Enhancing International Passenger Throughput and Minimizing Missed Connections at a U.S. Airport via Discrete Event Simulation

This study investigates the intricate process of international passenger arrivals at Miami International Airport (MIA), the busiest international airport in the United States, with international travel exceeding pre-COVID levels. The study emphasizes the passenger sojourn experience from arrival to airport exit or connecting flight. Utilizing a discrete event simulation model, we analyze and optimize international passenger throughput under this setting. In this process, upon disembarking, passengers navigate the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Federal Inspection Services (FIS) area for immigration and passport control, followed by baggage claim and customs clearance. Usually, a substantial number of arriving passengers have connecting flights, and therefore, need to recheck their checked baggage for their connecting flights and undergo security screening at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint. The long queues or delays in immigration and customs processing, especially during peak hours, may not allow some passengers sufficient time to make it to their connecting flights. The simulation study is deployed to analyze staffing, routing, and queueing design in place to identify the bottlenecks in the overall process. Based on the results of the analysis, we propose an efficient queuing configuration that stipulates dedicated lines for passengers with tight connections at both the FIS and TSA stages. We demonstrate via simulation that our proposed solution can achieve significant sojourn reduction times across all levels, resulting in less misconnections, and thus yielding millions of dollars in savings annually. The study offers key insights for enhancing the passenger experience and operational efficiency for international arrivals with connections at international airports.