Is the Miami International Airport the worst in the Nation? (Tampa: 2015, transfer)

[305guy]

Originally Posted by blackklight

everytime i fly to nyc i go through laguardia and i don't see it old or filthy, looks decent to me; don't know what you're talking about really and i've flown through there at least 6 times.

I'm talking about the exterior, the inside is ok but the exterior (cab stands, walls) were nasty. Flew there 3 times last year alone and once a year for the last 7. I'll take MIA anyday over LGA. Modern and clean, and the flights generally leave on time.

[blackklight]

yeah i guess driving out of the airport right into a miami ghetto is oh so fulfilling.. i'm sorry i take my words back, MIA is the bomb.

[305guy]

It's better than driving through Jackson Heights...oh that's right...you wouldn't know where that is since you're a tourist when you go up there. You just go straight to the city and marvel at how beautiful it is and come back and whine about Miami.

[blackklight]

uhh my aunt lives in the bronx with people selling drugs on the corner of the street; i recognize it's problems but that doesn't mean it's any worse or better than miami.

[unixpilot]

As an international business traveler, MIA truly lives up to its 3rd world status. I love all the yellow rain catchers in the terminals because they can't seem to fix a leak???!??!@?

Its hard to believe Kennedy Space Center is just 200 miles north........

Miami is also the only US port of entry, where I've gone through Immigration MULTIPLE times and the Immigration agent starts speaking to me in spanish while I'm in the US CITIZEN line.

[Musclehead]

Originally Posted by unixpilot

As an international business traveler, MIA truly lives up to its 3rd world status. I love all the yellow rain catchers in the terminals because they can't seem to fix a leak???!??!@?

Its hard to believe Kennedy Space Center is just 200 miles north........

Miami is also the only US port of entry, where I've gone through Immigration MULTIPLE times and the Immigration agent starts speaking to me in spanish while I'm in the US CITIZEN line.

MIA International does suck and easily qualifies as one of the worst in the country .... now that said I travel in and out of there all year
( unfortunately ) and I NEVER been spoken to in Spanish by the Immigration agents ....Moderator edit

[lauralei2]

When I took a flight in October at MIA, the security personnel were impatient and unfriendly. (I realize they have a very important job) The airport was a complete mess to drive out of if heading northbound. The only plus was that my ticket was non-stop and over $100 less than FTL. However, I will only fly out of FTL now, after my MIA experience.

[Cougar Beach]

In the old days there was security at the exit of the baggage claim area, where the security person wouldn't let you out with your bag unless your claim ticket number matched that of the bag. Then all of a sudden (maybe 15 years ago?), security disappeared. This was a bad way for MIA to save money. That place is notorious for theft. Now, with bar codes and scanners, it should be even easier to implement a system like that.

Also, a lot of scuba divers take flights that connect through MIA. The place has a bad reputation for theft by baggage handlers. A lot of the stolen gear winds up at the used gear shops in Miami. In general, if you're flying with diving gear, be sure to carry your regulator and dive computer in your carry-on luggage, as well as anything else that would be painful to lose (like your mask).

They keep busting baggage handlers for stealing, but the theft never ends.

[intelfan11315]

Complain all you want, but the city I come from is so expensive to fly in and out of that it makes Miami feel like paradise. I'd rather wait in a line and deal with "rude people" than to pay an extra 200 dollars for a flight.

[Cougar Beach]

Originally Posted by burgler09

Complain all you want, but the city I come from is so expensive to fly in and out of that it makes Miami feel like paradise. I'd rather wait in a line and deal with "rude people" than to pay an extra 200 dollars for a flight.

Perhaps you can go to FLL and and save $300 to $400, and as an added bonus, avoid some of the inconveniences of MIA.

I realize that getting punched in the shoulder is better than getting punched in the face, but....