OREANDA-NEWS. Miami International Airport was named a runner-up for Best Emerging Airline/Airport at the 4th Annual SimpliFlying Awards for Excellence in Social Media ceremony in Amsterdam, in conjunction with the EyeforTravel Social Media in Travel conference. Other runner-ups were airlines Emirates and Air Lingus, with Qatar Airways taking the top honor. MIA led all finalists in the Emerging Airline/Airport category with 26 percent of the votes online. The final winner was selected based on online voting and presentations submitted to a panel of judges.

"One of my top priorities upon being named Aviation Director in April was to enhance our customer service engagement through social media," said Miami-Dade Aviation Director Emilio T. Gonzalez. "Since our launch on Facebook and Twitter in June, we have connected with tens of thousands of customers who appreciate the direct access our social media channels provide. We deeply thank SimpliFlying, their judges and voters for recognizing our efforts."

The SimpliFlying Awards involved a rigorous awards process that consisted of public voting and judging by a distinguished panel of thought leaders in the travel marketing space. More than 50 nominations were submitted in two weeks and 37,000 votes were collected in three weeks. The judges for SimpliFlying Awards 2013 included Raymond Kollau, CEO of Airlinetrends.com; Robert Patterson, Vice President of Content & Social Strategy at MMGY Global; and Rosie Akenhead, Business Manager at Yelp.com.

"The connected traveler of today is evolving quickly, even carrying his living room with him to the skies. This presents many opportunities for airlines and airports," said Shashank Nigam, CEO of SimpliFlying. "Miami International Airport is one airport on the rise. They have cleverly used the airport's position as a major hub between North and South America to build emotional connections with fans through social media. In a very short time, the airport has made a habit of sharing local stories and events that drive a lot of engagement."

The finalist presentations for SimpliFlying Awards 2013 can be found at http://bit.ly/SFAwards13. SimpliFlying Awards for Excellence in Social Media is the only annual awards dedicated to recognizing the best social media campaigns and practices in the aviation industry. Committed to raising the standard of airlines and airports on social media, SimpliFlying Awards promotes the exchange of knowledge in the sphere of social media by inviting award winners to present and share their successes with the rest of the world.