Crowds? Yes. But what else can you expect at Miami, FLL airports at Thanksgiving travel?
South Florida airports are expecting record or near-record number of passengers during the Thanksgiving holiday stretch. With the large crowds, what can you expect at the two main airports?
If you’re flying in or out to be with family or friends, the details below can help you minimize hassles before boarding your flight. We have compiled the information from our own reporting as well as information or statements provided by Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Here’s what to know:
MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
MIA is expecting an all-time record 1.77 million passengers during the Thanksgiving Day travel period, from Friday, Nov. 17, to Tuesday, Nov. 28. That’s up 4.6% from last year and a daily average of 147,000 travelers.
The airport expects the busiest days to be the Friday and Sunday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after when passenger traffic is projected to approach or exceed 160,000 travelers.
Departures
When to get to the airport: MIA recommends arriving three hours before your flight to give yourself enough time for parking, airline check-in, and the security screening process. It also suggests checking in online before arriving. It asks that if your flight gets delayed to be patient with airline employees as they work to reschedule, and remain in contact with your airline for flight updates.
Checking your flights: MIA has multiple ways online to check flights, including a list of airlines, their door number, departure concourse, check-in counter location and baggage claim area. The airport also has a mobile app.
Flight tracker: The MIA flight tracker shows expected arrivals and departures with options to use a drop-down menu to narrow results. It shows the carrier, flight number and where the plane is going to or coming from. It also gives real-time updates on the flight’s arrival or departure status, which concourse the terminal is in, and the location of baggage claim. Another online tool lets you track by flight or route. If you know the carrier, the date and the flight number, this tool might be easier to use because it will only pull the information for your flight.
Parking
Remote lot: Half-price parking is available at MIA’s remote Economy Park and Ride lot. The 460-space lot provides monitored parking and a free shuttle service to the terminal every 15 minutes for $12 per day, just under half the $25 maximum daily rate at MIA’s Dolphin and Flamingo garages. Located at 1350 NW 45th Ave., the Economy Park-and-Ride lot is accessible from either LeJeune Road or Perimeter Road. Credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PaybyPhone are accepted.
Parking shuttles: Shuttle service pick-up and drop-off locations are on the departures level across from doors 3, 11, and 26. For more information, visit the MIA Parking web page.
Valet parking: The valet lot is across from the check-in area at doors 4 and 20 in the Dolphin and Flamingo garages. Valet parking attendants take a driver’s vehicle and park it in one of 225 dedicated spaces on the departures or arrivals level. Rates are $18 for under three hours, $30 for the first three to 24 hours and $30 each day after. Maximum stay is 20 days.
Nearby parking: A site called Cheap Airport Parking lists nearby hotels and parking lots that offer parking for travelers. You make a reservation, just like you would for a rental car. Most hotel parking lots you’ll find on this site are generally open around the clock, have security and offer a free shuttle to the airport, plus cancellations, according to the website’s FAQ guide. Parking prices and shuttle times vary.
Picking up a passenger: MIA’s Cell Phone Waiting Lot has 60 free parking spaces for non-commercial users waiting to pick up travelers. It’s just off LeJeune Road and Northwest 31st Street, accessible from LeJeune Road heading north or south.
Airport garages: MIA’s two biggest garages are expected to fill up early. Dolphin Garage serves Concourse D and E. Flamingo Garage serves Concourses E-J. If you park in one of the garages, expect to pay $2 every 20 minutes. If your car is parked for more than four hours, you’ll be charged the maximum daily rate of $25, according to the airport. Your car can stay in the garage up to 45 days, except where “no overnight” is listed. After 45 days, your car will be towed. Accepted payments: cash, credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover), Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. The airport no longer uses SunPass.
TSA screening
The following advice comes from MIA.
▪ Pack essential items such as medicine, travel documents, a phone charger and a change of clothes in your carry-on instead of your checked bag in case your flight gets delayed and you can’t quickly retrieve your checked bag.
▪ To expedite TSA checkpoint screening, wear easily removable shoes, follow the 3-1-1 rule for liquids or gels in your carry-on.
