A passenger in wheelchair claims an airline would not let her board because she was traveling alone. Industry officials say the airline does not have clear policies after she tweeted about her issue with the Hong Kong Airlines. READ MORE
The Intersection of Travel and Disability
A passenger in wheelchair claims an airline would not let her board because she was traveling alone. Industry officials say the airline does not have clear policies after she tweeted about her issue with the Hong Kong Airlines. READ MORE
Good news for the travel community: Inclusive and accessible mobility will continue to be a focus in 2019. In addition, trip planning that uses technology will also grow considerably this year. Other trends include (everyone’s favorite) data sharing and curbside management. While there has been much discussion over the past few years about how significant an impact curb usage has on mobility, 2019 will bring actual pilot projects that show how to effectively manage the curb, explains Carol Schweiger in this recent Intelligent Transport report. READ MORE
TravelAbility Summit Board Member Cory Lee Woodard was recently chosen as “Person of the Year” by New Mobility Magazine. Through his travel blog, Curb Free with Cory Lee, he has become the face (and heart) of accessible travel and we are honored to have him and his lived experience to help guide content for our events. In his spare time, Cory Lee is working on a 55-item bucket list that includes seeing the Superbowl and snorkeling the Great Reef Barrier in Australia. He recently crossed seeing the Taj Mahal off his list. Read more.
by rschultz
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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