The #1 Reason Why MIA Sucks

It's the people who work there.  Everyone has an attitude and that attitude sucks.  It's like they think they're doing the public a big favor by working there.  It's completely different than every other airport in the country and it's also the worst airport in the country.  I feel bad that many people have to have their introduction to the USA by way of Miami International Airport.  It's the worst airport in the country.  Seriously.  I think it was a year or two ago that somehow they got an award for best airport or most improved airport or something and it totally blew me away.  The selection committee must have gone out and drank tequila into the early hours of the morning before finishing off with 1,000 rounds of bong hits and walking in to cast their votes.

Thanks for continuing to under-service, under-perform, and underachieve MIA.  You suck. 

New American Airlines Terminal at MIA

As the shuttle pulled up to the terminal, I thought the shuttle driver had chosen to drop us off on the baggage claim level. It just didnt look right - no cars jammed into the curb dropping/picking up passengers, no employees crossing the streets to get to the employee bus, no typical mess that is Terminal C/D at MIA. After looking around and confirming we were indeed on the departure level, I realized that this was the long-awaited Terminal A/B open for business.

American Airlines now has its own area all to itself and its huge. Check-in counters as far as the eye can see. Of course, everything still manages to be a total clusterfuck with First Class being all the way at the end of the hall and multiple departure terminals and security checkpoints. I checked in at the First Class counter and was told my gate would be E2. Great... That meant I had to hoof it all the way to the farthest departure terminal from where I was at. The woman behind the counter told me to use the Terminal E security line in case the others were full. The C/D line was pretty short, so I went to pass there but I was stopped by the typical rude MIA employee who told me to use the D/E line because it would be "faster". Yeah, OK. Terminal E is the International Terminal and its usually mobbed this early in the morning. Lucky for me it wasn't too bad and I made it thru in about 15 minutes.

It was nice to see a Starbucks up and running in the new concourse check-in area. Another one looked to just have been finished and setup right outside the old Terminal D check-in area that now sits empty. Now if they could only get some Starbucks on the OTHER side of security. I was flying out of Terminal E and the breakfast options were Pizza Hut or some Cuban pastries. I'd rather starve than eat that crap. Not that Starbucks is that much better for breakfast but at least they make a decent chai tea.

Another nice new feature at the American Airlines counter was labeling bags as "Priority" for those of us who hold status with American. Waiting for bags at MIA takes FOREVER, so hopefully this miraculously speeds up the process of retrieving bags upon landing. I'm waiting to see what happens when I land in Minnesota, today's travel destination, to see if the labels have any effect on bag retrieval there.

That is if the bags make it there, of course...

Nice to know my flight is in good hands...

Today, as I handed my ticket to the gate agent to board my flight, she asked me if I was ready and willing to help in the case of an emergency because I was in an exit row. I always find this silly but I guess its protocol. Well, you can only imagine how comforting it is to know that this woman is on my flight and has been moved up to the exit row. She is clearly ready to rip off a 65 pound door in the case of an emergency being that she is about 75 years old, walks with a cane, doesn't speak a lick of English, and is coughing like she has a case of the black lung. Thanks American Airlines for looking out for the best interest of your passengers' safety.