January 31, 2012

Transit Center is a “National Example”

Translated from Spanish.

John Mica, chairman of the powerful Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, toured the huge public transit center being built alongside Miami International Airport (MIA) on Monday, citing it as an example for other big cities that want to connect airlines, buses and trains, as well as other services. Among Mica’s guests for the tour of Miami Intermodal Center (MIC), an installation that is being built at a cost of $1.7 billion, were mayors and representatives from other states and cities interested in building similar transit centers.   
                  
The MIC, which should be finished by 2013, includes rental cars, Metrorail, Tri-Rail, and Amtrak as well as local and national buses. “It is a great model to follow for linking all types of transportation,” Mica, a Republican representative from a Florida district near St. Augustine,  declared before dozens of guests that listened to him narrate the history of the installation, whose origins date back to the 1980’s.  He added that originally, when he started sending out invitations for the tour, he expected only 20 to 25 people to accept, but in the end more than 100 decided to come from all over the country. “We have people from Washington, from Jacksonville, from Illinois, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Missouri, Dallas, Minneapolis, Georgia, Denver,” Mica said.      Continue

January 26, 2012

Miami International Airport Reports Record Year

Miami International Airport reached a new all-time high for annual passenger traffic in 2011 with 38.3 million passengers and an increase of 7.3 percent over 2010, according to recently released statistics from the Miami-Dade Aviation Department. International passengers led the way with a nine-percent increase over 2010 to 18.4 million travelers, while domestic passengers also surged by 5.8 percent to nearly 19.9 million.

Despite projections from industry association Airlines for America, formerly known as Air Transport Association of America, for a one-percent decline in air travel nationwide from December 21 to January 8 ( http://www.airlines.org/Pages/news_12-20-2011.aspx), MIA drew more than 2.2 million passengers during the 21-day travel period for an increase of 8.7 percent. MIA's busier-than-projected travel season helped the airport surpass the 38 million passenger mark for the first time ever on December 30 and also included a new single-day passenger record at MIA - more than 135,000 passengers on January 2. Continue

January 24, 2012

American Airlines Expands in Miami With New Route to Barcelona

AA to Operate Barcelona-Miami as Iberia Adds Additional Miami-Madrid Flight --Barcelona Becomes the Fourth European Destination from the Miami Hub

American Airlines, a member of the oneworld® alliance and trans-Atlantic joint business partner with Iberia and British Airways, will expand its operations at Miami International Airport (MIA) with the launch of Miami - Barcelona (BCN) service on April 3, 2012. The flight will operate five times a week until June 14 when it will operate daily.

As part of a joint business reorganization of flights, Iberia will increase its Miami to Madrid service as it grows its presence at Madrid's Barajas Airport (MAD). Effective March 25 Iberia will add a second MIA-MAD flight four times per week. American will continue to operate one daily MIA-MAD flight. Continue

Winter 2011

Project Leadership Gold Award Winner: Miami International Airport’s North Terminal

Miami International Airport's North Terminal Development Program is quickly nearing completion in 2012. Only the new international arrivals area and three gates remain to be opened in the 50-gate super concourse, which is used by American Airlines as its hub for Latin America and the Caribbean to serve more than 25 million passengers annually and provide more than 300 daily flights. Continue

January 10, 2011

Juan Valdez Coffee Shop Opens in Miami Airport 

Iconic Colombian coffee brand Juan Valdez Cafe opens shop in Miami airport where more than 35 million passengers pass through every year, the company announced Thursday. The coffee shop, located in North Terminal D and operated in association with NewsLink newsagents, is the 7th Juan Valdez coffee shop in North America and the 15th airport branch.

To celebrate this opening Juan Valdez, the man with the mule, who has represented the brand for over 50 years, will make an appearance at the new coffee shop. Continue

January 9, 2012

Record Days at MIA for American Airlines  

January brought record traffic to American Airlines’ operations in Miami. Monday and Tuesday hold the top two spots now for most passengers enplaned at Miami International Airport since the hub was formed more than two decades ago.

