeks.

 

And that would explain it.

[Fattony]

MIA has recently installed self immigration machines for everyone, not jus global entry. They've only been available a few weeks.

 

Self immigration for everyone?????? Even non-U.S. citizens? Wasn't in effect on Oct. 23, but maybe since then. I can't imagine no Immigration officers present to question people.

[FionaMG]

Self immigration for everyone?????? Even non-U.S. citizens? Wasn't in effect on Oct. 23, but maybe since then. I can't imagine no Immigration officers present to question people.

 

I believe it's only for US and Canadian citizens, so us foreigners will still have to wait in line, although hopefully it will mean less waiting time for us too by freeing up more CBP officers.

 

http://www.miami-airport.com/preclear.asp

[TruckerDave]

Let's make it even easier to pass through our porous border.

 

Can you sign up for healthcare at the same time?

 

Really? This is one of the few remaining places free of all the political b.s. lets keep it this way.

[TruckerDave]

Other things to consider, time of day and how many other international flights are all arriving at the same time as your flight. A couple 777's, a 747 and a a380 all getting in about the same time is a lot of folks all at once. Plus, are you in the back of the plane or front? If you are one of the last ones off a fully loaded 777 there are a lot of people in front of you all at the immigration lines.:eek:

[PORT ROYAL]

In the CL over Lunch on the Vision, we had a wonderful conversation with a couple from New Jersey. They asked us if we liked America and it's people. I said the we did, but the delays and welcome received from US immigration/boarder controls in Miami could, in the longer term, put people off from visiting the USA. The reply was "Miami is not part of the USA";)