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Miami International Airport

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Miami International Airport
FAA airport diagram
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerMiami-Dade County Aviation Department
OperatorMiami-Dade County Aviation Department
ServesMiami, Florida
LocationMiami, Florida
Elevation AMSL8 ft / 2 m
Coordinates25°47′36″N 080°17′26″W / 25.79333°N 80.29056°W / 25.79333; -80.29056
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
8L/26R 8,600 2,621 Asphalt
8R/26L 10,506 3,202 Asphalt
9/27 13,000 3,962 Asphalt
12/30 9,354 2,851 Asphalt
Destinations with direct service from Miami

Miami International Airport (IATA: MIA, ICAO: KMIA, FAA LID: MIA) is a public airport located eight miles (13 km) northwest of the central business district of Miami, in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States.[1] It is between the cities of Miami, Hialeah, Doral, and Miami Springs, the village of Virginia Gardens, and the unincorporated community of Fountainbleau.

The airport is a hub for passenger airlines American Airlines, American Eagle, and Executive Air; cargo airlines Arrow Air, Fine Air, UPS and Federal Express; and charter airline Miami Air. Miami International Airport handles flights to cities throughout the Americas and Europe, and is South Florida's main airport for long-haul international flights, although most domestic and low-cost carriers use Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Palm Beach International Airport, which charge significantly lower fees to tenant airlines.

Miami is the premier gateway between the US and Latin America, and, along with Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, Miami is one of the largest aerial gateways into the American South, owing to its proximity to tourist attractions, local economic growth, large local Latin American and European populations, and strategic location to handle connecting traffic between North America, Latin America, and Europe. In the past, it has been a hub for Eastern Air Lines, Air Florida, the original National Airlines, the original Pan Am, and Iberia. As an international gateway to the United States it ranks third, behind New York-JFK in New York City and LAX in Los Angeles.

In 2006, 32,533,974 passengers traveled through the airport, the highest number since 9/11.[1]

History

Pan Am's first terminal consisted of a single hangar. The airport was the base of Pan Am's flights to Cuba, but fell into disuse when the airline switched to seaplanes in the mid-1930s.

MIA was opened to flights in 1928 as Pan American Field, the operating base of Pan American Airways Corporation, on the north side of the modern airport property. After Pan Am acquired the New York, Rio, and Buenos Aires Line, it shifted most of its operations to the Dinner Key seaplane base, leaving Pan Am Field largely unused until Eastern Air Lines began flying there in 1934, followed by National Airlines in 1937.

In 1945, the City of Miami established a Port Authority and raised bond revenue to purchase the airport, now known as 36th Street Airport, from Pan Am. It was merged with an adjoining Army airfield in 1949 and expanded further in 1951. The old terminal on 36th Street was closed in 1959 when the modern passenger terminal (since greatly expanded) opened for service.

Pan Am and Eastern remained Miami's main tenants until 1991, when both carriers went bankrupt. Their hubs at MIA were taken over by United Airlines and American Airlines. United slowly trimmed down its Miami operation through the 1990s, and eventually shut down its crew base and other operations facilities in Miami. At the same time, American expanded its presence at the airport, winning new routes to Latin America and transferring employees and equipment from its failed domestic hubs at Nashville and Raleigh-Durham. Today, Miami is American's largest air freight hub, and forms the main connecting point in the airline's north-south oriented international route network.

For many years, the airport was a common connecting point for passengers traveling from Europe to Latin America. However, stricter visa requirements for aliens in transit (a result, in part, of the September 11, 2001 attacks) have lessened MIA's role as an intercontinental connecting hub. In 2004, Iberia Airlines ended its hub operation in Miami, opting instead to run more direct flights from Spain to Central America. However, Air France still has flights to Port-au-Prince using smaller A320 and ERJ-145 aircraft.

Gulfstream International Airlines operates regular flights between MIA and several airports in Cuba, the one of the few direct airlink between the two nations. However, these flights must be booked through agents with special authorization from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and are only generally available to government officials, journalists, researchers, professionals attending conferences, or expatriates visiting Cuban family.

