MIA

Miami International runs on a fundamentally different rhythm than any other US mega-hub, because roughly half of its departures are to Latin America and the Caribbean. That produces two peaks the mainland US just doesn't have: an early-evening South America push (roughly 5-8 PM to Bogotá, Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires, etc.) and a late-evening Caribbean/Central America wave (8-11 PM) that keeps parts of the airport genuinely busy well past midnight.

For domestic travelers, this actually creates some easy wins. American's mainline domestic operations at MIA compete for terminal space with those international waves, so the domestic-only sweet spot is mid-morning (9-11 AM) after the local business rush and before the international bank ramps. Security at Concourse D during that window is often 5-8 minutes — the calmest experience at any major Florida airport.

The Concourse J and D-North international arrival wave (mostly the mid-morning transatlantics and the late-night South America inbounds) means US Customs at MIA has two distinct crush windows. If you're connecting to a domestic flight after an international arrival, book at least 90 minutes of connection time — 60 is optimistic even when everything runs on time.

Miami Central-to-MIA on Brightline plus the free MIA Mover is now a legitimate airport transit option, especially from downtown Miami hotels. It's not universally faster than a taxi in light traffic, but it's dramatically faster during rush hour or when weather has snarled the Palmetto or I-95, and you can budget the timing to the minute in a way you cannot with a rideshare.