More than 40 children will get travel experience dress rehearsal
Children from Easterseals of South Florida on board an American Airlines aircraft with the flight crew during a MIAair tour in July 2024
WHAT:
A few weeks before the Thanksgiving and winter holiday travel season begins, Miami International Airport and American Airlines will host the airport’s latest MIA Airport Instruction and Readiness (MIAair) tour for more than 40 children with special needs from local schools, and their parents or guardians. The tour will allow participants to rehearse the air travel experience from start to finish, all the way to an airplane seat, in a safe and controlled environment.
The children will practice entering the airport, getting boarding passes, going through security, and boarding an American Airlines plane with the airline’s gate agents and flight crew. The program also serves as a learning experience for airline and airport workers at MIA. The goal of the MIAair program is for anyone – regardless of their disability – to experience the magic and wonder of flight. Since launching the MIAair tours in 2015, in partnership with UM-NSU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD), MIA has hosted tours for more than 200 children with special needs.
WHO:
Ken Pyatt, Deputy Director of Operations, MIA
Julie Hughes, Managing Director of Customer Care, American Airlines
Dr. Diane Adreon, Ed.D., Associate Director, UM-NSU CARD
WHEN:
Thursday, November 7, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. (for staging before tour at 9 a.m.)
WHERE:
MIA, Concourse D, TSA Checkpoint 1, departures level (near door 1)
Parking validation will be provided. Bring your ticket to the event.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Media must RSVP by noon on Wednesday, November 6, with their full name and date of birth to join the tour post-security.
Miami International Airport, America’s busiest airport for international freight and the second busiest for international passengers, is receiving an unprecedented investment of $9 billion in capital improvements and maintenance upgrades. MIA offers more flights to Latin America and the Caribbean than any other U.S. airport and is also the leading economic engine for Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida, generating business revenue of $118 billion and approximately 60 percent of all international visitors to Florida annually.
To request materials in an accessible format, Sign Language Interpreters, CART services, and/or any accommodation to participate in any Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) public meetings and events, please email the ADA Office at ADAcoordinator@miami-airport.com or call the office at 305-876-7747 five days in advance to initiate your request. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may also call 711 (Florida Relay Service).