See also: Busiest airports in the United States by international passenger traffic
A Panoramic View of Concourses G and H, as well as the new concourse J, from the South

Incidents and accidents

Airline crashes involving MIA include:

Terminal, airlines, and destinations

A satellite image of Miami International Airport superimposed over the old 36th Street airfield

The main terminal at MIA is semicircular and has seven pier-shaped concourses, lettered A through H (B was demolished in 2005) in a counter-clockwise direction. Ticketing and departures are located on the upper level: immigration and baggage carousels are located on the lower level. Each gate can route arriving passengers to the main level (for domestic arrivals) or to the immigration halls downstairs (for international arrivals). Concourse E has a third-floor people mover that transports passengers to a satellite terminal.

A parking garage is located inside the terminal's curvature, and is connected to the terminal by overhead walkways. There is a heliport on top.

At present, the terminal is being dramatically altered. Concourses A, B, C, and D, which primarily house American's flights, are being merged into a single linear concourse. Portions of the new concourse have already been built as extensions of concourses A and D. To make space for completing the new terminal, the former concourse B has been already been demolished and concourse C will soon follow to accommodate the new pier. [2] The merged complex is slated to be called the "North Terminal." Although this construction was originally slated for completion by 2005, it has been delayed several times because of cost overruns: the current deadline for completion is summer 2011. [3]

The remaining "South Terminal", consisting of concourses E through H, has also been renovated and expanded. Another new concourse, Concourse J, is under construction (photo) with the support of fifteen Star Alliance and SkyTeam carriers: it will be seven stories tall and have 15 gates, with a total floor area of 1.3 million square feet (120,000 m²) including space for airline lounges and offices. American plans to use the old portion of the South Terminal to handle overflow from the North Terminal.

Currently, the ticket counter area of Concourse J is expected to begin operations August 29, 2007 with Delta Airlines opening its new check-in area at 3 AM, though Delta's flights will continue to operate from Concourse H. The terminal had orginally been slated to open on August 15th but this was pushed back two weeks due to delays in installing security devices within the concourses. The first flight to operate from the actual gate area of the Concourse J expansion is expected to be a morning Santiago, Chile arrival and departure flight operated by LAN, on September 4, 2007; the first domestic flight to operate from the concourse will be a US Airways morning originating flight to Philadelphia on September 10, 2007.

After the opening of Concourse J, Concourse A will close for renovations, allowing for the movement of nearly all flights at that concourse to Concourse J, with American Airlines taking over gates at Concourse E to replace the gates it will lose at Concourse A. Currently, LAN Argentina (September 7), LAN Chile (September 7), LAN Ecuador (September 7), LAN Peru (September 7), LACSA (September 10), TACA (September 10), US Airways (September 14), United/Ted (September 17), Avianca (September 21), Aerolineas Argentinas (September 27), Caribbean Airlines (October 1), El Al (October 4), LTU (October 9), Lufthansa (October 12), Swiss International (October 12), and Air Canada (October 22) are expected to move both permanently and temporarily to the gate area of the new concourse, with Delta/Comair (August 29), Air France (August 31), TAM (September 20), Alitalia (September 24), AeroMexico (October 15), COPA (October 18), and Continenal (October 25) using ticket counter space but operating gates from Concourse H. British Airways will move its ticket counters to Concourse G and use gates at Concourse F for the duration of the A concourse renovations.

After Concourse A is renovated, it is expected that Alaska Airlines, British Airways, LAN Argentina, LAN Chile, LAN Ecuador, and LAN Peru will return to Concourse A, along with American Airlines, while Avianca will be relocating to gates at Concourse H. Aerolineas Argentinas, Caribbean Airlines, EL AL, and LTU will then return to Concourse E once their gates have been vacated by American Airlines. Barring further delays due to construction, the major move of airlines is expected to commence August 29 and be finished by October 29.

