MIAMI – Marilynn and Rick Hemenway were up early Monday morning to get to the Miami International Airport on Monday, after a short stay in Miami-Dade County for Super Bowl LIV.
The Kansas City fans said they were happy their team defeated San Francisco 31-20, and they were on their way back to Missouri to attend the Wednesday morning celebratory parade. It’s the team’s first Super Bowl victory in 50 years.
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Airport officials are asking some 90,000 travelers flying out of MIA on Monday to arrive at least three hours before a domestic flight, and at least four hours before an international flight. The Hemenway family heeded the warning.
“Getting here and getting in is better than waiting until 9 or 10 o’clock when everybody else is gonna be in here along with the normal travelers and all of that,” Rick Hemenway said.
About 65,000 NFL fans were at the Hard Rock Stadium for the big game on Sunday, but local authorities expected about 200,000 Super Bowl LIV tourists in South Florida. Miami Beach tourist officials reported about 150,000 would visit the city island daily during Super Bowl weekend.
Lisa Riggs, a San Francisco 49ers fan, was at MIA early on Monday. Arriving early for her flight wasn’t as exciting for the Hemenway family. She said she was “super disappointed.”
“We came with an NFL package, and so this is the flight that we got,” Riggs said adding that despite the inconvenience of having to wake up early and sad, her trip to Miami had “gone really well.”
PSA 📢 from MIA ✈️: Today from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m., ride app services will be dropping passengers off at our Miami Intermodal Center.
— Miami Int'l Airport (@iflymia) February 3, 2020
Our MIA Mover train 🚆 will be ready to transport you to the terminal, helping you avoid traffic and arrive to your gate on time. pic.twitter.com/ieXGkR8VWh
Drivers of rideshare services, like Uber and Lyft, are dropping off travelers at the Miami Intermodal Center until 4 p.m. Those travelers will need more time to take a two-minute train ride from the center to the airport’s main terminal.
Tips from airport authorities
• 5 hours before departure: Check out of your hotel.
• 4 hours before departure: Start making your way to the airport. Request your taxi, shuttle, ride app, take public transportation or return your rental car.
• 3 hours before departure: Check-in at your ticket counter.
• 2 hours before departure: Proceed to the TSA security checkpoint.
•1 hour before departure: Arrive at your gate, relax, and have a great flight.