Passenger Terminal World - June 2024
Helen Norman
19 August 2024
Passenger Terminal World examines how airports and their partners are working hard to ensure equitable access for all passengers traveling through terminals
lexibility, autonomy and choice: these are the three key factors that make up a great travel experience for disabled passengers at airports, according to Emily Yates, head of accessibility and inclusive design at Mima, a human-centered design agency that has worked with airports around the world to improve their accessibility, passenger experience and wayfinding strategies. Yates, a wheelchair user with cerebral palsy, believes all airports should be striving to offer disabled passengers “a human experience rather than a scheduled process, wherever possible.
“I’d love to see a redesign of the assistance service to provide more autonomy for passengers,” she says. “An assisted journey, as it’s currently designed, does not enable me to behave like a ‘regular’ passenger. Rarely can I shop, drink and dine like my peers and I am sometimes left in a waiting area with fellow passengers who require assistance until it is time for us to board. This is not quite the start to a break by the beach or an energizing work trip that any of us are after!”
Yates does acknowledge that there must be set processes and systems in place at airports to ensure safe and secure accessibility for all, but she believes, “A holistic focus on the passenger experience and how to encourage a more equitable approach for all would be gratefully received by many.”
Read on: Pages 30 - 34 - Passenger Terminal World - June 2024 - 19 August 2024
