Accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility (PRM) and other disabilities is improving, despite lingering challenges, but there is hope that upcoming regulatory compliances will effectively address some ongoing issues. Keith Mwanalushi reports.
This article ‘Raising the bar’ was featured in Inflight’s March/April ‘25 issue. To receive your own complimentary copy of Inflight, apply for your complimentary subscription today.
ACCESSIBILITY IN AIR TRAVEL
Despite significant advances in airline services for passengers with disabilities, reports of humiliating circumstances for PRM travellers are still prevalent.
Some major airlines are trying to raise the bar by further improving PRM accessibility and other specialised forms of assistance.
Christopher Wood, a UK-based aviation accessibility consultant, argues that nothing has tangibly changed for decades, yet this demographic number is constantly rising. He thinks airports in particular are improving, despite their often ageing infrastructure.
“Navigating the airline business model is forever demanding,” says Wood. “It is a model based on revenue, so it is hard to change that mindset – as much as the advocates try to inject some human factors into it.”
STEPPING UP
Virgin Atlantic – Accessibility awareness for staff and passengers
Over the years, Virgin Atlantic has introduced accessible bathrooms and onboard aisle chairs on every aircraft, together with accessibility training for its staff across the business.
For passengers with hidden disabilities, the airline has created a “symbol” that discreetly lets staff know that some help is required.
“It can be used at any point in the journey when, for whatever reason, a passenger is struggling or feeling overwhelmed,” a spokesperson tells Inflight.
The symbol can be downloaded from Virgin Atlantic’s website and either saved on a phone or printed out to have as an insert in the passenger’s passport.
Additionally, passengers can also pick up the symbol as a card or pin badge at check-in.
The airline says that anyone wearing a Virgin Atlantic uniform has been trained in hidden disabilities.
Certainly, mobility impairments do not always encompass the full spectrum of disabilities, and Wood sees greater industry awareness on making accessibility more inclusive of other conditions, such as autism.
Emirates – Achieving an autism-certified airline status
Emirates is aiming to be the world’s first autism-certified airline once it gets around 30,000 cabin crew and ground staff trained up.
As part of the designation, Emirates’ ground and cabin crew will undertake a new, focused training on autism and sensory awareness to equip them with the understanding and skills needed to address needs of travellers with autism and sensory sensitivities, along with their families.
Iberia – Physical, visual and auditory accessibility solutions
Meanwhile, in Spain, Iberia has launched “Háblalo”, a personalised app to improve the travel experience of people with communication difficulties.
The app, which enables users to interact with greater autonomy, can be downloaded for free and is fully functional even when offline.
According to Iberia, the accessibility plan at the airline is a strategic project to improve the experience of passengers with physical, visual, auditory, and cognitive accessibility requirements in terms of mobility, safety, autonomy, and comfort.
In terms of physical accessibility, Iberia says its fleet is adapted to carry items such as wheelchairs to aid movement within the cabin, and through accessible toilets, on both short and long-haul services.
Iberia has launched an app to improve the travel experience of people within communication difficulties. Image: Iberia
CUSTOMISABLE SOLUTIONS
Jamco – Tailored solutions for accessible bathrooms
In 2024, cabin equipment specialists at Jamco collaborated with JAXA, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, to design and develop a new PRM lavatory called the Metamorphic Lavatory.
“This concept includes features that have never been included in any previous PRM aircraft lavatory,” says John Cornell, Director, Research and Development, Information Systems, and Proposal Engineering at Jamco America.
Following research and feedback from PRM advocacy groups, Cornell says the new lavatory concept will help to provide airlines with customisable lavatory solutions to match specific operational requirements to enhance their brand identity.
“One exciting new feature is the ability to change the layout of the lavatory to provide privacy for the PRM and their caregiver with ample space for assistance,” he says.
Designing PRM-accessible lavatories in aircraft involves crucial considerations to ensure functionality and compliance, as Cornell attests.
Accordingly, the design must balance space optimisation with the economic implications for airlines while ensuring accessibility for all travellers.
“It’s essential to cater to a broad spectrum of PRM needs, providing intuitive accessibility features that adhere to strict aviation safety standards,” says Cornell.
“Additionally, maintaining privacy and dignity in these compact spaces is paramount, requiring thoughtful design to uphold these values effectively.”
“It’s essential to cater to a broad spectrum of PRM needs, providing intuitive accessibility features that adhere to strict aviation safety standards.”
John Cornell, Director, Research and Development, Information Systems, and Proposal Engineering, Jamco America.
NEW RULES
In Europe, airports are required to comply with new accessibility rules by June 2025 under the European Accessibility Act EAA.
Similar changes in the United States mean that the Department of Transport (DoT) will require airlines to have more rigorous standards for disabled passengers, especially involving lavatory accessibility.
Diehl Aviation – DoT compliant designs for PRM
Diehl Aviation is responding to the new DoT regulations by updating its Space³
design – a three-way lavatory where two can be combined into a single large toilet that is fully DoT compliant andwill fly in 2026.
Sebastian Tivig, Senior Expert for Cabin Safety at Diehl Aviation, says: “We welcome the new DoT regulation but see little impact on our day to day business and development, as our own products already comply with these new rules.”
Diehl is working with the philosophy that PRM facilitation must include a tangible benefit to the airline – in this case, up to four extra revenue seats.
The company is also actively researching and developing a host of new facilitations for PRM travellers. These include guide-by-light, voice control and solutions for visually impaired passengers and others.
The application of US DoT requires lavatories to have PRM-accessible features in single-aisle aircraft lavatories and advances the inclusion for more thoughtful designs for the PRM and their caregiver.
