American Eagle passengers now have a newer, more spacious facility for regional flights at Miami International Airport. On August 19, Miami-Dade Aviation Department and American Airlines officials celebrated the grand opening of the North Terminal's Regional Commuter Facility (RCF), a 50,000-square-foot extension that includes two new terminal gates, a new passenger waiting area and future outdoor walkways to 12 loading areas for American Eagle’s operations.

The airline has relocated from the gate D-35 area at MIA to the RCF, which includes terminal gates D-53 and D-55 and a D-60 waiting area that connects passengers to smaller regional jet aircraft via covered outdoor walkways. Until the outdoor walkways are completed later this year or early next year, passengers will be transported by shuttle bus to their flights.

American Eagle, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, earlier this month announced increased nonstop service between MIA and 10 additional cities throughout the American Airlines network beginning Nov. 18. This is in addition to previously announced new service between MIA and Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV) in Gainesville, Fla., beginning October 1. American Eagle currently flies from MIA to more than 30 cities in the U.S. and the Caribbean, including Florida cities such as Ft. Myers, Jacksonville, Key West, Pensacola and Tallahassee and locations throughout the Bahamas. The airline served 1.38 million passengers in 2009.