Miami International Airport has emerged a winner and was named a runner-up for “Best Emerging Airline/Airport” at the recently-concluded 4th Annual SimpliFlying Awards for Excellence in Social Media at a ceremony held in Amsterdam. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the EyeforTravel Social Media in Travel conference. Among other runner-ups included Emirates Airline and Aer Lingus. Qatar Airways received the top honor.

Media reports said that Miami International Airport led all finalists in the Emerging Airline/Airport category. It led with 26 percent of the votes online. However, online voting and presentations submitted to a panel of judges formed the main criteria to select the final winner.

Miami-Dade Aviation Director Emilio T. González said that ever since he was named Aviation Director in April one of his top priorities was to enhance the airline’s customer service engagement through social media. He said that tens of thousands of customers have connected with the launch on Facebook and Twitter in June this year. He said that the customers are appreciating the direct access that the airline’s social media channels provide effectively.

The SimpliFlying Awards are presented on the basis of a rigorous process consisting of public voting and judging by a distinguished panel of thought leaders in the travel marketing space. More than 50 nominations were submitted in a two week period and 37,000 votes were collected in three weeks.