▪ Avoid accessories that resemble weapons and other prohibited items. The TSA also offers more tips on its website.
▪ Find the fastest TSA checkpoint for your flight with MIA’s real-time updates on checkpoint wait times online.
Concourse D Skytrain
Alternatives: The Concourse D Skytrain remains out of service. A courtesy trolley service runs 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. For assistance, look for one of the 10 courtesy shuttle pick-up stations throughout Concourse D. Additionally, starting this Friday, American Airlines subsidiary Envoy Air is scheduled to begin a shuttle bus service with stops at gates D10 and D55 during peak travel periods. Passengers who require wheelchair assistance should contact their airline in advance before their flight.
Restrooms
▪ As part of an overall restroom upgrade at MIA, 35 restrooms currently have renovations in progress, said Greg Chin, director of communications.. They include 14 in Concourse D, 14 in Concourse E, F, and G, and 7 in Concourses H and J.
▪ Thirty-one restrooms have been renovated. They include 12 bathrooms in Concourse D and 19 in Concourses H and J. The remaining 141 will get upgrades between 2025 and 2030 and are open.
New food and shopping
There aren’t many new shops at MIA since last Thanksgiving, but there are a few:
▪ There’s a Burger King in South Terminal, Concourse J-H-J Connector Food Court.
▪ You will find a Peet’s Coffee at North Terminal, Concourse D – Second Level Departures by Gate D-52.
▪ Did you forget to pack lingerie? There’s a new Victoria’s Secret at North Terminal, Concourse D, Second Level Departures by Gate D-11.
▪ Vegan bakery Bunnie Cakes sells cakes and cupcakes through vending machines at gates D21 and G15.
International travel
Eligible travelers can use the free, secure Mobile Passport Control app to submit their passport and customs declaration information on their smartphone or tablet and avoid completing a paper form or using an automated passport control kiosk.
Special accessibility lanes are available for passengers with disabilities or limited mobility arriving from foreign destinations. By completing an accessibility lane request form at MIA’s website 48 hours in advance of their arrival, those passengers can request special queueing assistance in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) area.
AI/Facial Recognition at Departure Gates
What to expect: Travelers boarding flights for international destinations may encounter a new way of boarding, using biometric facial recognition. You will line up in your airline boarding area where you see a small touchless camera that will take a picture of each person and match it with their passports on file. This step should take seconds and eliminate the need to show your boarding pass and passport. That camera is connected to U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s cloud-based facial-matching service and matches live images of you arriving at the gate with photos and documents from the database it will already have of you. The connection is secure and encrypted to block hackers. This is entirely separate from the Transportation Security Administration’s passenger security screening and has nothing to do with the popular passenger programs TSA Precheck or Global Clear that enable people to get through that security check process much faster. Once the camera takes a photo and matches it with one of you in the government database, you can board the plane — assuming there are no issues that surface.
Locations: The technology is being rolled out at departure gates throughout the airport and is currently at 11 gates in Concourse J, 10 gates in Concourse H, and 9 gates in Concourse E. Concourses F and G are next on the schedule for deployment. If you are flying on Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, or LATAM, you will likely encounter it.
Opting out: If you have privacy concerns, U.S. citizens can opt out of the facial screening and show a passport and boarding pass before boarding a flight. Non-U.S. citizens, however, are required to go through the new screening at international gates equipped with it, according to the Customs and Border Protection agency.
Information: Customs and border protection officials urge air passengers with questions or concerns to read the following information at:
See “Traveler Verification Service” under “Privacy Compliance.”
▪ www.cbp.gov or call the CBP Information Center at 877-227-5511.
▪ Travelers who experience delays in airline boarding can seek redress through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s traveler redress inquiry program (TRIP) at trip@dhs.gov
Special needs and accommodations
Requests: To request materials in accessible format, Sign Language Interpreters, CART services and accommodation to participate in any Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) public meetings and events, email the ADA Office at ADAcoordinator@miami-airport.com or call the office in 305-876-7747 five days in advance to initiate your request. People who are deaf or hard of hearing may also call 711 (Florida Relay Service).
