People who have flown during the pandemic have discovered a new and undesirable travel companion: fear.
Constantly changing health requirements, tests, mandatory papers, and last-minute travel bans all add to high levels of anxiety. While this factor is new to many, it is a recurring factor among air travelers with disabilities.
Pre-booking assistance at airports does not always guarantee that the right level of assistance will be available at the various stages of the trip. For those traveling with their mobility aid, who do not know whether their wheelchair will make it when changing or whether it will be returned in one piece on arrival, is always part of the journey.
Research and surveys suggest that people with disabilities are more likely to be discouraged from air travel because of bad experiences and the resulting unbearable anxiety.
It shouldn’t be; in fact, air travel could and should be easier for most. The pre-booking support has improved massively in recent years. What still needs to be improved is the transfer of information to everyone involved.
Outdated IT solutions represent a central bottleneck and should be replaced by modern, state-of-the-art frameworks. This is not science fiction, there are a number of manufacturers whose products massively improve the transmission and handling of information.
COVID-19 has massively affected air travel, and the whole range of new requirements that the pandemic brought with it will persist for many years to come. Adding these stress points to those that already exist that affect people with disabilities will result in fewer people flying. Not the ideal scenario for airlines and airports, let alone general hospitality.
Now is the time to drive change and invest in solutions that can reduce, if not eliminate, uncertainty, eliminate fears and make air travel comfortable and almost seamless for everyone again.
