CAA launches new online resource for passengers with disabilities
Passengers with a disability or reduced mobility will be able to find out what special assistance is available from every major airline at every UK airport following the launch of a new online resource.
The new web directory from the Civil Aviation Authority includes hyperlinks to the special assistance web pages of all the UK’s airports and major airlines flying to and from the UK.
Information available includes how to pre-arrange special assistance, the location of drop off and pick up points at airports and any potential restrictions of specialist mobility equipment.
The new web directory is part of the CAA’s ‘Your Right to Fly’, which aims to improve the quality and accessibility of special assistance information available to passengers with a reduced mobility.
Last year the UK CAA used new powers introduced as part of the Civil Aviation Act 2012 to work with all UK airports and 50 major airlines to improve the special assistance information available on their own websites.
All UK airports and the vast majority of airlines have now updated their web pages with more comprehensive information, said the CAA. They have also been asked to include a helpline number, so passengers can pre-arrange special assistance and have information on how to complain
Matt Buffey, head of Consumer Enforcement at the CAA, said: "It is pleasing to note the quality and accessibility of special assistance information is now much better for all UK airports and UK and international airlines.
"We hope our new directory compliments the changes already made, and means passengers can easily compare the special assistance services at different airports and on different airlines, and make more informed decisions about where they would like to fly from and who they would like to fly with.
"In our role as a consumer champion, we aim to make sure everyone has fair access to air travel and the opportunity to have an enjoyable experience and we will continue our work with industry to make this happen by promoting special assistance and improving the consistency of the service available."
Under EU regulations passengers with a disability and people with reduced mobility are legally entitled to free special assistance when travelling by air.
This may include help when travelling through an airport, boarding or disembarking an aircraft and during a flight. To guarantee this assistance passengers must inform their airline of the assistance they require, at least 48 hours prior to take off.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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