One of Miami's most recognizable aviation landmarks has begun a new chapter. The former Pan American Airways headquarters at Miami International Airport has reopened as a luxury private terminal, marking the first Florida location for PS, the company that lets commercial travelers bypass the public airport entirely. It is the fourth PS terminal in the country, following Los Angeles, Atlanta, and a Dallas-Fort Worth outpost that opened just weeks earlier, and its most symbolically loaded yet, a private terminal reborn inside the home of one of aviation's most iconic airlines.
The 34,000-square-foot facility is built around a private experience, allowing travelers to completely skip the standard terminals. Guests move through dedicated private facilities with their own streamlined TSA screening and private Customs and Border Protection, then are chauffeured across the airfield to their aircraft in a BMW, coordinated by a PS Control Room that liaises with airlines, security, and government agencies.
Inside, the experience splits into two tiers, The Salon, an elevated social lounge for solo and business travelers, and five Private Suites offering fully private, residential-style rooms with chef-prepared dining and spa treatments on request. Later this year, the company plans to add PS Direct, a door-to-door service ferrying guests between their home or hotel and the aircraft.
The landmark 1960s building, a Miami-Dade County Historic Site recognized for its mid-century Brutalist architecture, was reimagined by RJ Heisenbottle Architects with interior designer Cliff Fong, who preserved the structure's defining features while layering in modern luxury. Original Pan Am details were carefully restored, including the airline's insignias, gold paneling, and the original reflecting pools, while new materials like terrazzo, marble, and smoked glass draw on Miami's tropical glamour.
Working with Miami-Dade County's Art in Public Places program, PS commissioned Miami-based Argentine artist Nina Surel to create integrated, artist-designed reflecting pools and a stoneware bas-relief mural of interlocking ceramic tiles, drawing on South Florida's light and layered culture.
The airport is the nation's second-busiest for international travelers and a primary gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean, and it is in the middle of a $14 billion capital-improvement program. County leaders framed the Pan Am revival as both preservation and progress.