Fire protection at the airport is provided by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department[2] Station 12.[3]

Concourse A

Concourse A was a recent addition to the airport and will eventually form part of American Airlines' North Terminal. It houses many American domestic and international flights, although all check-in counters for American are located adjacent to concourses C and D. Both American and British Airways have lounge facilities in Concourse A. On May 17, 2006, American Airlines opened their second Admirals Club lounge at Miami International in Terminal A; it is located on the mezzanine level.

Concourse A Ticket Counters

Located between Concourses A and C

Concourse A Gate Usage

  • American Airlines (See Concourses C / D for destinations)
  • British Airways (London-Heathrow)
  • LAN Airlines (Bogotá, Caracas, Guayaquil, Punta Cana, Santiago de Chile)
  • TACA (Guatemala City, Managua, Roatán, San Pedro Sula, San José (CR), San Salvador, Tegucigalpa)
  • TAM (Belém, Fortaleza, Manaus, Salvador, São Paulo-Guarulhos)

Concourse B

Concourse B was a former concourse operated by American Airlines. It was closed down and demolished as part of the North Terminal Renovation project. The former Concourse B area of the airport contains a customs arrival facility serving International Arrivals from Concourses A, C, and D.

Concourse C

The airside Concourse C consists of four gates accommodating small-to-medium jet aircraft such as the Boeing 737 or Boeing 757. American uses these gates for domestic flights and some departures to Central America and the Caribbean. The Concourse C check-in area is for American's international flights. During the course of the American Airlines/North Terminal project, Concourse C will be demolished, allowing for the creation of new gates where the concourse was located.

Concourse C Ticket Counters

Located between Concourses C and D

Concourse C Gate Usage

Concourse D

Although Concourse D was one of the original concourses in the MIA terminal, the original portion has been mostly closed, and the concourse now consists of a new extension which will eventually form part of American Airlines' North Terminal. American uses the concourse for domestic and international flights; the Concourse D check-in area is for domestic and Caribbean flights. American operates an Admirals Club on Concourse D.

Concourse D Ticket Counters

Located between Concourses D and E

Concourse D Gate Usage

  • American Airlines (Aruba, Atlanta, Barbados, Baltimore/Washington, Barranquilla, Belize City, Bermuda, Bogotá, Boston, Buenos Aires, Cali, Cancún, Caracas, Charlotte, Chicago-O'Hare, Cleveland, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Eagle/Vail [seasonal], Grand Cayman, Guatemala City, Guayaquil, Hartford, Houston-Intercontinental, Kingston, La Paz (Bolivia), La Romana, Las Vegas, Liberia, Lima, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Madrid, Managua, Maracaibo, Medellín-Córdova, Mexico City, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Montego Bay, Montevideo, Montréal, Nashville, New Orleans, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Newark, Orlando, Quito, Panama City, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Philadelphia, Phoenix [begins December 13], Port-au-Prince, Port of Spain, Providenciales, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Raleigh/Durham, Rio De Janeiro-Galeão, San Salvador, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Santiago de Chile, St. Croix, St. Kitts, St. Louis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, San Francisco, San José (CR), San Juan, San Pedro Sula, Santiago (DO), Santo Domingo, Tampa, Tegucigalpa, Toronto-Pearson, Washington-Dulles, Washington-Reagan, Willemstad)
    • American Eagle (Charlotte, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Columbus, Dayton, Fayetteville (AR), Greensboro, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Louisville, Memphis, Nashville, Norfolk, Pittsburgh, Richmond)
    • American Eagle operated by Executive Air (Cozumel, Fort Myers, Freeport, Jacksonville, Key West, Marsh Harbour, Nassau, Sarasota/Bradenton [begins December 13], Savannah [begins December 13])

Concourse E

Model of a Pan Am flying boat in Concourse E

Concourse E is divided into two sections: a pier concourse, called "low E," and a satellite terminal, called "high E," connected by an airport people mover. Low E is mostly used by American Airlines; high E is used by various other carriers. The Admirals Club previously operated by American in the landside portion of the concourse is closed. Concourse E contains Customs Arrival facilities for International Arrivals at Concourse D, E, and F.

