Air Travel Tips for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Blind or visually impaired people may need extra support when traveling by air. Important information regarding safe travel needs to be collected before arrival at the airport in order to ensure maximum caution. The airline and the airport easily meet safety issues for all travellers that warrant assistance.

Tips for the Airport

 

Setting up assistance for the airport often requires planning before arrival. The blind or visually impaired should contact the airport or the person arranging their travel in order to coordinate the appropriate assistance. Blind passengers should arrange for an airline representative to meet them at curbside check-in. The guide person facilitates easier baggage drop-off and helps the passenger through customs.

           

Furthermore, arranging a guide allows the blind or visually impaired passenger to arrive at the gate at the appropriate time. In large airports, finding the gate can be especially hard due to the excessive amounts of gates and increased frequency of departures. Flight delays could also factor into difficulties in arriving at the gate on time. A guide would be able to efficiently inform the blind or visually impaired passenger.

 

Passengers with less than ideal eyesight or low vision that forget their contacts may choose to utilize Next Day Contact Lenses to get quick lenses to their destination location.

           

Tips for the Plane

 

At the beginning of every flight, the flight crew is required by federal law to display a series of techniques for in the case of emergency. Upon boarding the plane, be sure to ask for another form of instructions regarding safety tutorials.

 

People who need extra assistance should not be hesitant in asking the airline to provide somebody to help stow luggage. Oftentimes there are more than enough stewards and stewardesses to help ensure efficient stowage of luggage. The guide that aids at check-in should assist the patron until they exit the gate for boarding.

 

Taking Your Guide Dog On the Plane

 

Blind or visually impaired citizens are allowed to take their guide dogs on the airplane. Airlines do reserve the right to require proof that the guide dog has been trained through a known training organization. This possible requirement is solely to ensure the safety of the other passengers during the flight.

 

Do not allow the airline to charge fees for guide dogs. There should be no additional associated cost with service animals on flights. Furthermore, the dog will require standard harnessing in order to protect the dog and the passengers around it during takeoff and landing.

 

The Pet Travel Scheme for Guide Dogs

When arriving from an international flight, there may be a quarantine period for dogs and other animals after landing. The Pet Travel Scheme, PETS, allows most guide dogs to both ride in the cabin of the airplane and avoid the cargo hold section. In doing so, these guide dogs should get to skip the quarantine phase of international flights. It is important to investigate the airline's policy about service dogs before booking any flight.

 

Ultimately, traveling by air should be a simple experience for blind or visually impaired passengers due to the many policies in place to ensure efficient transportation and safety techniques. It is important for all passengers to call ahead to their airline and setup their assistance prior to arrival at the airport.