You’ll need a ride 4 hours before your plane leaves Miami. It’s due to the Super Bowl
Miami International Airport says it’s expecting to break a single-day record with more than 90,000 passengers expected to fly out of Miami on Monday — and you could miss your flight if you’re not careful.
The airport is warning travelers to expect an influx of traffic congestion and possible delays until 4 p.m. — only hours after the Kansas City Chiefs became NFL Super Bowl champions — and has created a “Countdown to Takeoff Playbook” to help make sure you’re able to board your flight.
One of the suggestions from the Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports: Don’t pack your Super Bowl 54 program in your luggage if you don’t want to get stopped by TSA. The program’s material may alert the TSA screening machines, the airport says. Instead, take it out of your carry-on and place it in its own bin.
MIA has also changed the location of all ride app drop-offs, including Uber and Lyft, to the Rental Car Center “to avoid delays due to traffic congestion and streamline the departure process for all of our passengers,” MIA Director and CEO Lester Sola said in a statement.
This means you’ll have to take a free two-minute ride on the MIA Mover to the MIA station, located on the airport’s third level between the Dolphin and Flamingo garages — before walking to your terminal. The MIA station, where you’ll be dropped off, is connected by moving walkways to all sections of the terminal building.
Here’s what else MIA’s “playbook” is suggesting:
1. Check out of your hotel five hours before departure.
2. Request your ride to the airport four hours before departure.
3. Check in your bags three hours before departure. American Airlines will be providing self-service baggage check-in kiosks at the Rental Car Center to help “expedite the check-in process,” according to the airport.
4. Arrive at the TSA checkpoint two hours before departure.
5. Arrive at your gate one hour before departure.
6. If you’re bad with directions, you can download the MIA Airport Official app for turn-by-turn navigation. The app will also let you check in online with your airline and give you up-to-date gate and flight information.