Concourse E Ticket Counters

Located between Concourses E and F

Concourse E Gate Usage

Low E
High E

Concourse F

Concourse F Ticket Counters

Located between Concourses F and G

Concourse F Gate Usage

Concourse G

Concourse G Ticket Counters

Located between Concourses G and H

Concourse G Gate Usage

Concourse H

Concourse H Ticket Counters

Located between Concourses G and H

Concourse H Gate Usage

  • Bahamasair (Freeport, Nassau)
  • Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia)
  • US Airways (Charlotte, Las Vegas [seasonal; resumes November 5], Philadelphia, Phoenix [seasonal; resumes October 22], Pittsburgh [seasonal; resumes November 5])

Concourse J

Concourse J is a new concourse that opened on August 29, 2007 under Miami International Airport's South Terminal Renovation Project. [4] The Concourse was designed by Carlos Zapata of Studio Carlos Zapata in New York, with M.G.E., one of the largest Hispanic owned architecture firms in Florida, as the architect of record; the Concourse will hold Star Alliance and SkyTeam Members. Together with Concourses G and H, this area will be called the "South Terminal". It will be the only pier at the airport able to accept the new Airbus A380 and will introduce a third customs and immigration facility at the airport, supplementing the ones at Concourses B and E; with international SkyTeam and Star Alliance members moving to this new concourses, it is expected that the new facilities will ease overcrowding that has plagued the concourse E immigration facilities since new US entry laws came into effect. Once the North and South Terminals are completed, all airlines not affiliated with either the Star Alliance, SkyTeam Alliance (South Terminal), or Oneworld (North Terminal) will be housed at the remaining Concourses E and F, this implementation has already begun at MIA with airlines formerly housed at Concourse A but not part of Oneworld alliance having been moved to Concourses E and F.

Concourse J Ticket Counters

Delta Air Lines

Concourse J Gate Usage

Usage begins September 7, 2007.

Charter Carriers

Most charter airlines have counters at concourse E, and use the "high E" satellite terminal for gates.

Ground transportation

Miami International Airport has direct public transport links to Miami-Dade Transit's Metrobus network, being served by routes 7, 37, 42, 57, 133, 236, 238, and the J; free shuttles are also provided to and from the Tri-Rail commuter rail line's Miami Airport and Hialeah Market Stations. The stations are close, within 5 minutes drive from the main terminal. MDT is currently planning to link the airport by people mover to the upcoming Miami Intermodal Center, which will provide access to Metrorail as well as the future BayLink light rail to South Beach. Taxis and rental cars are available as well, as is the case in most airports.

Approximate time and cost to city center:

  • Super Shuttle: fare US$9, time depends on stops.
  • Metro Bus: $1.50 ($.75 reduced fare), approx. 35-40 mins via route 7 (East) or route J.
  • Taxi fare $15.50, approx. 20 mins.

Cargo

The airport is one of the largest in terms of cargo in the United States, and is the main connecting point for cargo between Latin America and the world. In 2000 LAN Cargo opened up a major operations base at the airport and currently operates the second largest cargo facility at the airport second to UPS. Most major passenger airlines, such as American Airlines use the airport to carry belly cargo on passenger flights though most cargo is operated through cargo only airlines. UPS, FedEx, and DHL, all operate their major Latin American operations through MIA.