“Consequently, many stakeholders must now consider incorporating new features that have never been equipped in an aircraft lavatory,” says Cornell.
This new requirement has Jamco designers digging deep to find creative and innovative solutions towards the ergonomics for PRMs.
As Cornell suggests, this has also motivated suppliers to place more emphasis on accessibility while travelling.
“One objective is to bring more dignified changes that have long been requested by passengers with special needs,” he says.
Diehl’s Space³ design is a three-way lavatory whereby two can be combined into a single large unit. Image: Diehl Aviation
ROLL ON, LOCK DOWN
Collins Aerospace – “Prime” wheelchair solution
Collins Aerospace introduced its “Prime” wheelchair solution at Aircraft Interiors Expo in 2024. This enables power wheelchair users to board and remain seated in their personal device throughout the flight, thereby eliminating many of the safety, discomfort and wheelchair handling and stowage issues users frequently encounter during air travel.
Shawn Raybell, Director of Business Development at Collins Aerospace, explains that a “roll on, lock down” restraint system is built into the floor at the front of an aircraft, similar to accessible ground transportation applications.
He says: “The system is simple to use for cabin crews, requiring an easy latch and the press of a button to secure an electric powered wheelchair in place.”
Importantly, Raybell says the Prime system utilises largely unused cabin space, and when in wheelchair mode it does not impact seating densities.
Additionally, when a wheelchair is not in use for a flight, the cabin interior monument can transform into an additional working station for cabin crew or a self-service zone for passengers to pick up refreshments.
Collins is also exploring other PRM concepts, including creating a monolithic monument that combines lavatories D and G (specific lavatory locations within the aircraft’s cabin layout) into a singular lavatory complex.
This concept would accommodate a 95th percentile disabled male passenger and another similar male assistant to fully use the space.
“It also affords airlines a cost-effective way to fulfil regulations spelled out in the Air Carrier Access Act without impacting critical parameters like passenger count or available galley space on board an aircraft,” says Raybell.
Letronics – Easing lift for wheel-chair users on airplanes
Elsewhere, Letronics Inc is pushing its Wiselift WL780 Motorised PRM Transfer Lift that transfers passengers with reduced mobility from their wheelchair to their aircraft seat with dignity and efficiency.
According to Letronics, the lift reduces the physical strain on flight crew members.
Connie Villalpando, Marketing Manager says the Wl780 is compatible fleetwide for most economy seating and the company is also launching the WL790 to extend further to all types of seating fleetwide.
INDIVIDUAL NEEDS
Thales – Advanced accessibility in in-flight entertainment
Thales has collaborated with global accessibility organisations to develop an innovative suite of IFE accessibility solutions, including the most advanced user interface (UI) for vision needs.
The result is a UI featuring 13 intuitive accessibility gesture controls that gained industry recognition at the 2024 Crystal Cabin Awards and is currently flying with two global airlines.
Thales is also working on accessibility needs beyond low vision or blindness, including an avatar system in multiple languages, hearing aid software enabling a bespoke audio profile for a personalised experience, and other concepts including gesture controls for passengers with limited mobility.
Tudy Bedou, Chief Technology Officer at Thales InFlyt Experience, says: “The main challenge with developing accessibility options in the cabin is to truly understand the individual needs of passengers with disabilities, and not just assuming what these needs are.”
To achieve this often involves industry collaboration at multiple levels. As an example, the Thales accessibility UI was developed in partnership with American Printing House (APH), a large non-profit organisation dedicated to creating accessible experiences supporting people with low vision or blindness.
Bedou feels that the lack of standardisation can also be an impediment to proposing new features, with a low adoption rate initially.
“However,” he says, “it is clearly our commitment to push the envelope as there is still so much we can do to make IFE systems even more inclusive.”
FRESH START
Safran Passenger Innovations – Developments in IFE for PRM
Safran Passenger Innovations has a new accessible IFE offering a suite of features targeted at passengers with disabilities.
The company’s Senior Product Manager, Louis Poupard, says: “We took a fresh start when designing the software interface to accommodate the maximum variety of passengers.”
For example, he says those that struggle with mobility or dexterity can take advantage of extra-large buttons and even navigate the entirety of the new mode without requiring any swipes or gestures.
“When you combine larger buttons with bigger high-contrast text, passengers with reduced or limited vision receive a much more comfortable experience.”
By applying these types of improvements consistently and controlling the colour palette, Poupard believes this also caters for an audience with cognitive difficulties and neurodivergence.
The hardest challenge, according to Poupard, is dealing with the desire to enable every passenger and any type of disability.
While Safran continues to innovate with new solutions over time, developments released in phases can help airline partners start assisting passengers today and continually improve in time as technologies progress.
Diehl Aviation’s Tivig echoes similar thoughts and says the most difficult trade-off with providing improved accessibility is the inability to reach everyone.
“When designing solutions for PRM passengers, you have to choose which group of people to cater for,” he adds.
For example, for some people with visual impairments, bright, strong lighting with as little shadow as possible is essential. But for a traveller with anxiety, a dark and subdued lavatory is preferred.
“In this particular example, a simple switch can resolve the issue, but other opposing needs are not so easily resolved,” says Tivig.
Return on investment is a critical factor that Tivig flags up.
He says: “Integrating PRM solutions is a significant additional investment of time and money for the airline, so we try to find ways to minimise the size and impact of our PRM products.”
We hope you enjoyed our Accessibility feature. You may be interested in these news stories:
Passenger Experience Conference 2024 highlights innovation, accessibility and data
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