2h at Miami Airport between flights from Bogata to Gatwick

Question

Hi everyone.

I'm trying to piece together a tour of South America and I have my eye on a flight from Bogata Cololmbia to Gatwick London but there's a 2-hour connection time/layover.

Is this enough time? do I need to exit and come back through security etc again?

Obviously I know if my flight from Bogata to Miami is delayed by 90-minutes or whatever then it won't be enough time and it's a moot point, but all going well is 2-hours enough time?

Thanks.

Answer

Connecting through Miami International Airport (MIA) from an international flight to another international flight can be tight, and a 2-hour layover is generally considered the bare minimum—especially when arriving from Latin America. Whether it works smoothly depends on your airline, whether the flights are on a single ticket, and how fast immigration moves that day.

Here is what you should expect when arriving from Bogotá (BOG) and connecting to a flight to London Gatwick (LGW):

You MUST go through U.S. immigration and customs, even if you are only transiting.

The United States does not have international airside transit. Every international arrival must enter the U.S. formally. That means:

Going through U.S. immigration (passport control)
Collecting your checked baggage (required for all international arrivals at MIA)
Clearing customs with your bags
Re-checking luggage for your connecting flight (if on a single ticket)
Going back through TSA security

This process can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2+ hours depending on queues.

MIA is known for long immigration lines, especially for flights arriving from Latin America, because many tend to land around the same time.

The key factor: Are both flights on the same ticket and with the same airline alliance? If so, at least your luggage will be transferred easily, and the airline will protect you if delays cause a misconnect.

If the flights are NOT on a single ticket:

You will have to fully check in again for your transatlantic flight.
If immigration is slow, you could easily miss the second flight.
The second airline will not wait for you or rebook you for free.

If they ARE on one ticket:

2 hours is still tight, but doable if immigration lines move well.
Airline staff can sometimes direct you to a priority line if your connection is at risk.
If you miss the connection because your first flight is late, the airline must rebook you.

General guidance about connection times at MIA:

Recommended minimum for international → international: 3 hours.
Minimum published connecting time for many carriers: around 1 hr 45 mins, but that assumes best-case conditions.
Peak times in the afternoon can lead to immigration waits of 60–90 minutes.

So is 2 hours enough?

It’s possible but not comfortable. If everything is on time and immigration is reasonable, you can make it. However, many travelers consider 2 hours at MIA risky, especially given the full immigration + baggage + re-check + security process.

If you can adjust your itinerary to get at least 2.5 to 3 hours, it will reduce stress significantly.

Final advice:

If both flights are on one ticket → Acceptable but tight; workable with some luck.
If flights are on separate tickets → Not recommended; risk of losing the LGW flight is high.

2h at Miami Airport between flights from Bogata to Gatwick

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