Luxury terminal that allows travelers to avoid MIA crowds now has opening date

Even Miami in all its recent opulence hasn’t yet offered this kind of luxury and comfort for travelers.

Imagine flying out of MIA without mixing with the masses at the regular terminal. And having a TSA agent come to you just after enjoying a massage, or a rare whisky, then getting chauffeured in a BMW across the airstrip to your waiting plane.

On June 30, that all becomes real as Miami International Airport’s first private terminal arrives, one of only a handful in the United States, according to PS, the company building and running it. The luxury terminal is located outside MIA’s main buildings on airport property.

The terminal is meant for travelers who still fly commercial but wish to do so without setting foot inside an airport. Membership isn’t required, but travelers need to sign up online and get approved 48 hours prior to a flight — and be willing to spend about $1,300 for a one-time privilege.

The idea behind the terminal is that private charters — even though growing — can be costly or unappealing for long distances. On the opposite end, airport frequent flier lounges keep growing, too, but are becoming a little too popular, with long lines to enter.

So, MIA could be a test case for whether there’s demand for something in between.

The airport has grown enormously in recent years, setting passenger volume records until 2025 when it posted a slight decrease. And it’s in the middle of a $9 billion modernization plan.

The MIA private terminal will have swank lounges, private suites, a wide arrangement of food and drink, and even massage therapists — yet “the biggest amenity is skipping the airport itself,” Amina Belouizdad Porter, CEO of PS, said in a 2025 interview with the Miami Herald.

“We all know they’re kind of stressful places,” she noted then.

The new building will also have valet parking.

You won’t see lines or gates. Rectangular fast-moving carts won’t inconvenience you by telling you to move out of the way and zipping past. Gone will be the life complications of fumbling to attach a baggage tag to each of your suitcases at check-in.

The Los Angeles-based company, previously known as The Private Suite, founded in 2017 and acquired by airport operator Groupe ADP in 2024, created its first private terminal at Los Angeles International Airport and second at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It’s set to open a third one at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on June 1. MIA will be the fourth in the U.S.

The new Miami private terminal is at 4900 NW 36th St., the site of the original Pan American Regional Headquarters Building. It’s one of several Pan Am buildings still around, but is the only one designated for historical protection thanks to a vote in 2014 by the Miami-Dade County historic preservation board.

New Miami airport terminal has a history

Pan Am was founded in 1927 as the first international airline in the U.S. In 1928, it opened a terminal and airfield on Northwest 36th Street on the site of the original Miami International Airport.

In constructing the new terminal space, PS preserved quite a bit of the past. That includes the mid-20th century brutalist architecture with finishes and furniture from that period. The company preserved Pan Am logos, gold paneling and restored the original reflecting pools.

Also maintained is the overhanging flat roof supported by thin gold metallic columns. All four sides of the building are covered by a pattern of interlocking trapezoidal pieces that serve as a sunscreen, cooling the interior. These are all features developed by the building’s original creators, the Miami firm of Steward-Skinner and Associates, prominent architects of the time also responsible for the design of the Miami Seaquarium and MIA’s first jet-age terminal.

The new PS terminal was led by R. J. Heisenbottle, Coral Gables-based founder and president of R. J. Heisenbottle Architects and interior designer Cliff Fong, who headed the PS private terminal in Los Angeles.

PS put in at least $12 million to renovate the building.

What Miami travelers will experience, and the cost

The new private terminal has lounges and five private suites in a two-story building, and an elevator for guests who want to head directly to their suites.

On arrival, after driven back to the PS terminal, you can take a shower while workers collect your luggage. There’s an outdoor courtyard and a day spa.

You can try out the private terminal and pay on a per-use basis, or you can become a member, the company says.

One-time use for non-members starts at $1,295 per individual for the salon, a shared space, and $4,950 for up to a group of four for a private suite.

The basic membership, called The Salon Membership, costs $1,250 per year. Then you have to pay $995 per person for each individual use of the salon, or $4,950 for one-time use by a group of up to four people for a private suite.

The higher level, the All Access Membership, goes for $4,850 annually. Then you pay $895 each time per individual for the salon and $3,650 for a group of up to four for a private suite.

The project has been years in the making. Even before the pandemic and prior to the more recent wealth migrations, PS started looking at Miami.

In 2021, the county opened competitive bidding for the project. Documents identified the target demographic as “frequent affluent travelers who value status” and will pay to avoid the congestion facing “conventional passengers” at MIA.

In 2023, the Miami-Dade County Commission approved the project.

According to documents from the vote, PS agreed to a 20-year contract with the county. The county-run Miami airport will receive a minimum of $600,000 annually in rent from the company, or 7.5% of gross revenues, whichever is higher.

Airport CEO Ralph Cutié estimated that over the life of the contract, $16 million in revenue would be generated for MIA without cost to the county.

This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 8:00 AM.