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MIAMI (CBS4) ― It's a small world after all for some employees of Miami International Airport who are being trained by the customer service pros from Walt Disney World.

The Disney Institute, a Florida-based unit of the Walt Disney Company, has coached thousands of executives and front-line workers from other companies and organizations since 1986. Customers have included Delta Air Lines, IBM, General Motors, Chrysler and even the Internal Revenue Service and cigarette maker Phillip Morris Inc.

Now the Institute's instructors will be teaching the employees of Miami International Airport, which surveys rank as having some of the nation's worst customer service.

The airport's terminal operations employees are taking classes taught by Institute instructors, learning leadership practices, team building, staff relations and communication skills, many of which were designed by Walt Disney himself.

"Walt clearly put us on a path toward things like quality, great guest service, creativity and innovation," said Bruce Jones, programming director for Disney Institute. "You would see that reflected in the topics that Disney Institute still delivers today."

"Disney takes great pride in ensuring a fun time and repeat business, mainly by emphasizing customer service and attention to detail while trying not to appear too sterile or robotic. That reputation was built on years of practice, but it doesn't make Disney perfect and unapproachable," Jones said. "Many organizations think they're different from Disney, and therefore can't learn from an entertainment or a parks and resorts business. But then when they get here and work with us a little bit, they find out ... these principles and similarities are transferable across industries, across cultures, and across different sizes and shapes of organizations."

Disney World and the airport have more in common, including dealing with ground transportation, parking and retail sales. So, it made sense for the airport to seek out Disney Institute.

"They understand how to minimize the inconvenience and maximize the entertainment value," airline industry analyst Bob Mann said of Disney. "It's a reasonably good move for the airport to hire Disney."

Miami International Airport is a gateway to and from the Caribbean and Latin America. About 32.5 million passengers passed through the airport in 2006, including more than 14 million international passengers. But among 18 U.S. airports with 30 million or more passengers per year, only three airports performed worse in J.D. Power and Associates' 2007 North America Airport Satisfaction Study. Miami received below average scores in accessibility, check-in, security check, baggage claim and overall satisfaction; average scores in terminal facilities and food and beverage; and above average in retail services.

"The customer service needs to improve," said Sarah Abate, who oversees commercial services at the airport and took a training class. "Passengers need to understand that Miami is a friendly airport, and we are passenger friendly. Now, people don't get that, or the perception from the passenger is not the same as what we are trying to convey."

Disney started the Institute after it realized it was getting questions from other companies about its customer service. After offering some behind-the-scenes educational tours, the Institute developed its first professional development program 21 years ago.

Many principles taught by Disney Institute are created and tested through research and data collection, including visitor surveys. Trainers average 10 years with Disney.

Early in the training, a handful of Miami airport managers visited the Magic Kingdom, where they were shown examples on how paying attention to detail and removing barriers were integral in making guests happy and keeping them informed. For example, Disney houses its lockers and wheelchairs to the right of the park's entrance, because studies have shown more people go to the right than the left when they arrive. Cast members wear colorful Polo-type shirts to easily identify them - a strategy that will be employed by the airport. Store windows on Main Street U.S.A. have names of valuable employees, a reward for service and to inspire loyalty.

Airport trainees learned the mantra: "It's not my fault, but it is my problem."

"I love that. I'm going to print that and put it in my office," Abate said.

These ideas seem simple but still caught the attention of most airport employees at the training sessions - although some were seen talking during the presentations. Dickie Davis, division director of terminal operations, said there are plans to, like Disney, clearly display the name of each employee on new name tags, rather than the current hard-to-read security badges.

By the end of September, about 400 airport workers and vendors will have attended classes, and leaders will then train those who work under them. The training does not currently include airlines, TSA or customs workers. Full-day classes are about $28-thousand apiece. Four have taken place, and at least eight more are scheduled, with some of those half-day classes.

(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)