Airport Guide

History of Miami International Airport

Although opened as far back as 1928 as an operating base for the original Pan American Company, it was not until the 1940s that Miami airport started offering regular flights, largely as seaplanes dominated the previous decade.

Purchased by the city's Port Authority at the end of the war, the airport was merged with a neighbouring air force base and underwent a period of significant expansion, handling both civil and military flights until 1959.

After Pan Am went bankrupt at the start of the 1990s, carriers such as United Airlines and American Airlines moved in, opening up popular and lucrative routes to Latin America as well as continuing established services eastwards, bringing in millions of new passengers a year.

Travelling to Miami International Airport

Aside from driving, the best way to travel to and from Miami International is to take advantage of the efficient and affordable bus services operating around the clock.

Direct links are available to the city centre via its Metrobus network, with journeys of approximately 40 minutes and a fare of under $2, though faster and more expensive 'Super Shuttles' are available, which stop at significantly fewer points between the two destinations.

Links are available to the Tri Rail system, which serves several airports within the state of Florida, though these can run as seldom as once every two hours.

Taxis offer the quickest means of either catching a flight or hitting a beach, taking 20 minutes to do the trip, though costing as much as ten times more than the public transport alternatives.

Airlines Flying from Miami International Airport

Miami serves as a hub for a number of US-based carriers, including American Airlines, American Eagle and Executive Air, with these and many others offering both cheap and business class flights to all corners of the huge country. However, for the most part, the cheapest domestic fares can be found at the nearby Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport as this offers airlines cheaper landing fees.

As the large Hispanic community in the south of Florida may suggest, Miami International serves as the principal gateway between the US and Central and South America, with millions of passengers flying between the two each year, whether for business, leisure or in search of a new life. All the usual airlines fly southwards, including Mexicana, United Airlines, American Airlines and a number of national carriers from the continent, while regular services are also offered to Cuba, though travellers who are not diplomats or journalists or heading to the Caribbean island for family or business reasons may find it hard to obtain a ticket.

Though Iberia has now chosen to bypass Miami and offer just services between Spain and South America, there are dozens of routes between Europe and the US city, including those operated by British Airways, Virgin, KLM and many more.