Yahoo Movies Your guide to Miami, Fort Lauderdale airports and how to get around Memorial Day weekend
Are you traveling to or from Miami and Fort Lauderdale for Memorial Day weekend?
With record crowds expected at South Florida airports and millions expected to hit the road, you need a solid plan to make sure your vacation is epic.
If you’re flying, make sure to arrive at the airport a few hours before your flight, and check to see if your travel destination has any COVID-19 restrictions. If you’re taking a road trip, gas apps can help you save money on fuel.
And if you’re planning to chill in Miami Beach or elsewhere in South Florida, take advantage of the free trolleys or low-cost transit options some cities have.
Here’s a guide to help make it happen:
(If you want to read about a specific topic, click from the options below. If not, just scroll to read the full article)
What do you want to know?
How early should I get to the airport? Are masks still required on flights and transit
Where to get a COVID test, vaccine booster in South Florida?
How to check COVID risk level of Miami, the Keys, other U.S. destinations
Do I really need to be at the airport that early?
It’s going to be busy at Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Arrive hours before your flight and expect packed roads and garages, similar to spring break.
Miami’s airport is averaging 150,000 passengers a day, compared to 126,000 a day during its record-setting year in 2019. The Broward airport is expecting to see more than 680,000 travelers between Wednesday and Tuesday, May 31, mirroring pre-pandemic levels.
That means you should plan to arrive early. MIA is recommending passengers arrive at least three hours before a domestic flight and 3 1/2 hours before an international flight to give yourself time to check in and go through security. FLL recommends people arrive at least two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight and check with your airline to see if it’s recommending additional time for check-in.
TIPS FOR MIA:
▪ Use the Miami airport’s Queue Analyzer to find the fastest TSA checkpoint for your flight. The site provides real-time updates on checkpoint wait times.
▪ If flying internationally, see if you’re eligible to use the free and secure Mobile Passport Control app to submit passport and custom declaration information to avoid completing a paper form or using an automated passport control kiosk.
▪ If you get hungry while waiting for your flight, MIA recommends ordering food and drinks through its MIA2GO system for contactless pickup at restaurants throughout the airport.
TIPS FOR FLL:
▪ Use FLL’s online directory to see which types of restaurants, shops and services (including ATMs and Lactation Suites) are available at your terminal. You can filter results by post- or pre-security.
▪ Not sure where your terminal is or where the restaurant you want to eat at is at the airport? Just open Google Maps to see a detailed layout of the airport. You can even use LiveView to help figure out where the restrooms, ATMs and gates are.
▪ Have time to spare before your flight or Uber arrives? Check out the hyper-realistic painted bronze sculpture of an airport vendor by the late artist Duane Hanson in the baggage claim area of Terminal 1. It’s so lifelike, you’ll need to do a double-take.
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Are masks still required on planes and at the Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports? What about in taxis, Ubers and Lyfts?
Masks are no longer required at Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Most airlines have made masks optional, too. Many other transit services in South Florida, including Ubers, Lyfts, buses and trains have made masks optional.
However, keep in mind that your travel destination (especially if you travel internationally) may require masks or other COVID-19 safety protocols, including testing or proof of vaccination. Check with your airline for the most up-to-date information.
Where can I park at Miami and Fort Lauderdale airport?
▪ Miami International Airport has two garages and a few charging stations for people with electric vehicles. However, the airport expects its garages will be full as early as Thursday for the long holiday weekend. Instead of parking at MIA, officials say travelers should be dropped off by friends or family, a ride-share service or a taxi or take Miami-Dade Transit’s Orange Line.
If you still want to brave the garages, try to find a spot near your airline:
Dolphin Garage serves Concourse D and E. It’s the best place to park if you’re flying with American Airlines, Qatar Airways, British Airways or JetBlue. Flamingo Garage serves Concourses E-J and is the best place to park if you’re flying with all other airlines, including Delta or Southwest.
Maximum daily rate is $17 and your car can stay in the garage up to 45 days, except where “no overnight” is listed. After 45 days, your car will be towed. Accepted payments: cash, credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover), Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. The airport no longer uses SunPass and its valet service is temporarily closed.
To find the closest parking location to your terminal, visit MIA’s website.
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▪ Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has three garages and an overflow lot that opens at peak travel times during the holidays or when the garages are full (signs and workers lead you to them). The airport is also recommending travelers get dropped off.
Maximum daily rate is $15 at Hibiscus Garage Levels 3-7, Palm Garage Levels 2-4 and Cypress Garage Levels 6-9. At Hibiscus Garage Level 2 and Palm Garage Level 1, the maximum daily rate is $36. If you park in the overflow lot, expect to pay $10 per day. Curbside valet costs $25 per day. Accepted payments include cash, credit cards and SunPass Plus.
TIP: Use the FLL app to see real-time parking availability and to help locate your car if you forget where you parked. To find the closest parking location to your terminal, visit the airport’s website.
Someone is picking me up or I’m picking someone up. Is there parking for this?
Both the Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports have a cellphone parking lot where people can park for free while waiting to pick someone up from the airport. MIA’s cellphone parking lot is just off LeJeune Road and Northwest 31st Street. At FLL, the lot is at 600 Terminal Dr.
Do you need to be fully vaccinated for domestic and international travel?
▪ If traveling domestically, you don’t need to be fully vaccinated although it’s recommended.
▪ If flying internationally, it depends on where you’re going. Each country has its own vaccination, testing and quarantine rules.
▪ If flying from another country to the U.S., you don’t have to be fully vaccinated if you are a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, a legal permanent resident or traveling on an immigrant visa. Foreigners must be fully vaccinated although there are some exceptions, such as kids under 18.
Do you need a COVID-19 test to fly?
▪ To fly domestically, COVID-19 tests and vaccines are recommended, but not required.
