Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Customs in Miami

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Customs in Miami

We will be flying back from the Bahamas on American Eagle and connecting on American to Boston. I assume we go thru US customs in Miami. How long does it take? What is the optimal time for connections? Is one hr enough? Any experienced travelers out there? Thanks.

Sorry my friend but one hour is NOT enough. Your airline will undoubtedly tell you 2 - 3 hours depending on whether they consider that to be an international flight or not. We just came back from overseas and it was 3 hours for international and two hours for domestic. Your problem is not customs - your problem is security. They are trying very hard to make certain that another 9/11 does NOT occur again. American Air Lines can tell you how much additional time youwill need. Enjoy your trip!!

John: I go thru customs at MIA quite often. When you arrive MIA, you will go thru immigration first. The US citizen lines are usually pretty quick (even after 9/11). When you enter the immigration hall, the US lines are to the far right, so head that direction and be sure to have your US entry form filled out prior. After clearing immigration, you go down an escalator to the baggage claim. Here's where the wait starts. It can be quick or really long but the latter is usually the case for me. It honestly depends on what day you are traveling. Weekdays seem to be less crowded than weekends. Once you get your bags, then you proceed thru customs, which is also pretty quick, providing you don't get searched. I usually have one hour or slightly more at MIA and have never been left behind. If you are on American all the way to Boston, then you should be able to check thru all the way from the Bahamas and the flight will be held for you in MIA if it takes longer than expected due to traffic, etc. I wouldn't worry......you should have no problem. Sorry if this posts more than once......I accidently clicked the button in my haste of typing.

John: American won't usually book you on connections where you don't have enough time to clear customs. However, anything can always happen. I did go from the Caribbean to JFK thru MIA the other day and made it flight to flight in just under an hour. As I said before, it depends on the day and time, really. You won't have time to lollygag, but you should be able to make it. I honestly have never had customs in any airport take 2 hours either pre or post 9/11, but the airlines may say that to be on the safe side with the tight security now. Give American a call beforehand if you think that you might have a problem. Have fun!

Thanks Statia. We will have carryon only so the wait for bags won't be aproblem. AA has actually given us a 1.20 window so I think we will be ok unless American Eagle is late.

Hi John-- If you're coming from Nassau in the Bahamas (I don't know about the other Bahamian islands), you will go through US Customs & Immigration in Nassau, so in MIA, you will only have to make your way to your terminal. Incidentally, find your terminal can be quite time-consuming...going from DCA, I connected Miami to get to Nassau and it took me about 40 minutes to get from my gate to the Bahamas departure terminal (had to take a train to another terminal, go through X-ray again, walk forever on moving walkways and then wait to catch a bus at another gate to the Bahamas departure terminal). No kidding. MIA's a big airport and I find confusing relative to other airports I've been to. Just a heads up.

You will go through customs in the Bahamas. You will land in Miami just like any other domestic flight. They will transfer your bags onto your connecting flight and you just go to the gate. One hour should be more than enough.

John: If you have no checked bags, then you'll have no problem since waiting for bags is the most time consuming. You could always request to be seated near the front of the aircraft when checking in that day and that will save you time in disembarking. However, 1 hour 20 minutes should be plenty of time. Also, if the Eagle is late and you are checked all the way, then they will more than likely hold the flight for you. At least that's been my experience, providing it's not too terribly late. Daniel is correct in that MIA is a very large airport which can be a pain to get around, so keep that in mind. Find your gate before doing anything else. If you happen to be going between C and D terminals, there is a hallway between the two which many passengers miss. This cuts the security checkpoint and takes a lot less time since you just zip on thru.