Indirect to Miami - 2 hours enough?

[christinasmum]

Ok I probably should have checked this before I booked, but I was swept away with the thought of actually getting it booked!

We are flying Heathrow - Miami- Orlando on Friday 19th October there are 2 hours, will this be enough? We are a party of 10.

I flew from Miami but that was 2001 and I can just remember it being very very busy, has anyone else done this route with these timings or are doing it and are confident?

Thanks in advance....

 

[chmurf]

2 hours could be enough, but pretty tight too. (who are you flying with - flight numbers would be helpful)

now you have several things working against you.

You'll need to go through Immigration, and immigration at MIA is crazy
A party of 10 will take quite a large amount of time
You will need to retreive any checked bags at MIA
If you only go with carry ons, then you might be ok. If you have to wait for each and every checked bag for the 10 of you ... nightmare.

You'll then have to go through Customs ... 10 brits ... high chances to have a random check (considering worse case scenario)

You'll then need to recheck bags (quite fast) and possibly go to the next concourse for your connection
before that you'll have to clear TSA ... all 10 of you ...

I fear that you might be pushing your luck a bit too far.

Now should you miss your connection, your airline will get you on the next plane, but being 10 of you ... that might be a PITA and some of you might need to take the next, next plane.

Still you might be able to do it. But I wouldn't be confident.

MIA MCT (minimum connection time) for international to domestic is 1h30. This means the very minimum time, in the optimal conditions for a single passenger, with carry ons only.
Remember that boarding starts 45 minutes before departure, with 2 hours stop and so many people, you might still be collecting bags at the conveyor belt when your next plane begins boarding.

On second thought, with 10 people in tow, I wouldn't go for less than 3 hours.

 

[Carrie_Cat]

Some of that depends on who you are flying with.

We always go through MIA and since last year our bags are checked all the way through with AA so no more collecting them off the carousel and taking them through a set of doors past customs before dropping them again and they going on their way

You then follow the dots go up a floor in the lift and through TSA again and then if you are lucky you are in the same terminal if not there's the monorail

Immigration has never taken us more than 30 minutes and we've even been through in 45 minutes from plane landing to departures lounge on the other side

Love MIA

But we are only 2 not 10 so it would be best to have more leeway if you could

 

[chmurf]

AA flight 57 on 19th october connecting to AA 2042 (is that the one ?) if it the case then it's 1h45 connecting time.

or is it BA205 and BA5159 ? 2h55 this one would sound OK

 

[christinasmum]

Thanks for you replies, we are flying with AA number AA057 and then the flight from Miami to Orlando is AA1990.

There are 10 of us, 2 adults plus their 12 year old, 2 adults and a 9 and 11 year old and then me and my husband with our 6 year old.

Arghhh I did ask the travel agent when we were booking and they brushed aside my concern but am now thinking we may not make it and this would be awful start to holiday.

Do you think there is anything I can do now? Or is it tough and will just have to make contigency plans if we do not make it in the correct time

 

[Fantasia Sam]

What day of the week do you arrive and what time?

I just want to let you know that we arrived off a Delta flight (before they discontinued that service) in November on a Friday last year before 3pm and we didn't get out of the Immigration hall for until nearly 5pm!!

I appreciate that some of "us" on here had the lucky 30 minute immigration (and I really hope that we have this in August this time) but I felt I had to share the worse case scenario with you also...don't shoot me :-/

 

[Carrie_Cat]

I just want to let you know that we arrived off a Delta flight (before they discontinued that service) in November on a Friday last year before 3pm and we didn't get out of the Immigration hall for until nearly 5pm!!

We've done Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday arriving between 12.20 and 15.00 depending on flights and never had a wait like that

Hope you get a great time this August

 

[Carrie_Cat]

Thanks for you replies, we are flying with AA number AA057 and then the flight from Miami to Orlando is AA1990.

There are 10 of us, 2 adults plus their 12 year old, 2 adults and a 9 and 11 year old and then me and my husband with our 6 year old.

Arghhh I did ask the travel agent when we were booking and they brushed aside my concern but am now thinking we may not make it and this would be awful start to holiday.

Do you think there is anything I can do now? Or is it tough and will just have to make contigency plans if we do not make it in the correct time

So you get in at 14.20 and the connecting flight is at 16.25 ?

Good thing is that they are both in the same terminal (N) so no running to change there

Honestly I'd try changing it to a later flight as there are too many things that could go wrong with the size/make up of your group

Looking at the AA site you have AA1748 leaves MIA at 18.50 and gets in at 19.50 or last one of the day is AA1334 at 22.50 arrives at 23.50

If you can't

I'd try to get everyone sitting as far forward as possible (you should be able to go and select seats on the AA site if you have your booking reference(s))
Inform the airline crew of your connecting flight as it doesn't hurt and you never know might help
When you get off the plane and into immigration, try and choose the queues closest to the US citizens queues so you get sent through these once the US citizens have been dealt with

Then pass through the baggage area, give your form up to customers, follow the dots to the lift which is on the left hand side. Go up a level and through the TSA bit and then off to your gate

- Check with them that your bags don't have to be picked up and taken through to the AA baggage drop which is just after customs on the left hand side - it's not even 5 minutes walk from carousel to bag drop

Ours didn't but we come from CDG not LHR so it might (hopefully won't) be different

Somebody might have some better ideas and I'll cross fingers for you to get some

 

[Fantasia Sam]

We've done Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday arriving between 12.20 and 15.00 depending on flights and never had a wait like that

Hope you get a great time this August

I know eeeek! That said I am really pleased to hear your timings maybe this was another reason why the Delta flight was discontinued ... bad timing!! I'll let you know how we fair come August, this time a Thursday... which means now we just have to contend with Friday morning rush hour whilst getting out of Miami the next morning