www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I recently booked my second trip to C.R. I am returning via Miami instead of DFW. I have one hour and 34 minutes between flights in Miami. Haven't been through customs in Miami in 20 years. Is that likely enough time for me and my checked bags to make it to the next flight??

Thanks,

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MidnightRider

MIA is quite efficient at moving people thru. You will have no problem.

MidnightRider,

Many midday flights from SJO are being delayed as of late. If that's the case, it could affect your ability to catch the connecting flight.

Dildo Man

From a man who flys MIA ALL The time, it is normally plenty of time.. If you don't check begs NO PROBLEM! if you do check begs... they now have after you clear customs with your bags a recheck center downstairs right outside the customs area to keep you from having to go back up and do it there... Fairly seemless and afternoons are relatively slow there no issues.

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Thank you for supporting CRT!

MIAMI SUCKS.

It has been said. Do not check any bags and you will JUST make it.

Ck bags at your own risk.

Don't get into a line without knowing where it goes.

I do just about anything Not to connect in Miami.

Houston is #1 then Atlanta in my book.

I fly through MIA all the time as well and I recommend that when you approach the lines for immigration that you head all the way to the right. There is one line against the wall that feeds into about 5 booths and it moves rapidly. All the others are one line per booth and they move at a snail's pace. Don't check bags if you don't have to, for some reason it seems like it takes forever for the bags to hit the carousel in Miami. One last note, the airport is under construction and they have mazes set up between the gates. With my luck I always arrive in gate "A" and my connection leaves from gate "E" which can sometimes take up to 15 or 20 minutes to walk to.

Right on. sand... I got stuck in the slow line for 20 min's before I noticed the line on the extrem right MOVING.

I changed lines and within 5 min's was finished.

The lines on the right are for gringos only. Non-US citizens have to use the other lines, which is why they are so slow. Plus since you enter the area from the left side, many gringos don't realize there are those faster lines past all the people in the other lines and they just get into the first line they see. As others have pointed out going through immigration and customs (if you're a US citizen and/or not on some list ) is usually very quick and efficient Customs they usually just wave me through or just scribble a check mark on my declaration.

The big questions have nothing to do with the US Govt. Will you plane leave on time? Will your airline process any checked luggage quickly enough? Will you go the wrong way to your connecting gate once you exit customs and hit the construction, which seems to ALWAYS be going on at that airport (and at most airports for that matter)?

More importantly, did you book the flight through an agency or directly with the airline and are all your flights on one set of coupons? If so they would not have scheduled it that way if it were not sufficient time. And, just as significantly, if for some reason, you are not able to make the connecting flight due to a late arrival in MIA or an unusual backlog in I&C, you will have much more recourse with the airline in terms of getting you on a later flight (w/o any price penalty) and/or providing you with some compensation for your inconvenience (if they're on seperate tickets you're SOL).

Not that I expect this will help many but if you have a Green Card you can also use the lines on the right. The signs when walking up from the gate should say US citizens and Permanent Residents. You do not see that until you get to the booths. Sometimes, there are booths at the extreme right that are for Citizens only.

I always connect with AA airlines through Miami both ways. My last 3 trips this year have been horrible. The last 2 trips I would have not made the connection (with 1.5 hrs) if I had checked baggage. The A gate to E gate is normal now.
This trip I booked US Air cheaper and I hope Ft Lauderdale will be better as a stop over.....

Thanks for all the info. This looks like a BM discussion. Half or you like the place the other half hate it. I did book the whole trip directly through aa.com so if they make me late I should be able to get some help. However I am on the last flight of the day to Denver. AA isn't very big in Denver.

Thanks all,

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MidnightRider

FWIW Just got home a few minutes ago. My time between flights in MIA actually turned out to be only one hour and 14 minutes. The plane didn't arrive in S.J. till after we were already suppose to be boarding.

I was the first one from my flight to hit immigration and got through almost immediately. Was at the baggage carousel eight minutes after I got off the flight. Took almost 20 minutes for my bag to show up. Rechecked it just outside customs exactly 45 minutes before the scheduled time for my flight to Denver. Then had to scurry from concourse E for A.

My checked bag and I both made it to Denver no problem. But a little more time would have been nice. Didn't have a decent meal for 12 hours.

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MidnightRider

check this post out. Its right on. go to the extrem right behind the post for faster lines at Miami costom's.

Sandinista