Gatwick Airport holds a successful event to make airports feel like ‘a less scary place for people with hidden disability, their families and carers
- Travelling through an airport can be a challenge for people with restricted mobility and/ or a hidden disability
- Event designed to give an overview of airport processes before people travel
- Airports from across the world contacting Gatwick about introducing a Hidden Disability Lanyard scheme
GATWICK, UK, 2018-Apr-10 — /Travel PR News/ — Airports can be challenging, confusing environments and more than 40 local families with a family member who has a hidden disability – and their carers – attended Gatwick on Sunday (8 April) for an event designed to make airports feel like ‘a less scary place’.
Held in the North Terminal, Gatwick’s Accessibility Day helped to familiarise people with a hidden disability – and their families and carers – with the sights and sounds of an airport so they have a practical overview of airport processes before they travel
To simulate the airport environment Sunday’s event included:
- Staff from airlines – Virgin Atlantic and TUI – taking families through the check in process
- Gatwick’s Special Assistance Services team, Wilson James, providing buggy rides
- Gatwick staff taking families through the security process in a fun and relaxed way
- Border Force officials introducing some of their search dogs
- Police officers and a fire engine were also on hand to replicate the entire airport experience
Currently around 19% of the UK population have a disability and 11% a hidden disability. As much as 7% of the UK population is thought to avoid air travel because of a disability.
Gatwick is aiming to be the most accessible airport in the UK and is currently engaging with a broad range of disability groups to help ensure that the airport makes its services accessible for everyone.
Nikki Barton, Head of Terminals, Gatwick Airport, said:
“Our Accessibility Days have proved very popular and I would like to thank all those who gave up their Sunday to make it happen. Feedback suggests that families find these events a very useful and practical way of making the airport feel like a less scary place before they travel.
“Events like this are also a great way of hearing about what our passengers find useful or would like to see at Gatwick to make their journey more pleasant and less stressful. We know that we will not get it right all of the time, but we are determined to keep talking to disability groups and passengers to encourage more feedback and develop new learning mechanisms to help us constantly improve our accessibility services, facilities and training.”
Maria Cook, Gatwick’s Autism Ambassador, said:
“I would like to thank everyone from organisations across the airport who volunteered their free time to be part of our latest Accessibility Day.
“I am extremely proud to be involved in events like these and to have played a part helping Gatwick to become the first UK airport to be accredited as Autism Friendly and retain its accreditation for the second year running. An important part of the accreditation processes was introducing a Hidden Disability Lanyard and it’s extremely encouraging to hear that airports from across the world are contacting Gatwick for information to help them introduce the lanyard schemes of their own.”
Notes
Special assistance at Gatwick
If you have a condition or disability and you feel that assistance from staff at Gatwick would make your journey easier, then you should book assistance. From difficulties with mobility, to hidden disabilities like Autism, Alzheimer’s and ADHD, our staff are on hand to help you every step of the way.
Our special assistance pages will tell you more about all the available facilities and what to do if you have pre-booked assistance.
If you have a disability or you experience mobility difficulties and need help to get to your flight, you should contact your airline at least 72 hours before you fly to let them know you need assistance.
Hidden Disability Lanyard
It is not always immediately apparent that additional support may be required for passengers with Autism and the Hidden Disability Lanyard acts as a discreet sign that additional help may be needed. In May 2016 Gatwick launched a UK first-of-its-kind lanyard for passengers with hidden disabilities who may require additional support when travelling through the airport.
About London Gatwick
Gatwick Airport is the UK’s second largest airport and the most efficient single-runway airport in the world. It serves more than 228 destinations in 74 countries for 45 million passengers a year on short and long-haul point-to-point services. It is also a major economic driver for the UK contributing £5.3 billion to national GDP and generating 85,000 jobs nationally, with around 24,000 on the wider airport campus alone. The airport is south of Central London with excellent public transport links, including the Gatwick Express, and is part of the Oyster contactless payment network. Gatwick Airport is owned by a group of international investment funds, of which Global Infrastructure Partners is the largest shareholder.
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SOURCE: Gatwick Airport Limited