Flying to South America through Miami

VinylJunkie

Quick question, I'm looking to fly to Quito in June, the cheapest flight I can get is through Miami (Dub-Lon-Miami-Quito) with a 2hr stop over in miami.

My question is do I need to go through customs in Miami? Will an hour an 55 mins be enough in Miami?

endofrainbow

absolutely no way - it's not customs that delays you - it's Immigration. I would never allow less than 3 hours connecting in the US (unless pre-cleared) and minimum of 4 hours in Miami.

Yamanoto

MIA has a poor reputation for international arrivals making tight connections through CBP.

Huge thread below that may give you some pointers.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-airlines-aadvantage-pre-merger/1069774-mia-miami-connection-times-domestic-international-consolidated-40.html

VinylJunkie

Cheers for the replies, actually here are the flights I'm looking at, slightly longer stopover in Miami.

Dublin London (H) 06:40 08:05 BA5952
London (H) Miami 09:45 14:15 BA1526
Miami Quito 17:10 20:30 AA7639

Alternative is to go through Amsterdam but comes in 250e more expensive.

Batgurl

Correct me if I'm wrong but why would you need to go through customs or immigration in US?

If it's a connecting flight to outside the US you won't actually be in Miami???

Regardless, if it's all on the one ticket, the airline thinks you'll make it and they will put you on the next flight if you don't.

jt_dublin

Hi VinylJunkie,
We flew to Quito last year and went with Aer Lingus to Amsterdam & KLM to Quito. There was only a 90 minute stopover in Amsterdam which was plenty as the transfer between gates there was quick. We left Dublin at 6am and arrived in Quito around 2pm their local time. So it was a quicker route. With your 2 stopovers, you are arriving at 8.30pm.... So a much longer travelling time. Even if the Miama route is cheaper, I would still pay a bit more & opt for a quicker flying time. Plus KLM are fantastic to fly with. They are one of the best I have flown with for service, food & entertainment. Just my 2 cents!!

If you would like a recommendation for a hotel in Quito, we stayed at El Portal de Cantuna. It is a converted family home right in the centre and the family are great!

http://www.tripadvisor.ie/Hotel_Review-g294308-d2424348-Reviews-Hotel_Boutique_Portal_de_Cantuna-Quito_Pichincha_Province.html

If you fancy a nature activity, then I would recommend a few days at the Bella Vista Cloud Forest outside Quito.

http://www.tripadvisor.ie/Hotel_Review-g1221515-d599629-Reviews-Bellavista_Cloud_Forest-Tandayapa_Pichincha_Province.html

Happy travels.

VinylJunkie

Nice one JT, cheers for the info will look into that now.

Yamanoto

VinylJunkie wrote: »

Cheers for the replies, actually here are the flights I'm looking at, slightly longer stopover in Miami.

Dublin London (H) 06:40 08:05 BA5952
London (H) Miami 09:45 14:15 BA1526
Miami Quito 17:10 20:30 AA7639

That's a better looking wait time above VJ, the link below should give you an approximation of what you may face in MIA at that time of day.

http://awt.cbp.gov/

Those who coordinate the queueing at CBP can fast-track you if you make them aware of a tight connection, though there may be occasions when you simply have to wait your turn. If you miss the Quito connection, at least AA will get you out on the next available flight with little attendant fuss.

Batgurl wrote: »

Correct me if I'm wrong but why would you need to go through customs or immigration in US?

If it's a connecting flight to outside the US you won't actually be in Miami???

I don't think US airports allow for a sterile transit.

So international passengers are processed by CBP at the first point of entry, even if you're merely passing through on your way to another international destination.

Perhaps someone else can confirm this is the case, as all my experience of onward connections have been to domestic destinations within the US.

Tangey99

Yamanoto wrote: »

That's a better looking wait time above VJ, the link below should give you an approximation of what you may face in MIA at that time of day.

http://awt.cbp.gov/

Those who coordinate the queueing at CBP can fast-track you if you make them aware of a tight connection, though there may be occasions when you simply have to wait your turn. If you miss the Quito connection, at least AA will get you out on the next available flight with little attendant fuss.



I don't think US airports allow for a sterile transit.

So international passengers are processed by CBP at the first point of entry, even if you're merely passing through on your way to another international destination.

Perhaps someone else can confirm this is the case, as all my experience of onward connections have been to domestic destinations within the US.

I think your understanding is absolutely correct.

Mia does have a very bad reputation, for good reason, when it comes to immigration delays. Although having heard and experienced the horror stories previously, my most recent trip to MIA was a breeze at immigration, only took about 15mins, once I got to the immigration hall. Its a good 10min walk from the plane to get that far in the first place.

Note that united fly direct to Quito from Houston, and can provide the entire DUB-LHR-IAH-UIO routing on United.com. Don't know how competitive it'll be on price.

endofrainbow

Batgurl wrote: »

Correct me if I'm wrong but why would you need to go through customs or immigration in US?

If it's a connecting flight to outside the US you won't actually be in Miami???

Regardless, if it's all on the one ticket, the airline thinks you'll make it and they will put you on the next flight if you don't.

US law does not allow permit transit without Immigration screening.

The airline will put you on the next AVAILABLE flight - they will not bump existing passengers.

United via IAD or KLM/Delta/Air France via AMS might be better options.

ProudDUB

Batgurl wrote: »

Correct me if I'm wrong but why would you need to go through customs or immigration in US?

If it's a connecting flight to outside the US you won't actually be in Miami???

Regardless, if it's all on the one ticket, the airline thinks you'll make it and they will put you on the next flight if you don't.

US Customs & Immigration at Miami will treat the OP just like any other arriving passenger. He/she will have to be processed into the country, regardless of what they are doing, or where they are going immediately afterwards. It is not like Heathrow, where they have a holding area for international travelers who are just traveling through.

VinylJunkie

Cheers for all the help. Ended up booking with EI/KLM through Amsterdam.

Heading on my own, can't wait, my plan is Ecuador - Peru - Bolivia - Chile - Argentina. Flying into Quito in June and home from Buenos Aires in November.