Annual Report 1998

3. Airports Working Group

Chairman

Members

Members of Access to the Skies UK

Observers

Secretariat

Report

During 1998 the Airports Working Group has concentrated on bringing about improved communication and operator understanding of the issues affecting disabled passengers travelling by air. In order to target the aviation industry we published Issue 1 of a newsletter entitled "Access to Air Travel" which publicises the work of the committee, identifies its members and how to contact them, and details the topics on which it can give help and guidance. Demand was such that a reprint was required and a second issue will follow. In order to reach a wider audience of disabled customers, a number of member organisations have ensured that all the current information about a range of disability matters is displayed on their computer websites. The group also welcomed, and commented upon, RADAR's new guide to air travel, which gives practical advice to disabled air travellers.

In the broader sphere of international guidance and regulation, members of the group continue to monitor and provide feedback on material being produced by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) and ECAC (European Civil Aviation Conference). The aim is to harmonise the various standards and recommendations, and to maintain the complex balance between the needs of disabled people, the cost of compliance and the possibility of creating unfair competition within the industry.

The group has renewed its membership in order to strengthen representation from airports and from a wide range of disability organisations. It also took the opportunity to analyse relevant complaints received by the Air Transport User's Council and concluded that the main areas of passenger concern were already being dealt with. An updated action plan was agreed upon for 1999, to include current and future tasks. Pressure will be maintained to obtain standardised accessibility audits for UK airports, to increase the numbers of on-board wheelchairs on aircraft and to seek short-term solutions to make aircraft toilets accessible for their wheelchairs. New items will include the implications for airports and airlines of increased numbers of support dogs, following removal of quarantine regulations, and perhaps ways of making airline food packaging more user-friendly. The more fundamental need, however, is to brief ourselves on design and service issues of the future, demographic data, trends in disability and so on, so that airlines, aircraft manufacturers and the working group can forecast developments over the next ten or twenty years. It will be useful jointly to identify both design improvements for the next generation of aircraft and customer expectations and needs.

The Group was grateful for the involvement of Glenda Jackson in seeking to resolve the problem of funding special assistance for disabled passengers at airports and improving the "members" service. A meeting between DETR, the Airport Operators Association and the British Air Transport Association established the principal that disabled passengers should not be subject to direct charges. The proposed "per capita" levy on all passengers, however, did not meet with general acceptance: UK airports are therefore currently reviewing their handling arrangements with the relevant airlines in order to tailor individual airport recommendations.

It has been a productive and interesting year for the Airports Working Group, which continues to enjoy a useful partnership with Access to the Skies UK, and brings together the service providers, air passengers and disability organisations.

Peta Wright
Chairman

Airports Working Group - Work Programme 1999

To gather information on airport and aircraft design trends for the next 20 years and to see how these can be made more accessible.

To look at the effect of the relaxation of quarantine regulations on the carriage of support dogs on international flights.

To encourage the provision of on-board wheelchairs and to see how their design can be improved.

To look at how the design of on-board accessible toilets can be improved.

To look at how the design of airline food packaging can be improved.

To draw the work of the group together into a code of practice (for airports and airlines) which could eventually be the basis for European and international regulations.

Terms of Reference for the Airports Working Group

Any reference to DPTAC is to the Main Committee

1. The membership of the Group will be agreed with the Chairman of the Group and the Chairman of DPTAC. Membership will be limited to no more than twenty members.

2. The membership of the Group will include representatives from disability interests, organisations involved in air transport and other appropriate interests.

3. The Group will normally meet at least four times a year. For the time being, meetings will be held jointly with the Access to the Skies Committee UK (ATTSUK).

4. The Chairman of the Group will generally be a full time member of DPTAC and will report on the Group's work to DPTAC.

5. The group will:

a) consider issues affecting elderly and disabled people travelling through airports.

b) consider requests from DETR and other Government Departments to DPTAC for guidance/advice on policy issues and make recommendations to DPTAC on those issues.

c) undertake such work as they, in consultation with DPTAC, and in conjunction with ATTSUK as appropriate, consider necessary to progress the interests of disabled people in relation to air travel.

d) raise issues, through DPTAC, for consideration by the DETR.

e) draw up guidance and codes of practice, as necessary, for clearance by DPTAC for publication as formal DPTAC advice.

f) provide advice to DPTAC, on consultation papers from Government and other organisations.

6. All papers submitted to the Group will be confidential to its members and to members of ATTSUK and details discussed within the Group should not be discussed with third parties, without prior agreement of the Secretariat.

Published 1 October 1999

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