As part of her regular column, U.K.-based equal rights and accessibility campaigner Emma Spagnola (left) describes the experience of taking her six-year-old son Mason, who is autistic, abroad on holidays. Traveling with children is never easy but add the ‘A’ word onto that and it is incredibly hard, she says. Find out more about the hurdles that she faces. READ MORE
Airlines
How American Airlines Is Helping Anxious Kids Get Comfortable in the Air
It’s Cool to Fly American Airlines is a simulated flight program that helps special needs kids and their families become comfortable with air travel. The program, going on its fourth year, gives autistic children, children with sensory issues (common in kids diagnosed with ADHD) and other special needs a chance to do a test run before they fly for the first time. Planes do not leave the ground, but kids still get a feel for the bustle and noise of air travel, which parents say gives them the courage to travel as a family for the first time. Plus, the program offers kids a chance to meet a pilot, check out the cockpit and get other cool perks. Read more.
The Real Scoop on Delta’s New Rules About Flying with Emotional Support Dogs
Dogs classified as giving emotional support to their owners are flying in record numbers—and not just on Delta. In fact, across all carriers, demand for pets to accompany people jumped 75% in one year. This apparently includes dogs, cats, rodents, you name it, some more well-behaved than others. The uptick in bad behavior and the increase in requests is what prompted Delta to revise rules around emotional support animals traveling on long flights (more than 8 hours) and to clarify the advance booking notice rules for 2019. If you travel with an emotional support animal, don’t panic, but do plan ahead. Read more.
Was A Disabled American Airlines Passenger Really Left Stranded in Chicago? Here’s the Truth…Caught on Video
It’s no secret that the airline industry has a dismal record when it comes to offering quality service to travelers with disabilities, particularly passengers who depend heavily on airport porters and wheelchairs. So last month, when a local news station reported that an elderly woman was abandoned in her wheelchair overnight by a porter closing up for the night at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, many believed the accusations to be true. But wait—not so fast. Before you come to any conclusions, you should know that video footage of the event revealed a very different story. Read more.
Wheelchair Riders Tow Plane
London’s Heathrow Airportwas the host on Nov. 23 to a Guinness World Records® official attempt in support of Aerobility’s mission to help people with disabilities participate in aviation. The airport’s “Wheels4Wings”event had a team of 100 people in wheelchairs pull a 127.6 ton 787-9 Boeing Dreamliner over 100 meters, beating the previous record of 67 tons held by a Belgian team.
Funds raised from this event will go towards Aerobility’s programs, helping people with disabilities participate in aviation. Aerobility provides “experience of a lifetime” trial flying lessons for as many terminally ill and disabled people as possible. It also provides subsidized flying days for other disability charities and at-cost instruction and qualification flight training to disabled people.
Participants in the fundraising event included security officers, volunteers and operational staff from across Heathrow. All have benefitted from the airport’s newly established Dignity and Care training program, which focuses on improving the journeys of passengers with hidden and visible disabilities. The event also celebrated Heathrow’s new mandatory process for airlines, which will see passengers arriving at the airport automatically reunited with their personal wheelchairs at the entrance to the aircraft, when they descend.
The Wheels4Wings event is being held during a year of rapid changes for Heathrow in which investments of £23 million ($29.3 million) were made in new equipment, resources and technology to improve service for people with disabilities. The airport also introduced innovations such a distinctive lanyard for passengers with hidden disabilities. The airport’s regulator, the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, acknowledged the significant steps Heathrow has taken to improve its service for people with disabilities. With further focus in the area still being applied, the airport is currently ranked “good” in its services and handling offered.
Organizer of the event, Heathrow Aircraft Operations Manager Andy Knight, said: “As a wheelchair user myself, a former pilot and an aviation enthusiast, I am committed to supporting Aerobility and I am proud of the role Heathrow has taken to support its diversity and inclusion goals. I hope today will see the team raise a lot of funds for Aerobility’s fantastic causes, but also foster a greater awareness of the unique challenges people with disabilities face in aviation, and push for improvements for their benefit – whether they choose to be a passenger in an aircraft or at the controls.”
Source: eTurboNews
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