Families with special needs children experience boarding a flight in Miami airport program
Two dozen children with special needs got a rare chance on Monday to start to lower one major source of anxiety as the holidays approach: flying.
About 25 children, many on the autism spectrum, along with parents or guardians were allowed to try out the airport and flight boarding experience in a controlled environment. Children from the Atlantis Academy Miami in Kendall, ranging from 14 years old to 18 years old, and others as young as five years old attended.
It was Miami International Airport’s second Instruction and Readiness event of the year that it does with American Airlines. Over 100 families have participated since the program began in 2015. It was suspended during the pandemic but resumed this April. The public can request new sessions.
While it is popular to complain about the hassles of navigating airports or catching flights, the concerns are much bigger for children with developmental disorders and their families. Those on the autism spectrum can often be triggered by sensory overload coming from loud noises, bright flashing lights, or just large crowds. Going on their first flight can be delayed by decades., parents say.
On Monday, the families entered Concourse D on the second level at MIA near TSA Checkpoint 1. After checking in for the program, the children were given boarding passes. They then waited in line at about seven ticket counters that were reserved by American Airlines for the simulation. Agents, who according to an American executive, volunteered their time, checked the children in one by one.
The children largely behaved like model travelers. No one complained about waiting in line.
“Can I help you?” said the ticket agents.
One boy when checking in stood on the weighing machine, no one fussed.
Latoya Williams, the American Airlines agent checking in the boy told the Herald she was unfazed.
The program also serves as training for the airline employees.
“It also gives our team members here that work at MIA exposure to travelers with needs, and this helps us be better at creating a more inclusive environment at MIA,” said Juan Carlos Liscano, American’s vice president of Miami hub operations.
The children and their families then all passed through the TSA checkpoint.
One boy yelled, “I want to go home” just after passing through TSA, but continued on.
They all then walked to Gate 22 in Concourse D and boarded an American Airlines plane for what was a simulated flight. After taking their seats, they were given a safety demonstration. The captain then came on the intercom and said “Welcome from the cockpit. Flight 9100 with service to Orlando,” he said.
Families say positive experience
The families said they found the experience worthwhile.
Barbara Torres brought her son Marcel Moreno as a birthday present: he turned 17 on Monday.
They have never flown, she said.
Her son likes model airplanes and watching YouTube videos of planes taking off. He also loves geography and often talks about going to London or Paris.
“Honestly, I’ve been kind of scared,” she said, “because I don’t know if he’ll ever get on a plane.”
He is on the autism spectrum, she said, and so loud noises and pressure in the ear can bother him.
Samuel Castillo, 13, came with his parents.
“Our son is afraid of flying,” his mother, Maria Galvis, said, and so “that makes it impossible for us to fly.”
His only flight was when he was an infant and his parents brought him to Miami from their native Colombia.
Monday’s simulation seemed to help. Samuel’s parents said they were noticing an improvement today, and that, “next time, it’ll be much easier,” Galvis said.
Torres said while she had been worried about attending and how things would go, “so far, it’s great.”
“He’s like ‘hurry up mommy, we’re gonna miss my flight.’”
