Miami-Dade Mayor and American Airlines announce new autonomous wheelchairs at MIA

On June 25, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and officials from American Airlines, Envoy Air, WHILL, Inc., and the Miami-Dade Aviation Department announced ten new autonomous power chairs that Envoy Air is now using to transport American Airlines passengers with limited mobility at Miami International Airport (MIA).

This spring, MIA became the first U.S. airport to receive the autonomous chairs developed by WHILL, Inc. Self-driving mobility devices transport customers to their desired gate after they select their destination on a touch screen, providing users with more freedom, confidence, independence, and an improved customer experience. An average of 120 American Airlines passengers per day use the chairs inside concourses D and E at MIA.

Autonomous wheelchairs join a long list of accessibility services available at MIA, including the MIAair tour program, which allows passengers with disabilities the opportunity to practice the travel experience in a safe and controlled environment; accessibility lanes in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) passport control areas; wheelchair charging stations at ten convenient locations; sunflower lanyards free of charge for travelers with hidden disabilities; multi-sensory rooms in concourses D and J, where young passengers with cognitive and developmental disabilities can find a calming place to relax during the travel experience; the Aira Airport Network, a free mobile service that allows blind or low-vision travelers to receive navigation assistance at MIA; and seven service animal relief areas with indoor and outdoor locations.

In recognition of its commitment to “prioritizing and ensuring an accessible, safe, and inclusive traveling experience for passengers with disabilities,” MIA was the first airport in Florida, and the second in the United States to be accredited by the Airports Council International (ACI) Accessibility Enhancement Accreditation program, created by ACI in September 2022 based on existing international best practices and recommendations.

MIA is also making an unprecedented investment of nearly $9 billion in future-ready maintenance upgrades, and capital improvements focused on enhancing the customer experience for generations to come. To learn more, visit MIA’s Modernization in Action (M.I.A) Plan Web Page