Accessible Air Travel Still Has Its Ups and Downs
- 21 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Linda Bartram
Despite all the accommodations that have been put in place by the air travel sector, flying can still present challenges for people who are blind.
A recent trip I took to Europe involved three Air Canada flights accompanied by two different sighted companions and one Aegean Airlines flight, which I took on my own. In all cases I informed the airline in advance that I am blind, and this was indicated on my e-ticket. The assistance (or lack of it) varied considerably, however, for each leg of my journey.
My sister and I flew from Vancouver to Athens with a connection in Toronto. The check-in and security went very smoothly. We requested assistance for the transfer in Toronto, as time was rather tight. The experience was seamless and uneventful.
My solo flight from Athens to London was not so flawless. My sister and I were booked on two different flights, but fortunately our departures were only one hour apart, and the gates were next to each other. We were very early, so the individual assisting us left us near the gate from which my flight was to depart and indicated that he would come back closer to my departure time. Once my gate area had cleared, my sister and I moved closer to the service desk. Since her flight was earlier than mine, she had to leave me there to wait on my own. After about forty minutes, no one had shown up to assist me and as my departure time approached, I thought I had better stand up and attract someone’s attention. A fellow passenger gave me verbal directions to the desk where I was helped right away. I had not heard any announcements about pre-boarding. I am not sure anyone would have sought me out had I not made my presence known.
Upon my arrival at Heathrow airport in London, I received guiding assistance from the plane and with collecting my luggage. I then asked to be taken to the accessibility desk adjacent to international arrivals, where I was to meet a friend. To my surprise, neither my guide nor his colleagues, who he subsequently asked, had any idea where it might be. I suggested that he take a look at the airport’s website, where I had learned about the accessibility desk. He did so and was about to take me to the location he discovered on the site, when I heard my friend call out my name. Apparently, my friend had also found that no one he asked knew where the accessibility desk was. He decided to just hang around the arrivals area in the hopes he would spot me. In hindsight, the location we were both looking for probably goes by another name, but surely those employees providing assistance should have been able to figure out where that was.
Our return journey from London Heathrow, however, was quite different from what we had experienced ten days earlier. Once we made our needs known, we were taken directly to the check-in desk and then to a waiting area where everyone requiring assistance was gathered, regardless of their flight. We were then taken through security and left at another assistance waiting area where our boarding passes were collected so folks could be assisted based on their departure times. From here we were transported to our departure gate and pre-boarded almost immediately. What a difference!
As assistance at the airport still appears to be hit and miss, it pays to be well prepared, to keep your cool, and to speak up if things don’t appear to be going the way you think they should.
As an aside, I would like to report that I had a chance to try out the accessible in-flight entertainment system on the three Air Canada flights. There is a tactile overlay for the flat screen but for one reason or another, it was not available. Despite this, by the third flight and after much trial and error, I was able to navigate the system independently using the audio prompts. I “watched” two movies, listened to a short audiobook and enjoyed 1.5 hours of classical music. After all, it’s a long flight from London to Vancouver.
