Miami airport has a new check-in pod so travelers don’t have to walk as far. See details

Travelers at Miami International Airport may find a more pleasant departure with fewer steps through the terminal.

The first of three new ticket pods at the check-in area in Central Terminal is up and running.

Located between Concourse F and Concourse G, the area includes modern ticket counters and self-serve baggage-drop stations. The lobby, floors, ceilings and baggage conveyors are new, too.

The ticketing pod, which opened the first week of October, has 26 ticket counters, 10 of them for Spirit Airlines. Spain’s Air Europa and Mexico’s Viva Aerobus share eight. The remaining eight have not yet been assigned to carriers.

The eight self-service machines to check in bags are all now used by Spirit.

PHOTOS: Do you remember when the airport used to look like this?

Upgrading the Miami airport

The upgrade is part of a $38 million renovation effort to the Central Terminal, the airport’s oldest. About 40% of the cost was funded by the federal government.

Spirit passengers won’t have to walk as much before boarding a flight. Spirit has been flying out of Concourse G while the airline’s check-in was in Concourse J. The new ticket counters are closer to Concourse G.

The Central Terminal’s second ticket pod should be ready by June 30, 2025, said Greg Chin, communications director for Miami-Dade’s Aviation Department. The third one will start operating by the end of 2025.

The remodeling comes as MIA is experiencing growth — both in passengers and in complaints.

Last year, Miami International served about 52 million passengers, a record for a second-straight year, and it continues to grow as a global hub.

Yet passengers have complained about broken elevators and escalators, and out of order restrooms. Last September, Skytrain shut down for repairs. The light rail, which provides an alternative to long walks in Concourse D, American Airlines’ home, is not yet completely up and running.

MIA ranked slightly below average and tied for 10th with Boston’s Logan Airport out of the 20 airports in the mega airport group J.D. Power’s 2024 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, published in September. Miami came in just behind regional competitor Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Renovations at MIA

Miami-Dade County, which runs MIA, appears to be listening to passengers.

“The modernization of this check-in area reflects our commitment to creating a seamless and stress-free journey for travelers,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava at a ceremony on Thursday at the airport to launch the check-in area.

Earlier this year, the county unveiled new technology it hopes will make the airport more user-friendly.

These upgrades are also part of a larger effort to improve the airport. Over the next 10 years, MIA is investing over $9 billion across the airport.

Those improvements include the renovation of hundreds of restrooms, passenger boarding bridges, elevators, escalators and moving walkways.

This story was originally published October 18, 2024 at 12:48 PM.