Miami airport opens new ticket pods and baggage drops. See the changes
Miami International Airport has finished one small part of its modernization plan more than six months ahead of schedule, a feat that may stun a legion of critics.
Central Terminal’s check-in area, between Concourses F and G, has been upgraded and now has modern ticket counters and self-service baggage-drop stations. The floor, ceilings and baggage conveyors are new, too.
The ticket counter renovation cost $38 million, part of an ambitious $9 billion “Modernization in Action” capital improvement program the airport has underway.
Central Terminal: Checking in
The three new ticket pods installed add up to 96 ticket counters, many replacing older ones. There are also 36 new baggage machines.
The first pod, used partly by Spirit Airlines, started operating last summer. MIA expected the second one to be ready by June 30, 2025, and all three to be running by the end of 2025, Greg Chin, communications director for Miami-Dade’s Aviation Department, told the Miami Herald last October.
But in a tale as unlikely as a Miami blizzard, construction went faster than planned. The second pod was up and running by late February and the final set of ticket counters were in place on June 6.
In addition to Spirit, the new ticket counters are used by Air Europa and Mexico’s Viva Aerobus. Arajet, which in April started direct flights to the Dominican Republic, Boliviana de Aviacion (BOA) and Poland’s Lot are there, too.
The third set of ticket counters serve Eastern and World Atlantic flights. GlobalX also operates there, with direct flights to Cuba for Havana Air.
Spirit passengers will likely benefit, for not having, to walk as much before boarding a flight. The carrier had 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.
Central Terminal will undergo much more extensive renovation as part of the modernization program but that won’t start until 2028.
MIA is at a pivotal juncture. The airport has posted several years of massive growth but also experienced growing pains. And while this year is the first year since 2017 excluding the pandemic year of 2020 it reached the midpoint with a drop in passenger volume, it still grapples with complaints from travelers.
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. Miami came in just behind regional competitor Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
It also faces the challenge of embarking on extensive renovations while continuing to operate 24/7. So, completing any project ahead of schedule could be a needed boost for the airport and is a welcome development for travelers.
MORE: How $9 billion will change Miami’s airport, and what travelers are getting for the money
Miami airport parking
The modernization plan’s next due project is the Flamingo Garage Extension. That was estimated to be completed by the end of 2025. The work continues on schedule, MIA’s Chin told the Herald this week.
A major source of complaints is out of service conveyances: moving walkways, escalators and elevators.
Out of 616 conveyances at MIA, 94%, or 579, are fully working, according to spreadsheets updated in August by MIA that it provided to the Herald. Of those out of service, 13 are undergoing maintenance and 24 units are being modernized or replaced.
That’s slightly down from 95%, a figure MIA provided to the Herald on May 16, but it’s an improvement over the 90% from December 2024 provided by airport CEO Ralph Cutié, and it’s significantly better than the 85% MIA posted one year ago.
Skytrain
One big test for the airport will be the Skytrain, which serves passengers and crews at 60 gates in Concourse D.
The elevated people mover closed in September 2023 due to cracks in concrete supports for the train. Three of four stations have since reopened.
While the system has previously suffered delays to getting back on track, MIA’s Chin now says the fourth station will open and Skytrain will be fully operational by mid-September 2025.
This story was originally published August 22, 2025 at 9:39 AM.