South Florida plays host to a lot of reality TV shows. You can get an inside look at everything from tattoo parlors to the lives of Miami's real housewives and now the Miami International Airport.
Airport 24/7: Miami premiered on the Travel Channel Tuesday night.
Miami-Dade Aviations Department spokesman Greg Chin said, “This is really the first time a US airport is being seen on national TV and everything that goes on behind the scenes. So, it's really unprecedented access for a TV show."
Chin says M.I.A. was a natural location for a TV show because it's a major international airport that sees plenty of excitement. In the first couple of episodes someone is caught trying to get through a checkpoint with a knife in his shoe, another person forgets they have a loaded gun in their carryon, and a dog sniffs out a hidden cache of cocaine.
Far from inspiring distrust, Chin says the show will ultimately be good press for the airport.
"99% of the time everything goes fine. And what this show shows, is things that you're not even aware behind the scenes that we do to keep you safe”, said Chin. “And the next time you're waiting in line, and you're wondering what's going on, it takes a lot of work to get 100,000 passengers through this airport every day."