More airlines are working on improving the customer experience for passengers who need assistance when flying due to disability or long-term health conditions. But whilst the disabled passenger experience is steadily improving, it remains largely inconsistent globally.
One component of achieving accessible aviation is to reduce the financial disadvantage for the cohort of disabled passengers who are required to fly with a personal assistant or travel companion to meet safety regulations. This concession is for travellers who require physical support to take care of their daily or medical needs, follow safety instructions, and require assistance on evacuation.
A recent carer-focused initiative by Qantas caught our eye. The carrier has expanded its so-called Qantas Carer Concession Card (QCCC) program, which provides discount travel on domestic Qantas flights for eligible people and their carers.
Since 28 January, says Qantas, QCCC program card holders and their carer receive a 30% discount off the base fare on all domestic and regional flights, across all cabins, including those on sale, and a 10% discount off all international base fares for business, premium economy and economy cabins (excluding carrier charges, fees and taxes in both instances; terms and conditions apply.)
Elsewhere, Japan Airlines offers a Care Giver discount of 10% with proper identification. And Virgin Atlantic advertises discounts and deals for carers.
Canada, meanwhile, requires Canadian carriers to provide the adjacent seating for a necessary support person without charging the disabled passenger an additional fare or any other charges if travelling within Canada — except if that travel is part of an itinerary which includes travel outside Canada (for example, domestic legs of international flights).
Air Canada also makes discounts available, saying: “Depending on your destination, your support person may qualify for a reimbursement to their fare or a special rate.”
Living with a disability is expensive, as your author can attest. According to research by UK charity Scope, disabled households need an additional £1,010 a month to have the same standard of living as non-disabled households, so air travel for two people is a significant expense. For this reason, concessions are essential to grow accessible aviation and achieve more equity in travel.
There are voices within the disabled community who advocate for better concessions as discounts apply mostly to domestic flights and discount levels vary. The criteria to qualify can also be challenging, with some operators requiring confirmation from assigned disability or medical organisations.
From an industry perspective, it takes inclusive leadership to offer a concession.
But non-disabled people also have a role to play: don’t take advantage of these programs in a bid to gain perks. That actively harms the truly disabled, a population any of us could find ourselves joining in the course of our lives.
Additional reporting by Becca Alkema
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Featured image credited to Qantas
