My wife and I will be visiting our daughter in Chile over Thanksgiving, and the cheapest flights we can find to Santiago are out of Miami. We have booked these tickets.
From Austin to Miami, the best fares are via Southwest to/from Ft. Lauderdale, which I understand to be 1.5 to 2 hours apart.
Question: What connect time should I allow each way? There is a SW flight into Miami that will give us almost 5 hours, and since that in a domestic flight I am not concerned about making that connection. However the return schedules have me a bit worried so I am asking the advice of the experts out there. We are scheduled to arrive in Miami at 5:25 AM and there is a SW flight out of Ft. Lauderdale leaving at 9:05. The next SW flight departs at 11:50, but that difference means almost a half day delay in our return. Is the 3.5 hour connect time enough to make it through customs/immigration in Miami and get to Ft. Lauderdale? Would it make much of a difference if we carried on and did not check luggage? Keep in mind that this would be the Sunday of Thanksgiving week, traditionally one of the -- if not the -- most congested air travel dates in the US. Did I just amnswer my own question?
Yeah, I think you did. If I were you, I'd leave as much time as humanly possible to get from Miami to Fort Lauderdale. I mean, if you have a 9:05 flight, you want to be at the airport at least by 8:05 (and security can be a bear), you'll need to go through customs and immigration in Miami, no? Can't speak to that, but I'd allow at least an hour, if not more. So that gives you 90 minutes for the drive. I'd definitely go for the later flight.
quote: Did I just amnswer my own question? Yeah, I think you did. If I were you, I'd leave as much time as humanly possible to get from Miami to Fort Lauderdale. I mean, if you have a 9:05 flight, you want to be at the airport at least by 8:05 (and security can be a bear), you'll need to go through customs and immigration in Miami, no? Can't speak to that, but I'd allow at least an hour, if not more. So that gives you 90 minutes for the drive. I'd definitely go for the later flight.
Sigh.
I guess you're right, Kim. That means 11 hours from touchdown in Miami to touchdown in Austin, but better that than spending a night in Miami when you'd rather be home.
Southwest's schedule isn't open past Oct. 30. You might find that your options are different when it opens, expected on June 26. Also, on peak dates, I don't think you can be sure they'll have the best fares; sometimes they make only the highest fare bucket available from the beginning, and another airline that would take you to Miami airport could be the better deal.
I agree w/everyone else to go for the later flight. It could be that your flight times change closer to departure, and your incoming to MIA flight could be pushed back so you might be happy to go with the later flight out of Ft. L.
Miami Int'l is a hub, as you know, for international flights to/from the Caribbean and South America, so it's super busy under normal conditions.
Ft. Lauderdale is a wonderful airport in that security is right up front and the walk to the gates is very short. It's also served by several multi-lane highways. I go through there several times a yr (not during holiday times though), and have never taken more than 20 mins to go through security).
Here are some points I hope can help you:
1. How are you commuting between the airports? The FL Turnpike can be the faster route because fewer people travel on it because of the tolls. But I95 has more lanes.
2. Here's a Web site for the Ft. L "Sun-Sentinel" that lists up-to-the-minute traffic conditions for Miami-Dade and Broward counties to help you avoid getting stuck in traffic.
3. Here is a link to check on the on-time flight statistics of your flights that might help you decide.
Hope you have a wonderful visit w/your daughter.
Posts: 58 | Location: NYC | Registered: 24 August 2007
We understand that there is public transportation between the two airports (can't recall if its a rail line or bus service) and had been planning on taking that. Advisable? Mistake? Can you recommend a best (read timely and economical) way to make the transfer?
TRI-RAIL connects the two airports; weekend schedule here; it only runs every two hours so you need to see how that coordinates with your schedule.
Following up on what I said, I see that Southwest's full FLL-AUS fare of $173 one-way might compare favorably with what's available to Miami, but I repeat that the schedules might change. If you get the same schedule as Sundays in October, you're looking at 11.50, connecting at HOU, and arriving at 5.20: how about taking the non-stop at 3.40, arriving 5.50? Then you could rent a car to make the transfer and have lunch someplace pleasant instead of having all that time in transit or in airports.
Andrew, thanks for the link to the train schedule. That helps a lot. And I like your suggestion that we take the later, direct flight. I knew SW reservations didn't open up for Thanksgiving until later this month, so didn't look closely at later flights. Any suggestions as to where to eat? Any place we could get to via the train?
