What would you experience at an airport and on the airplane if you were deaf?

Air travel with hearing loss can present both communication and navigation challenges and may feel scary, particularly if you're not a seasoned traveler. Hearing loss can affect every aspect of airplane travel, from check-in to boarding, not to mention those last-minute gate change announcements.



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Traveling Tips Whether it's your flight attendant or the individual seated next to you, be sure to let them know about your loss of hearing. They can make accommodations for you in case of an emergency. Bring supplies for cleaning and dehumidifier. Some instances have integrated dehumidifiers.

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Boarding and Gate Announcements: LED Board Usage Some airports have installed LED boards at the gate that specify which group is boarding, so look around for those. Many airports also have induction loops, so if your hearing aid has telecoils, take advantage of these systems!

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For a passenger with a hearing impairment, crew can communicate by phone messaging or by written note, and understand the need to speak clearly so that lip-reading is possible The safety demonstration is also screened with subtitles as is most of the inflight entertainment.

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Normally, you should let the airline know of any requests or assistance you may need during booking, but I've just asked for priority boarding at the gate. So far it hasn't been an issue. I just let the person at the gate know that I'm hard of hearing, and voila! They let me cut the line.

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You have the right to request disability seating and preboarding. This usually means close to the front of the aircraft. This seating allows you to pre-board as well as to see the flight attendants clearly so you are better able to understand them as they make in-flight announcements.

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If your ears feel full and blocked or you keep getting the sensation that they aren't able to pop properly, then flying is probably going to make this worse. It is especially important for children to avoid flying with an ear infection as they are at higher risk due to having narrower Eustachian tubes.

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And then there's the chime that, hopefully, you'll never have to hear: three high-low chimes, which signals an emergency situation.

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