Cargo Airlines

New Services

  • Aerocondor plans to begin non-stop service to Lima in the third quarter of 2007.[6]
  • AirTran will begin daily non-stop service to Baltimore and Kansas City on November 7, 2007
  • American Airlines will resume daily non-stop service to Barranquilla, Colombia on December 13, 2007. The service last operated in April 2002.
  • American Airlines will begin daily non-stop service to Phoenix, Arizona on December 13, 2007.
  • American Eagle will resume daily non-stop service to Sarasota, Florida on December 13, 2007. The service last operated in April 2000.
  • American Eagle will resume daily non-stop service to Savannah, Georgia on December 13, 2007. The service last operated in September 2001.
  • American Airlines has applied to begin four weekly flights to Recife, Brazil effective November 2007, pending Brazilian government approval.[7]
  • American Airlines has applied to begin four weekly flights to Salvador, Brazil effective November 2007, pending Brazilian government approval.[8]
  • American Airlines has applied to begin daily non-stop service to Valencia, Venezuela, pending Venezuelan government approval.
  • Aviacsa has applied with the US Department of Transportation to begin service between Miami and Cancun in 2007.
  • Avior has applied to begin three weekly flights to Valencia, Venezuela, pending US government approval.
  • Copa will begin weekly non-stop service between Miami and David, Panama in the third quarter of 2007.[9]
  • Korean Air has announced they plan on beginning passenger services to Miami, but has not set a date. [10]
  • TAM will begin daily non-stop service between Rio de Janeiro and Miami in late 2007.[11]
  • Varig will resume services in late 2007, with non-stop service to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.[12][13]

In Movies

Miami International Airport has been used for scenes in many movies:

  • The final chase scene in the movie Big Trouble was filmed at MIA's Concourse C.
  • The movie Red Eye has a scene including the Miami International Airport. The scene takes place as Lisa is running from the police after her plane lands.
  • A major action sequence from the 2006 film Casino Royale is set at Miami International Airport, where James Bond foils a terrorist attempt to destroy a prototype airplane. The scenes, however, were filmed at Ruzyne International Airport near Prague, Czech Republic. Other exterior scenes were filmed on the backlot of Pinewood Studios and Dunsfold Park, England.
  • In the Movie Catch me if you can, Leonardo di Caprio's character spends a little time in the terminal.

Occurrences

  • 2 February 1998 - Two Skyway Enterprises Shorts 330-200 aircraft (N2630A and N2629Y) were damaged beyond repair by a tornado at Miami International Airport. Both aircraft had to be written off. No one was injured.[4]
  • Another flight that almost ended in disaster was Miami-bound American Airlines Flight 63, the target of "shoe bomber" Richard Reid.
  • On December 7, 2005, forty-four year old Rigoberto Alpizar, a mentally handicap passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 924, claimed to have a bomb in his carry-on luggage while boarding the flight's second leg to Orlando, Florida after arriving on a flight from Quito, Ecuador; the flight had just arrived from Medellín, Colombia. Federal air marshals reportedly shot and killed the man as he attempted to escape the plane after being confronted onboard, marking the first time an air marshal has fired a weapon on or near an airplane.
  • On August 31, 2006, a US Airways flight from Charlotte to Miami caught fire on the runway. All 118 passengers and crew on board were evacuated safely and there were no injuries. The fire occurred in the left wheel well of the 737 after the tires blew upon landing, and was extinguished with foam by firefighters. Passengers have stated that the plane was shaking violently as it landed. [14]
  • On December 26, 2006, British Airways flight 209, traveling at taxi speed missed a turn off onto a taxi-way and overshot runway 12-30. Although the Boeing 747 did not leave the paved strip, it did require a push back onto the runway, which the plane then taxied under its own power to the gate. Prime Minister Tony Blair and his family were passengers on the flight, traveling to Miami for vacation. No injuries were reported, and all passengers disembarked the plane normally. [15]
  • On January 17, 2007, Atlanta Falcons quarterback, Michael Vick was stopped and forced to surrender a water bottle that smelled like marijuana and contained a substance in a secret compartment while at the airport. [16]
  • On July 11, 2007, a control tower near Concourse D caught on fire. It was reportedly under construction and vacant at the time. [17]

References

  1. ^ a b FAA Airport Form 5010 for MIA PDF
  2. ^ "Airport Fire Rescue Division". Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department. Miami-Dade County. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Stations". Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department. Miami-Dade County. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Aviation Safety Network retrieved 26 November 2006
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