Flying Becomes Easier for Passengers With Autism
Jennifer Billock April 18, 2017
Now, passengers with autism can go through a test run of getting through security and onto a flight.
Airlines across the country are now making it easier for passengers with autism to have a stress-free experience with flights. More than 40 are working together with a Washington D.C. organization called The Arc, which organizes test runs for passengers — allowing those with special needs to go through the movements of getting to the airport, going through security, waiting at the gate, and boarding the plane. The passengers are not charged the cost of a plane ticket to get into the gate area, either.
The program is called Wings for Autism. One customer, Katy Guerra, worked with her son Danny for two months to prepare for an upcoming flight, including going through a Wings for Autism practice run.
“The outcome was better than I imagined,” Guerra told NBC. “Danny went through the checkpoints fine. He asked many questions and just followed along. He had headphones so he could block out the [airplane] noise if he wanted to, but he was genuinely happy. He even tried the food, which was very surprising.”
This was after years of putting off trips to avoid issues.
“We didn’t want to be ‘that family,'” Guerra told NBC, “and Danny has always made it clear he cannot go in airplanes because the air is too thin. So we knew there would be some issues.”
Airports are working to become more autism-friendly through other means as well. In Atlanta, there’s a new quiet, multi-sensory room. Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) also has a new quiet room, and at Ireland’s Shannon Airport (SNN), the first sensory room in Europe recently opened.
[Photo: Shutterstock]
