UK task force report on accessible travel met with cautious optimism

A new UK government-commissioned report on how airlines, airports and the country’s civil aviation authority can improve accessibility for Disabled passengers both on the ground and in the air has been met with cautious optimism by disability rights advocates.

The report comes from the UK’s Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group (AATFG), which was established by the Department for Transport to bring together industry stakeholders, consumer representatives and the CAA to help drive accessibility improvements.

Roughly nine months after its formation, the AATFG has now made 19 recommendations to industry and government. Its new report calls for better disability and accessibility awareness training for staffers at airports and airlines, an increase in skilled trainers, and the co-development of training materials with “people with lived experience.”

The report also highlights the need for more accessible information for Disabled travelers including through airport signage and digital channels such as web sites and mobile apps, and suggests that airport accessibility reviews consider diverse impairments including for individuals with non-visible disabilities.

Additionally, the AATFG report urges airports, assistance service providers and ground services to ensure they’re providing the right equipment and vehicles to both assist Disabled passengers and properly handle their personal mobility aids; calls on industry to develop awareness campaigns to increase confidence to fly and improve how they capture passenger needs; and suggests that the CAA review and update its existing guidance and oversight.

Notably, the AATFG also identified areas in the design and handling of mobility aids that could benefit from ongoing consideration, and is recommending that “an industry-led group, with representation from various organizations, including manufacturers” be formed to “help sustain progress in this area.”

Many areas of concern are not addressed in the report, however, including whether airlines should provide a free ticket to a Disabled passenger’s caregiver. “[T]his was outside our remit,” explained Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, the Paralympian who chaired the AATFG.

“It was also not possible to include recommendations for passengers who want to remain in their chairs while flying. There is ongoing work in this area which cuts across jurisdictions. The same goes for a system of fining for failures,” she said, adding:

What became clear and was endorsed by all was that everyone deserves to be treated with respect through the process and should be able to fly without worry.

For Flying Disabled founder Chris Wood, who has fought for the right of Disabled passengers to remain in their own wheelchair on board aircraft, the report represents a “missed opportunity” to go further.

“Yes, it is more of the same that many of us have seen time and time again, perhaps there is more blood and guts to this chapter. Accessible air travel is clouded in guidance rather then legislation, much of it is grey, the regulator has only blunt instruments to educate (nay force) those that repeatedly go feral,” he said in a candid post published on LinkedIn.

“Before we even start considering better training, then we have to consider why it repeatedly goes wrong. The answer to this is rather like learning to drive on a road full of potholes, unless the potholes are fixed you will never pass the test whilst dodging all the faults in the road.”

Though Wood wants to see a little less talk and a lot more action, he is nonetheless hopeful that the AATFG report will set the groundwork for that action.

Joshua Wintersgill, founder of the easyTravelSeat which supports the safe and comfortable transfer of Disabled passengers to aircraft seats, agrees that the report isn’t groundbreaking. “However, it does something vital: it formalizes what many of us already know, and provides a robust roadmap,” he said on LinkedIn.

“The AATFG report’s five key themes, including enhanced training, passenger information and communication, non-visible disabilities, mobility aid design and handling, and tailored service and delivery … aligns seamlessly with the industry’s current trajectory. This alignment reassures us that the report is not just a formality, but a crucial tool for meeting passenger expectations.”

Wheelchair user and accessibility advocate Mary Doyle, who shares her expertise with Runway Girl Network readers, noted on Facebook: “There are no surprises for anyone working in the industry; these human-made barriers have been discussed for a long time and although some progress has been made, the customer experience has not always been consistent or first class.

“I’m glad we have it all summarized here and it’s in the public domain so the passengers (without our insider knowledge) will hopefully feel more confident that long-term change will actually happen. This 9-month project and report is a tool for action and accountability. I’m extremely interested to see how the airlines, airports, [and] suppliers truly execute on this and there is an annual review.”

For her part, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson said in a statement: “We know there’s more work to be done, and I look forward to seeing these recommendations turned into action, which truly puts accessibility at the heart of aviation.”

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