How do children with special needs travel on a plane?

Consider bringing a “sensory bag” for the flight. Noise-canceling headphones, a sensory tactile book, and fidget items to keep your child's hands busy can be distracting and helpful during boarding, take-off, and landing. Pack your child's favorite snacks, too. This will give their hands and mouth something to do.



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Air travel can be an exciting, yet anxiety provoking experience. This may be particularly true for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) because of factors connected to flying, including a change in routine, navigating unfamiliar environments and considerable sensory stimulation.

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Airlines are also required to provide passengers with disabilities many types of assistance, including wheelchair or other guided assistance to board, deplane, or connect to another flight; seating accommodation assistance that meets passengers' disability-related needs; and assistance with the loading and stowing of ...

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This is why the IATA or the International Air Transport Association has introduced DPNA as a Special Service Request (SSR) code, with the acronym standing for Disabled Passenger with Intellectual or Developmental Disability Needing Assistance.

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Skip the queues If you have a disability, you can ask to skip the queue at security as part of your Special Assistance. Alternatively, you can pay a small fee to use priority or 'fast track' security lanes at many airports. It's often cheaper to book this in advance by contacting the airport.

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Boarding. Notify the gate attendant that you are traveling with a child with an ASD and you will be allowed to board early or board last depending on your preference. Advantages of boarding early include not needing to wait in line at the gate or on the airplane while other passengers take their seats.

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The airline may ask how a particular seat will allow you to access the air transportation service. For example, a child on the autism spectrum may benefit from a bulkhead seat or another seat with greater legroom if this extra space is needed for soothing techniques during the flight should the child need it.

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Tip 6: Skip the queues Once in the terminal, it is worth talking to a member of the staff near the check-in line, as they can normally send you down to a disabled or priority passenger line to check in, which is less stressful.

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Preboarding is available for Customers who have a specific seating need to accommodate their disability and/or need assistance in boarding the aircraft or stowing an assistive device. Customers who are traveling with assistance and emotional support animals qualify for preboarding.

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If you have a disability and would prefer or need a certain type of seating accommodation, you should contact the airline at the time you make your reservation to learn more about the method that the airline uses to make arrangements for a seating accommodation.

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Delta, Southwest, and United all allow this extra support. JetBlue may be a low-budget carrier, but they have a program that allows for silent boarding, so passengers with disabilities can settle in and get used to their surroundings before the other passengers' board.

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Contact your airline's disability assistance department for more information. Create your own social story to help your child walk through specific events she will experience at the airport and on the airplane. Some airlines provide their own social story you can use or build on.

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Autistics often wear a sunflower lanyard which is an internationally recognised symbol for hidden disabilities. Airport staff have been trained to recognise the lanyards and to give individuals with hidden disabilities the option to identify themselves as needing assistance.

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A disability notification card helps TSA agents know what to expect so that they can better serve individuals with autism, cognitive disorders, or other challenges. This will help the TSA agent to adjust their expectations so that your family isn't treated differently for having someone who is on the autism spectrum.

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Airline Industry Codes When booking flights, you can request a Special Service Request (SSR) code called DPNA. The DPNA code stands for “Disabled Passenger with Intellectual or Developmental Disability Needing Assistance“.

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The right to preboard the airplane before all other passengers is a civil right guaranteed to disabled people by the Air Carrier Access Act. But, like all other civil rights, it can be waived by the individual if they so choose.

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Generally, airline personnel may not ask what specific disability the person has, but they can ask questions regarding the person's ability to perform specific air travel-related functions, such as boarding, deplaning or walking through the airport.

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