MIA, Delta, and LATAM Host Pre-Holiday Practice Tour for Children With Disabilities

Miami International Airport (MIA), Delta Air Lines, and LATAM Airlines welcomed more than 150 children with disabilities - and their families, teachers, and caregivers - for the airport’s latest MIA Airport Instruction and Readiness (MIAair) tour ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel period.

The program provides participants with an end-to-end practice run of the air travel experience in a safe, controlled setting. Children rehearsed key steps of the journey, including entering the terminal, checking in, receiving boarding passes, going through security screening, and boarding a LATAM aircraft with assistance from the airline’s gate agents and flight crew. The event also offered hands-on learning for airport and airline employees who support travelers with special needs.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava praised the initiative, noting MIA’s ongoing efforts to make county services accessible and to help travelers with disabilities gain confidence when flying.

Delta’s Managing Director of Accessibility Programs, Alison Lathrop, and LATAM’s VP for North America & Caribbean, Cristina De Melo, also highlighted their airlines’ commitments to inclusive travel and the value of practice-boarding initiatives for customers with disabilities.

Launched in 2015 in partnership with the UM-NSU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD), the MIAair program has now provided nearly 400 children with an opportunity to become familiar with airport processes and experience the excitement of air travel without barriers.