Because Denver International Airport (DIA) is my regular gateway, and because I also fly via Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) more than any other, I don't pay too much heed to what's going on in the southeastern US. Now, the mess that Miami International Airport's new South Terminal became came to my attention via an article in the Miami Herald.
According to reporters Ronnie Green and Rob Barry, "As Miami International Airport unveiled its gleaming new 1.7 million-square-foot South Terminal last week, passengers could savor the roomier concourses and fresh sheen of the floors. What wasn't so visible: the discord, delays and errors that helped add hundreds of millions in cost and 2 ½ years to the project's timetable. Planned for a budget of $799 million six years ago, the terminal's tab is now $1.1 billion....[The] project conceived on a ''fast track'' became mired in change orders, angry subcontractors and escalating costs." All of which meant that the terminal's purported "fast track" became bogged down with slowdowns, the equivalent of lane closures and detours.
DIA took a lot of flack when its opening was delayed, but that was a whole airport. This is one terminal, for which construction began in 2002, and it's taken this long to do a lot of things wrong. Interestingly, the official terminal map doesn't even show a South Terminal, unless that's what Terminal J, Under Construction" is all about. The post recent on-line press release with "South Terminal" in the headline dates back to January 11, 2002, with the announcement of the groundbreaking ceremony. Given the mess described by the Herald, I'm not surprised that officials wanted a low profile for the South Terminal.
MIA, the airport's official airline code, should be changed to BRIA, Banana Republic International Aiport, suggested one disgruntled flyer on the news site's comment section.
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