Sensory rooms: The Miami airport also has multi-sensory rooms, dedicated spaces where passengers with cognitive and developmental disabilities such as autism. The room includes sensory aids that reduce agitation and anxiety sometimes caused by the hustle and bustle of airport travel. The rooms are located in post-security in Concourse D, next to checkpoint 4 and post-security in the H-J connector.
Visually impaired travelers: MIA uses Aira, a service and app that connect the visually impaired to a real-time remote, digital assistant. With a smartphone camera, the passenger provides a live feed of his or her location. Voice talk capabilities allow the assistant to guide the passenger through the airport, describing what is in his field of vison.
Lost and Found
Miami International Airport’s Lost and Found center is in North Terminal D - Level 4 and is open 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. All items found in the airport terminal, parking garages, drive areas or employee shuttle are stored securely for 30 days.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
Broward County’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport officials anticipate that 760,494 travelers fly in and out over a seven-day Thanksgiving Day holiday travel period from Tuesday, Nov. 21 through Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. That’s 10% higher than over the same period last year and nearly the 800,000 holiday passenger forecast the airport had back in 2019.
The busiest travel days should be Tuesday before Thanksgiving followed by the Monday after the holiday. Overall, FLL expects an average of 108,642 daily passengers during the seven-day 2023 holiday travel period.
So, what can one do? The airport has offered the following tips:
Arriving
Get there early: Typically, travelers are advised to arrive at least two hours before a domestic flight and three hours if flying internationally. However, during peak holiday periods, it’s best to follow any updated guidance from your airline, as more time may be required for check-in/bag processing. Security processing may also take longer due to increased passenger activity. You can track your flight online.
Parking
Onsite: With the ongoing high demand for curbside valet service and self-parking options at FLL this year, especially during the holidays, airport leaders recommend getting dropped off by family, friends, or a ride-share service (Uber, Lyft, etc.) because the airport’s onsite garages are likely to be filled.
Special needs and accommodations
Visual help: FLL provides access to Aira, the app that helps guide the visually impaired through the airport by connecting through their smartphones and providing a digital assistant.
Hidden disabilities: The airport participates in the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program, which provides a discreet way for adults and children with hidden disabilities to show they need additional support or more time with the airport process.
Traveling with guns
Packing: If you plan to travel with a licensed firearm, follow the Transportation Security Administration protocols to safely pack and transport your weapon as checked luggage. If caught with a gun at a TSA passenger screening checkpoint, this won’t only disrupt your travel plans, but could land you in handcuffs.
Terminals
Construction update: All terminals area operating fully and there is no major construction “that will impact normal airport operations,” according to airport officials. The restrooms are operating normally.
Transport within airport
Trams: FLL has inter-garage trams that operate from stops in the Hibiscus and Palm garages to transport passengers between terminals 1 and 4.
New restaurants and shops
FLL said it has had 12 new concessions open since Nov. 2022:
▪ Burger King, Terminal 1, Concourse B
▪ Sergio’s, T1B
▪ Tropical Exchange, Terminal 3, Concourse F
▪ Hip & Humble, T3, Concourse E
▪ 3Sixty Duty Free, Terminal 2, Concourse D
▪ MAC Cosmetics & Jo Malone London, T3, Concourse F
▪ Tropical News, T3 pre-security
▪ Distinctively Florida and ink by Hudson, T2D:
▪ Half Moon Empanadas, T2D
▪ The Market on Las Olas, T3 E/F Connector walkway
▪ Topo Chico Hard Seltzer Cantina, T3, Concourse E
▪ Bonefish Grill, T3, Concourse E
AI/Facial Recognition
What to expect: FLLuses facial recognition at departure gates throughout all four terminals. It’s a similar system and process used at MIA except uses a different technology vendor, Amadeus.
Locations: FLL says 30 gates are equipped with biometric cameras for departing international passengers. The 13 airlines participating in the biometric solution include: Spirit, Air Canada, Southwest, Azul, JetBlue, Avianca, Air Transat, Caribbean, Flair, Copa, Silver, WestJet and Bahamasair. It is for international flights only and U.S. citizens can opt-out and use the traditional boarding system.
Miami Herald staff writer Michelle Marchante contributed to this report.