30th March 2023 • My Family Our Needs
We know you don’t need to go abroad to have a wonderful holiday – the UK has so many beautiful staycations on offer. However, for those who are looking to go further afield over the holidays, MFON Columnist, Carly Jones MBE, shares insights into the work being done to help make airports more accessible and offers her advice for returning to the skies.
Hello everyone! How are you and how has 2023 been for you so far? I hope you are hanging in there despite the dip in temperatures of late – it does feel as if summer isn’t too long away in the calendar!
If your family, like mine, hasn’t yet ventured back to the airport for a foreign holiday since pre-pandemic times, then a family holiday may feel even more uncertain than it already did before (and let’s face it, travelling and SEN needs were a tad tricky to plan even before the pandemic, right?!).
In one of my roles, I am fortunate enough to sit on the Heathrow Accessibility Advisory Group (HAAG). We are a board of advisers, all of whom either have a disability, are a parent of a disabled child and/or have had decades of professional experience in aviation and accessibility. Before I joined the HAAG some five years ago, I had no idea such boards for UK airports existed. As a woman with a disability and a parent of young people with additional needs, it gave me great reassurance to know that they do exist. It was promising to learn that there are boards of professionals standing up and advising airlines and airports on accessibility as independent members and chairs.
Throughout the pandemic, aviation was impacted globally in a way not previously experienced. The recovery hasn’t been perfect but the intention to get things to a world-class standard for all passengers, especially passengers with accessibility requirements, is the top priority.
Air travel and SEND
I hope some of these suggestions can help you and your family for the holiday season ahead.
1. Pre-book assistance with your airline
When you book your flights, also look out for the airline’s assistance support. Sometimes it’s a box to tick and other times it’s an email address to contact. It’s really worth doing this because assistance in the air is the duty of the airline and assistance at the airport is the duty of that airport only. Sometimes airlines have the more ‘appropriate’, ‘comfortable’ language used to refer to our family’s disabilities. However, sometimes they don’t. I recently had the option of ‘visual impairment’, ‘physical impairment’ or ‘developmental disorder’ on a particular airline and this felt a bit, well, icky to say the least. So just a pre-warning that language may not always be appropriate for us, but it does give us the assistance we need onboard!
2. Ask for assistance at your airport
Even if you have pre-notified your family’s needs with the airline or have forgotten to do so at the time of booking, it is a great idea to visit your airport’s special assistance counter on arrival. Here you can find sunflower lanyards and ask for any support your family could benefit from, such as early boarding or an escort to the gate for departure.
3. (Sun) flower power!
The sunflower logo is a great discreet way to signal to airport and airline staff that you have a hidden disability. The sunflower logo is not only widely recognised in the UK, be that in airports, supermarkets or a hushed array of venues and events, but now almost globally too, which will really help on your flight home from international airports. You can wear a lanyard, ribbon, badge, face mask and even a wristband supplied by Sunflower at extremely affordable prices. Visit https://hiddendisabilitiesstore.com/shop/personal-items-gifts.html?p=2
4. Seek support for returning to the skies with flight anxiety
A few weeks ago, I supported a loved one to attend the British Airways ‘Flying with Confidence’ course, a full-day course designed by British Airways to help nervous flyers feel more confident to fly again – ending with a short flight! Although I was there in a supportive role, as opposed to taking the course myself, I was gobsmacked by the transition of the many attendants who arrived in an extremely anxious state but left elated that they had, for a short time, taken to the skies. I cannot praise British Airways enough. If this is something that would help you or a family member, visit https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/travel-assistance/flying-with-confidence for more information.
Similarly, Virgin Airways has a package of support for anxious flyers called ‘Love Fly’, including a course and even a Facebook support community to connect with other travellers with the same worries and concerns. I think this is a beautiful idea because it shows you aren’t alone and there are many (many!) others in the same situation. Visit https://flywith.virginatlantic.com/bb/en/wellbeing-and-health/flying-without-fear.html for more information.
Happy holidays and happy flying all!
Carly
