Following a short pandemic-induced hiatus, Miami International Airport (MIA) is relaunching its MIA Airport Instruction and Readiness Tour (MIAair) in collaboration with American Airlines to commemorate Autism Awareness Month this April.

MIA in action

After a four-year-long break, the MIAair tour is back to support local neurodivergent children with learning to navigate air travel. While airports may feel uncomfortable for everyone at times, the same journey can present additional challenges for children and adults with special needs. Busy, loud, and chaotic spaces may be especially overwhelming for those not accustomed to the experience – that's where Miami Airport is stepping in.

Miami Airport describes the tour as a "dress rehearsal" program developed to give those with disabilities to practice the travel experience in a safe, welcoming, and controlled environment. During the tour, participants are able to experience the check-in process at an airline ticketing counter, receive a standard Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening, and practice boarding an American Airlines aircraft.

American Airlines has notably run its own similar program for passengers with autism and anxiety since 2014, most recently running its "practice flight" programme in April 2022.

This month's experience will be one of the largest held by Miami Airport, with over 40 children and their families heading to the airport. In a statement provided to Simple Flying, Juan Carlos Liscano, American Airlines' Vice President of Operations at Miami, noted the importance of the airline and airport's work towards supporting the local community,

“As Miami’s hometown airline, American Airlines is committed to making travel more inclusive and accessible for our community. Our goal is to make the MIAair tour feel as realistic as possible so that children and families can get more comfortable with flying and navigating an airport – especially MIA Airport, which is the largest gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America. This event is just the start of their travel learning experience and we are honored to be a part of that journey.”

The tour will take place at 09:00 on April 17, beginning at Miami Airport's Concourse D, and will run through until 11:00. Further details are available on Miami Airport's website.

Additional outreach

Miami Airport's long-running MIAair tour is just one of the various ways the airport has moved to ensure the comfort of its disabled passengers over the past several years. In November 2019, the tour was extended to include passengers with early-stage Alzheimer's and their caregivers in honor of Alzheimer's Awareness Month.

Adapted slightly from its usual tour, geared towards children with disabilities, the Alzheimer's MIAair tour saw Miami Airport partner with Southeast Florida's Alzheimer's Association and iAero Airways to raise awareness, assist anxious travelers, and develop its own support plans.

"Traveling in airports requires plenty of focus and attention. At times, the level of activity can be distracting, overwhelming or difficult to understand for someone with dementia. We're grateful to partner with the Miami International Airport to bring this educational tour for caregivers and persons with early stages of the disease to ease the anxiety of traveling," - Alexander Lewy, Director of Community Outreach for the Southeast Florida Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.

For Autism Awareness Month in 2019, the airport opened a multi-sensory room just past TSA Checkpoint 4, giving young passengers with cognitive and developmental disabilities a chance to take a breather in a calm and relaxing environment during the travel experience.

Developed as part of the airport's MIAair program, the room was designed in partnership with Miami Airport, the Miami Beat Team, and the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Centre for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD). The multi-sensory room is open seven days a week between 06:00 and 22:00.

What are your thoughts on Miami Airport's MIAair tours? How would you like to see other airports and airlines support passengers with special needs? Let us know in the comments.