DESTINATIONS SPECIAL ASSISTANCE | ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL
A helpinghand i
Confused about how to access special assistance through an airport? David Whitley has the answers
t would be an unusual traveller who actively enjoys the experience of getting through an airport, but for some, it’s particularly daunting.
For most, ‘special assistance’ is something for people in wheelchairs that chugs along quietly in the background. Very little attention is paid to it until personal circumstances change – a hip operation, worsening arthritis, a sprained ankle or a recent move to using a wheelchair – and the airport experience becomes otherwise unmanageable.
Using special assistance for the first time can be highly confusing, partly because resources explaining how it works are thin on the ground, partly because the system varies by airport and by airline, and partly because not all passengers have the same needs. One commonality, however, is that it should
be arranged in advance. Michelle Foster, head of special assistance at Manchester airport, says: “It is really important that any passenger requiring special assistance contacts their airline to notify them of their specific requirements as early as possible. Once this is done, the special-assistance service provider – ABM here at Manchester – receives notification from that airline 36 hours prior to the passenger’s journey. “They can then ensure that they have the correct
resource levels and equipment to provide a seamless experience on the day. Notification rates in Manchester are around 70%, which means that 30% of passengers just arrive at the airport expecting someone to be available to assist them. This can sometimes cause delays, particularly if specialist equipment is required.”
HOW TO ACCESS ASSISTANCE At all British and most major overseas airports, assistance can start from arrival. Help points at the car parks, terminal entrances and train stations can be used to alert the special-assistance team, who’ll meet passengers. From there, if needed, passengers will be escorted
through check-in and security, then picked up again from a special waiting area (or pre-agreed meeting point such as a lounge) to go through the boarding process. At the other end, it works in reverse – passengers
are met at their seat or at the aircraft door, depending on requirements, then escorted through immigration,
It is important that any passenger
requiring special assistance contacts their airline as early as possible
customs and baggage reclaim to the taxi rank, car park or train station. As for the getting around part, sometimes it’s a case of being driven in a motorised buggy; at others, being pushed in a wheelchair. For passengers with their own wheelchair, there is a lack of consistency. Occasionally there will be space for a manual wheelchair in the cabin; more often, passengers will need to transfer to an aisle-accessible wheelchair during the flight, then pick up their own outside the aircraft door; and sometimes it will need to be checked in at the check-in desk then picked up
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travelweekly.co.uk 12 DECEMBER 2019 57
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