We're probably going to Costa Rica in October for a wedding.
I have AA miles, so that's what we're flying. We have to route through Miami.
We have two options:
HOME-MIA 6:15am to 10:00a
MIA-CR 11:15am-12:06pm
That gives us only a 1:15 layover. I'm already worried about that. If we miss the connection we have to wait until the next day. There is only one flight to Costa Rica a day.
The only other option is to fly to Miami the night before our flight. But, that comes with a lot of cons: Flight leaves around 4:30, so we'd have to take at least a little bit of time off work that day (no pay for DH when he doesn't work), $150 min for a hotel room, 10% more miles on AA for flying the day before (that we don't even have and it'd be pushing it to get by the time I need to book the flights), and one more night that my mom has to keep the kids.
WWYD? Risk the short layover in Miami, or make all the other stuff work so you would be guaranteed to make the flight to Costa Rica?
I'd risk it. You'll probably arrive in MIA a little ahead of schedule even since I'm guessing that's one of the first flights out that day, so there shouldn't be any delays to contend with yet.
Morning flights usually get out on time. 6:15 may be one of the first flights. And if it's just you and DH, I think it will be easier to rush to your next gate if you are a bit late. BUT I would suggest taking a carry-on w/ whatever you might need in case your luggage doesn't make the transfer.
Given how early the flight is I'd risk it. It's likely the first flight of the day so odds are there shouldn't be any delays yet. Just be ready to run to your gate in Miami if necessary
Not sure about where you are, but weather delays are unlikely in Florida on October. Well, unless there is a hurricane, then you are fucked even if you did come the day before.
Miami customs is THE WORST. Seriously the worst. That is not enough time. DH flew back from Costa Rica through Miami with a 3 hour layover a few months ago and still missed his connecting flight.
Miami customs is THE WORST. Seriously the worst. That is not enough time. DH flew back from Costa Rica through Miami with a 3 hour layover a few months ago and still missed his connecting flight.
We won't have to go through customs in Miami going out, so that won't be an issue.
But that does suck to know b/c our inbound layover there is only 2 hours And it's already putting us home at 10pm. If we miss it, we have to wait until the next day which brings up all of the above cons all over again.
I'm going to get us TSA Precheck, so that will help with the security line after re-checking our bags, but it does nothing for Customs. I wanted to desperately get a Global Entry pass, but there's no interview site anywhere near us.
Miami customs is THE WORST. Seriously the worst. That is not enough time. DH flew back from Costa Rica through Miami with a 3 hour layover a few months ago and still missed his connecting flight.
We won't have to go through customs in Miami going out, so that won't be an issue.
But that does suck to know b/c our inbound layover there is only 2 hours And it's already putting us home at 10pm. If we miss it, we have to wait until the next day which brings up all of the above cons all over again.
I'm going to get us TSA Precheck, so that will help with the security line after re-checking our bags, but it does nothing for Customs. I wanted to desperately get a Global Entry pass, but there's no interview site anywhere near us.
you might be ok with the 2 hours, you never know. Just be prepared to be patient and that no matter what it will be a cluster fuck in some way.
Post by EmilieMadison on May 5, 2015 9:56:58 GMT -5
Instead of just doing TSA PreCheck, have you considered applying for Global Entry? It includes PreCheck, but you will zip through customs. I used it going through customs on the way back from France I was through in literally less than 5 minutes- the wait for everyone else was about an hour!
ETA: And I'd definitely risk it for the outbound flight with a layover in Miami.
Instead of just doing TSA PreCheck, have you considered applying for Global Entry? It includes PreCheck, but you will zip through customs. I used it going through customs on the way back from France I was through in literally less than 5 minutes- the wait for everyone else was about an hour!
ETA: And I'd definitely risk it for the outbound flight with a layover in Miami.
I fly internationally on AA through Miami frequently - you should be fine with 1:15 on the way down. Most of the gates for AA are all in one long terminal together. I had to go from one end to the other once, and it took like 15 minutes of normal paced walking.
I echo everything people above have said about your return flight - I've seen customs there have no one in it, and I've seen it so bad that flight crews were unable to get through and were delaying their flights. Global Entry is an excellent idea, and keep in mind that after you get your bags off the carousel, you walk with your luggage to a central area with like 4 lanes where they look at your documents. Last time I was there, the Global Entry lane was on the left - the sign was very hard to see.
I'm wondering if we should just try to fit all our stuff into two carry ons. DH and I are both heavy packers, but if we try, we can make it work. Plus, it's Costa Rica, swim suits and flip flops are easy to pack!
Do it if you can - you still have to pass through the nutty luggage area, but you don't have to deal with waiting for large bags. Fingers crossed you get an easy night!
I'm wondering if we should just try to fit all our stuff into two carry ons. DH and I are both heavy packers, but if we try, we can make it work. Plus, it's Costa Rica, swim suits and flip flops are easy to pack!
You can totally do it! I have packed in just a carry on and small backpack for 2 weeks in Europe during cold weather
Instead of just doing TSA PreCheck, have you considered applying for Global Entry? It includes PreCheck, but you will zip through customs. I used it going through customs on the way back from France I was through in literally less than 5 minutes- the wait for everyone else was about an hour!
ETA: And I'd definitely risk it for the outbound flight with a layover in Miami.
We have no interview sites anywhere near us
Where is the closest site? Like, a flight away? Or a few hours drive?
Where is the closest site? Like, a flight away? Or a few hours drive?
4-5 hour drive. I have a million SW points and a companion pass, so if it were at Midway, I'd take a few hours and fly to Chicago (I'm in St. Louis) but noooo, it's at O'Hare. Dallas is super cheap point wise as well, but DH hates flying and I don't know if I can convince him to hop a plane there and back just for this purpose. If I was smart, I would have thought of all of this LAST week, ya know, when he flew to Vegas Thurs-Sun. I have a trip to Baltimore for work in early October, so I can get it done there at least, but that doesn't solve his problem.