On Monday, American boarded 40,171 passengers at MIA. Tuesday was a runner up with 39,796 passengers. Wednesday reached the number four spot with 39,769 passengers.

American filed for bankruptcy protection in November, but experts have said they believe the airline’s Miami hub is profitable enough to insulate the airport from cost-cutting. Continue

January 6, 2012

Airport Upgrades Set to Improve the Travel Experience  

New curbside areas for arrivals and departures and additional ticket counters are slated to open Jan. 31 in the North Terminal  and a fourth security checkpoint will open in May, airport spokesman Greg Chin said. Last month a 150,000-square-foot area of renovated space with new escalators opened in the North Terminal, which reconnects the airport’s Central and North terminals pre-security.

Other improvements in this terminal include a 400,000-square-foot, 72-lane federal inspection and international arrivals area set to open in the second half of 2012, which will have the capacity to serve 3,600 arriving international passengers an hour. This new arrivals area will feature an eight-lane re-check area for connecting international passengers and a new greeter’s lobby, Chin added.

Also Miami-Dade Transit’s Airport Link, a 2.4 mile extension from the Miami Intermodal Center to the Metrorail system is set for completion this summer. This new service will give passengers a direct connection between MIA and Metrorail, said Chin. Continue

January 5, 2012

Top 10 Airports for Shopping  

• Hong Kong International Airport
• OR Tambo International Airport
• Dubai International Airport
• London Heathrow Airport
• Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
• Incheon International Airport
• Frankfurt Airport
• Miami International Airport
• Vancouver International Airport
• Zurich Airport

(REUTERS/Joe Skipper) - Miami International Airport: "The United States’ gateway to Latin America has undergone major renovations in the last few years and recently expanded to more than 7 million square feet, covering more than 3,000 acres of land," says Cheapflights.ca. "Lucky for airport frequenters, that means plenty of retail square footage. The terminals feel more like shopping malls than airports, boasting luxury shops like Emporio Armani, convenient technology stores like Sound Balance and great gift giving gems like L’Occitane." Continue

January 2, 2012

Metrorail Line to MIA Almost Complete  

One of the most expensive and complex transportation projects currently under construction in South Florida will be finished this year: the Metrorail extension to Miami International Airport.

The new line of the elevated train, from Earlington Heights Station to a new public transportation center under construction just east of the airport, will be in operation in the spring. It will be formally called AirportLink and is the first significant Metrorail extension since the system was inaugurated in 1984.

“AirportLink will provide a fast, reliable Metrorail link to MIA for millions of residents, visitors and employees who travel to and from MIA every year,” a Miami-Dade Transit press release said. “With this project, Miami-Dade joins the ranks of the great urban zones in the world with fast public transportation systems connecting to their airports.” Continue

New Show Currently Filming at MIA  

A South Florida airport will soon get its own TV show. The new show will take viewers behind the scenes at Miami International Airport. "You don't see everything that's going on in here, but this is a city within itself," said Marc Henderson, the media relations manager at MIA.

The show's pilot program is only six episodes long but it will show a side of MIA never before seen. The show's executive producer, Chris Sloan, said, "We are producing what's called an occupational TV series, about the real life, behind the scenes, almost behind-the-curtain, a story of this incredible city, Miami International Airport."

MIA is currently one of the country's top airports, with 35,000 employees and nearly 100,000 passengers that it serves each day. The new TV series, which will air on the Travel Channel, will focus on several MIA employees and how they handle their day-to-day tasks. "Every story is kind of fascinating," said Sloan, "and when people actually see what goes into making it, it's going to be illuminating."

The show will include different incidents that occur at the airport, including emergency situations and routine baggage checks. "Basically, we are granting access to the no-entry zones of MIA," said the airport's director of security, Lauren Stover. "But you know what? It's important for the public to know, in terms of security, what we're doing to keep them safe." Continue

MIA Year in Review 2011 (audio on)

Continue (audio on)