In airports across the UK, those with reduced mobility, disabilities or senior passengers are legally entitled to airport assistance. This helps those who could benefit from extra support to make their journey smoother and less stressful.

What Is Special Assistance?

Special assistance is an additional service provided to passengers who will benefit from additional aid when travelling.

This can include elderly passengers who suffer from physical disabilities, those who use wheelchairs and those with hidden disabilities such as dementia or autism.

This service can be offered from the moment you arrive at the airport, up until you reach your destination airport.

Who Can Request Assistance?

As aforementioned, this service is for those who need additional support. This could be someone who struggles to understand messages from airport personnel, use the toilet on their own, hold their upper body vertically without assistance or has special medications they need to take.

Flight conditions may state that disabled passengers must have an accompanying person with them.

How Do I Find The Special Assistance Reception Area?

To plan ahead, your departure airport’s website should be able to provide you with advice on where to find the special assistance reception. It is likely that any aid will need to be booked at least 48 hours ahead of your departure.

Heathrow has special assistance receptions in terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5. There are also help phones in the short-stay car parks and throughout the airport.

Birmingham Airport has a special assistance desk in the concourse area on the ground floor next to check-in zone B.

Liverpool Airport has an assistance desk in the centre of the main terminal building.

Most airports will have specific facilities for assistance dogs too.

Many airports will have a designated area in the departure lounge where you can wait in comfort until your flight is called.

What Should I Ask For?

Some airlines will have a special assistance team who can give you advice about travelling as a disabled person and what help they recommend you have.

If you book a flight with the airline directly, you can request airport assistance during the booking process. If you book with a travel agent, you may need to call the airline reservations team.

To make sure you are prepared, at this point you can ask any questions you may have such as:

  • How far is the walking distance to airport departures?
  • Does the airport have an ambulift or air bridge?
  • Are there accessible toilets on board?
  • What restrictions are there for bringing an electric mobility aid on board?
  • What types of seats are available?

Are There Any Restrictions To Special Assistance?

Assistance at the airport can make flights easier for those with both visible and non-visible disabilities however, assistance cannot be given for:

  • Eating and drinking,
  • Taking medication,
  • Transferring yourself from a wheelchair to the toilet,
  • Using the toilet,
  • The needs of your service dog,
  • One-on-one care.

You’ll be required to travel with a safety assistant if you need help:

  • Lifting yourself into and out of a seat,
  • Getting to an emergency exit,
  • Unfastening your seat belt,
  • Putting on an oxygen mask.

Can I Travel With My Mobility Equipment?

If you are travelling with your own mobility aid, it’s best to check if this needs to be pre-booked. Failure to do so could result in your mobility aid not travelling with you.

Most airlines will allow you to carry up to two mobility items for free. The airline you’re travelling with will likely need details of electric mobility aids in advance.

You will also have the right to travel with an assistance dog, but the rules on pet travel must be followed. Your assistance dog must sit in the space on the floor in front of the seat and must have a safety harness for take-off and landing.

Can I Expect The Same At My Destination Airport?

This will depend on where you are travelling to. In the EU, you are entitled to the same level of free assistance as you received at the UK airport.

Therefore, you can expect assistance through immigration, customs and baggage reclaim, and also assistance to the car parks or train station drop-off zone.

This applies to disabled persons, the elderly, those with temporary mobility issues such as a broken leg, or those with conditions such as autism, anxiety or dementia.

Will Special Assistance Affect My Travel Insurance?

No, using a special assistance service will not affect your travel insurance. However, you must declare any disabilities under an insurance policy with pre-existing medical conditions.

If you fail to disclose these and make a claim, your claim may be rejected.

To book your specialist travel insurance policy, make sure to get in touch with an insurance broker such as Brunel Insurance, who will be able to guide you through the whole process to ensure that you are fully covered.