Miami International Airport (MIA) has been serving a historic number of travelers since its winter travel season began, and more records may be broken as the New Year’s Day and Three Kings Day holidays quickly approach.
MIA set a new single-day record of 194,866 passengers on December 23, and six other days since December 16 have been among MIA’s 10 busiest ever, all of them surpassing 167,000 travelers. MIA has averaged 170,000 daily passengers since its winter travel period officially began on December 21, which is 11% higher than last year’s record season and far above the 162,000 per day average that the airport projected.
MIA officials expect more peak days this weekend and next week, as travelers make their way to and from Miami-Dade County and destinations across the region for New Year’s Day and Three Kings Day celebrations. At 51.3 million passengers so far this year through December 26, MIA is poised to reach a new annual passenger record of 52 million travelers on December 31, which would be an increase of 2.5% over last year.
With those projections in mind, MIA travelers are encouraged to follow the airport’s winter travel tips.
Even with the record-breaking numbers, MIA’s parking garages have remained open, and spaces are still available. Out of the airport’s 616 elevators, escalators, and moving walkways, only 52 are currently out of service for repair or replacement, as part of the airport’s Modernization in Action (M.I.A.) Plan.
While the Concourse D Skytrain remains out of service, a courtesy trolley service is available from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. at one of the 10 courtesy shuttle pick-up stations located throughout Concourse D. An airside shuttle bus is also available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., with stops at gates D10 and D55. Passengers who require wheelchair assistance should contact their airline in advance before their flight.