The one thing most special needs families are frightened of is being stuck in a tight space for several hours.....like an airplane.......
But even worse? Getting through the TSA line, fighting the large groups of travelers and braving the take off and landing.....
Miami International Airport understands that.....and they're doing something about it.....
They've started a program called MIAair.....with the help of Delta Airlines, they're helping all special needs families navigate the entire experience, well before you take that first flight.
The program works like this......special needs families go to Miami International Airport as if they were actually taking a flight.
In the tour, the airport covers your parking for the day so there's no expense to your family at all. You then join the group and head to the ticket counter, where you experience checking in for your flight and you recieve a real airline ticket.
Then, families are taken to the TSA Check-in line, where you get a real experience of being checked in before you enter the terminal.
Families then are taken to their gate, where they experience the waiting period before being allowed to board an actual flight.
When the tickets are called....parents and children get to walk on board a real airplane, sit in the seats and interact with the flight attendants and the pilots....
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Families then get to disembark and the children are given a special "graduation certificate" for participating in the program.
WIOD's John Rogger has two children with Autism and also participated in the tour........he writes.....
"I'm thankful to Miami International Airport for the tour. Prior to this our family would never consider flying....we were worried about the experience and how it would go.
Our children are prone to eloping, so they were GPS trackers....I feared they would set off the TSA alarms and keep us from getting anywhere, but the folks at MIA helped us with that....in fact they helped us with everything.
And the crew on Delta did a fantastic job....they were so excited to help our children feel welcomed on the plane. You can tell they care about making sure we felt comfortable and cared for....they understand the stresses we have, knowing our children can't speak or tell how they feel....how they don't understand what is happening and certainly waiting is a challenge!
The entire experience showed us we can take a flight. I highly recommend that if you have special needs children.....please reach out to MIA and take this tour. It will help you prepare for that flight in so many ways.
Thank you MIA and Delta for putting this program together for us special needs families in South Florida and all across the world."
-John Rogger, WIOD
He spoke with MIA's Karla Cobreiro, along with John Higgins and Luciano Macagno with Delta airlines, about the tour in an interview you can listen to below......
To learn more about MIAair, visit the Miami International Airport's website and search "MIAair" to sign up for the next tour.
To learn more about Delta's outreach in the South Florida community, visit Delta's website.