Miami International Airport is preparing for a Valentine’s Day shipping surge that turns global air freight into dinner-table romance, with agricultural inspections and trade costs shaping the flow before bouquets even reach store shelves.
Summary
In the weeks leading up to Feb. 14, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists at Miami International Airport are expected to process about 990 million stems of cut flowers, CBP said. CBP also said around 90% of fresh cut flowers sold for Valentine’s Day in the United States pass through Miami, while about 10% move through Los Angeles. Roses, carnations, pompons, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums and gypsophila arrive on hundreds of flights, mostly from Colombia and Ecuador, as exporters move product to U.S. and Canada distributors.
Summary
A key driver of the Valentine’s Day lift is cargo capacity. Miami’s largest flower importer, Avianca Cargo, said it is moving about 19,000 tons of flowers on 320 full cargo flights in preparation for the holiday, with the airline running more than twice as many flights as normal. Avianca Cargo CEO Diogo Elias said in Miami that Valentine’s shipments are “much more concentrated on roses, red roses especially,” adding that more than 50% to 60% of flowers at that time are red roses.
Summary
Industry representatives said shoppers may see higher prices despite the continued demand for flowers. Christine Boldt, executive vice president for the Association of Floral Importers of America, said the increase stems largely from tariffs placed last year on imports from Colombia and Ecuador and from a new minimum wage enacted this year in Colombia. Boldt said, “Every consumer is gonna have to face additional costs,” and described the tariff and labor changes as “significant dollars” added to bouquets arriving in the United States.
Summary
Airport officials said the volume continues to flow through Miami even with those added costs. Airport director Ralph Cutié said flowers remain one of the Miami airport’s largest imports and that the airport received almost 3.5 million tons of cargo last year, with flowers accounting for about 400,000 tons. Cutié said more than a quarter of those flowers are shipped before Valentine’s Day, a 6% increase over the prior year, and said many of the bouquets bought for the holiday likely pass through the airport.
CBP agriculture specialists inspect arriving flowers for potentially harmful plant pests and foreign animal diseases, CBP senior official Daniel Alonso said. Alonso said inspectors find about 40 to 50 plant pests a day on average, with moths among the most common, and that pests are turned over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which determines the potential threat. Alonso said, “Our rigorous process is vital to safeguarding the floral and agricultural industries, ensuring that our imported flowers are not introducing any pests or harmful diseases.”