▪ To fly internationally, it depends on where you’re going. Each country has its own vaccination, testing and quarantine rules.
▪ If flying to the United States, all international travelers, including American citizens, ages 2 and older, are required to take a COVID-19 test one day before their flight and show proof of a negative result before boarding, regardless of vaccination status. A COVID test is not required if you can show proof that you tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days and have recovered. The rule does not apply to Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories.
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Where can I get a COVID-19 test, vaccine, booster in South Florida?
Broward has four health department-run COVID-19 test sites and three are for K-12 students only. Miami-Dade County still has several test sites open. There are also a variety of at-home COVID tests you can buy at retail pharmacies including CVS and Walgreens.
Both Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports also have COVID-19 test sites.
MIA has two COVID-19 test sites that accept walk-ins. One site is open 24 hours. Test costs are $79 to $179. FLL’s test site is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Appointments are recommended because walk-in availability depends on how busy it is. Tests costs are $59 to $159.
For COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, you can go to retail pharmacies including Publix, Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, Navarro, Winn-Dixie and Fresco Y Más. Broward’s health department is also operating a vaccine site for people 5 and older at Nova Southeastern University through June 30, 2022. Miami-Dade County has an online COVID vaccine locator you can use to find sites.
How to check the COVID risk level of Miami, the Keys and other destinations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties to have high COVID community transmission. The Florida Keys have a medium COVID risk level.
For counties considered to be high risk for COVID transmission, the CDC recommends that people wear masks indoors in public places. For counties that are medium risk, the CDC recommends people considered to be high risk for severe illness speak with their healthcare provider on whether they should wear a mask.
Regardless of risk level, the CDC says that people with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask. To check the COVID risk level of another county, either in Florida or elsewhere in the country, visit the CDC’s website.
I’m visiting Miami Beach. Besides Uber, what other transit options are there in South Florida?
If you don’t want to rent a car, you can take a taxi, Uber or Lyft. There are other transit options, too:
▪ Metrobus routes run across Miami-Dade County and into Broward and the Keys, including Miami Beach, Liberty City, Little Haiti, Little Havana, Key Biscayne, Miami Gardens, West Miami-Dade, Homestead and Florida City. Buses have free Wi-Fi and bicycle racks. The buses run from 5 a.m. to midnight daily, including holidays, with some routes providing overnight service.
▪ Metrorail runs along a 25-mile dual track with service to Miami International Airport, and stretching from Kendall through South Miami, Coral Gables, and downtown Miami; to the Civic Center/Jackson Memorial Hospital area; and to Brownsville, Liberty City, Hialeah, and Medley in Northwest Miami-Dade. Metrorail stations have free Wi-Fi and bicycle racks, which can also be found in some rail cars.
▪ Metromover circles downtown Miami and extends to Brickell and Performing Arts areas from 5 a.m. to midnight daily. Destinations include FTX Arena, home to the Miami Heat, Bayside Marketplace and Miami Dade College’s downtown campus.
Cost: Metromover is free. Metrobus and Metrorail fare is $2.25 each way or $5.65 for a one-day pass. However, Metrobus and Metrorail transfers are free though you will have to pay 95 cents if you’re transferring from a Metrobus/Metrorail to an express Metrobus route.
TIP: Miami-Dade Transit has reduced fare options for groups of people, including K-12 and college students and Medicare recipients. Learn more about routes and ticket prices on the Miami-Dade Transit website.
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▪ Some cities have free trolleys including Miami Beach, Miami, Coral Gables, Doral and Miami Gardens. Some cities, like Miami, Key Biscayne, Hialeah, Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach and Islamorada in the Keys have Freebee, which is a free ride-sharing electric vehicle service. (You’ll need the Freebee app to use it.)
▪ Brightline runs from downtown Miami with stops in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. There’s also Tri-Rail, a commuter train that runs through 18 stations across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, including the Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports. And there’s Amtrak, a nationwide train that has stations across Florida. Prices vary depending on where you want to go and when.
▪ If you want to exercise and be environmentally friendly, rent a bike through Citi Bike Miami, a bike rental service with more than 160 stations across Miami Beach, Surfside, Bay Harbor Islands and Miami, including in Wynwood and Coconut Grove. And no, you don’t have to drop off the bike at the same place you picked it up. You can leave it at any of the other Citi Bike stations. Prices vary.
And for those of you who want to do a Florida road trip in an electric-powered vehicle, charging stations can be found in select gas stations, plazas, malls and supermarket parking lots across the state.
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What will the weather be like in Miami?
Traveling to Miami, Fort Lauderdale or the Keys for Memorial Day? You’ll get what you came for weather-wise Thursday.
The chance of rain or storms is a straight 30% from Thursday through Saturday in the Keys, according to meteorologists at National Weather Service centers in Miami and in Key West.
Miami-Dade and Broward counties are at a low 20% chance for Thursday storms.
Alas, storms across South Florida, as well as the west coast of Florida, ramp up Friday through Monday, Memorial Day.
Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas are looking at 40% Friday, and this increases to 60% rain and thunderstorm chances Saturday through the holiday. The Florida Keys are a bit brighter, at 40% on Sunday and Monday.
READ MORE: What can you expect for Memorial Day weekend? That change in the weather’s not a party
Be careful if swimming at the beaches. There is a heightened risk for rip currents at coastal Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County beaches through Thursday night, the center said.
Now, go out and have some fun. And if you find yourself too drunk to drive, take a ride-share, crash on a friend’s couch or call AAA for free towing. The service will be active from 6 p.m. Friday, May 27, through 6 a.m. Tuesday, May 31. The number to call is (855) 2-TOW-2-GO or (855) 286-9246.
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Miami Herald staff writer Howard Cohen contributed to this report.
