Miami-Dade Mayor kicks off “I AM MIA” customer service training

On July 22, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava led Miami International Airport (MIA) and Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) officials in kicking off the new “I AM MIA” customer service training program, designed to elevate customer service standards among the airport’s 37,000 employees and enhance the visitor experience at the global gateway.

More than 70 Miami-Dade Aviation Department administrators and supervisors were the first participants in the training course prepared by the GMCVB to equip and empower MIA’s workforce with the skills and knowledge necessary to make every customer interaction memorable and positive. The one-hour program will be offered to all current MIA employees and required for all new hires to receive their airport IDs.

“Just as we are making unprecedented investments to upgrade and modernize the MIA facility, we are also investing like never before in customer service training at our County’s largest economic engine,” said Mayor Levine Cava. “With travel up 10% at MIA this year, which puts us on pace for a new annual record of 58 million passengers, leaving a positive and lasting impression on each visitor to Miami-Dade County is more important now than ever. The goal of the I AM MIA program is for every airport employee to treat customers the same way they would treat their loved ones, take pride in their airport and their community, and proudly say ‘I AM MIA!’”

The new customer service training is the second phase of the I AM MIA campaign launched in March 2024, when Lightning Crew teams of highly trained employees began to patrol the MIA terminal strategically for maintenance issues needing immediate attention. Other Lightning Crew members proactively address passenger inquiries and concerns, with the ultimate goal of significantly enhancing the overall customer experience at the airport.

The I AM MIA campaign is aligned with the airport’s Modernization in Action (M.I.A.) Plan, which includes nearly $9 billion in maintenance upgrades and capital improvements over the next 10 years such as restroom upgrades, new passenger boarding bridges, renovated elevators, escalators and moving walkways, a 2,240-space parking facility, a four-star hotel, and terminal-wide redevelopment projects.