MIAAirport Guide

Left luggage at Miami airport

MIA's baggage storage is run by Communitel in Terminal E and Terminal H, before security. Daily rates by bag size, hours, and what to bring.

Tagged suitcases on metal shelves in the baggage storage room at Miami International Airport
Baggage storage, MIA

You can leave bags at MIA with Communitel Baggage Storage, which runs the airport’s baggage room. There are two counters, both before security on the second level: one in Central Terminal, Concourse E and one in South Terminal, Concourse H, by Door 20. Communitel charges a daily rate by bag size, from $12 for a bag up to 18 inches. There are no self-service lockers at MIA.

Daily rates by bag size

These are Communitel’s own published daily rates, per bag:

Bag size Daily rate
Up to 18 inches (46 cm) $12
18 to 24 inches (46 to 61 cm) $14
24 to 32 inches (61 to 81 cm) $16
32 to 40 inches (81 to 102 cm) $18
40 inches to 4 feet (102 cm to 1.2 m) $22
4 to 10 feet (1.2 to 3 m) $24

Measure the longest side of your bag to find its row. MIA’s own amenities page says only that rates are daily and set by baggage size, so confirm the price for your bag at the counter.

Where the two counters are

  • Concourse E (Central Terminal), 2nd Level Departures. This is the counter MIA’s own pages describe as the Baggage Checkroom. Phone 305-869-1163. Use the Central Terminal map to find it from the check-in halls.
  • Concourse H (South Terminal), 2nd floor by Door 20. Communitel lists this counter on 305-869-1148. It is the closer choice if you fly from H or J.

If you’re changing terminals to reach a counter, allow for the walk before and after, and for security when you come back.

Opening hours: check before you rely on a late pickup

MIA’s own pages disagree on the Concourse E hours, as the table shows. Phone the counter to confirm before you plan an early drop-off or a late pickup.

Source Concourse E Concourse H
MIA’s things-to-do page 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. not listed
MIA’s services and amenities page 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. not listed
MIA’s shopping and dining directory 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Rates are daily, so ask how a stay of more than one day is counted.

What to bring

Communitel stores bags for traveling passengers only. Bring:

  1. A photo ID, such as a passport or driver’s license.
  2. Your flight ticket or boarding pass.

Staff check both when you drop off. Miami’s tourism board gives the same requirement. Pack anything you’ll need while you’re away, including medication and chargers, into a separate small bag before you hand the rest over.

The counters also sell luggage straps, locks, tape and bags.

If you’re on a layover or between a flight and a cruise

For a layover, storage makes most sense when you’re leaving the airport for several hours.

For a cruise, PortMiami doesn’t offer luggage lockers or storage, for security reasons. Its cruise FAQ points passengers flying out of MIA to the airport’s baggage storage instead. Some cruise lines take bags early on sailing day, so ask yours before you pay for a day at the airport.

Other places to leave a bag

  • Your hotel. Miami’s tourism board notes that most hotels store luggage for guests before and after check-out, usually for free.
  • App-based storage in the city. LuggageHero and Bounce use partner shops and hotels. Miami’s tourism board puts LuggageHero at about $1.49 per bag per hour or $4.90 per bag per day, plus service fees. These suit a day in the city more than a stop at the airport.
  • Miami Central Station downtown, where Brightline trains stop, has no luggage storage, per the tourism board.

If a bag is lost rather than stored

Storage and lost property are different desks. A checked bag that didn’t arrive belongs to your airline’s baggage office on the arrivals level, which our baggage claim page lists by door. Our airline directory shows your airline’s counters and its baggage door. Something left behind in the terminal goes through MIA’s lost and found.

Sources