Travel for all: Gatwick airport presents new videos encouraging people with disabilities to fly

Usually, Sophie Bradbury-Cox – a social media influencer and a wheelchair user, checks the airport website to find out about the accessibility features for reduced mobility travelers in advance. After arriving to the airport, Sophie looks for the special assistance desk. She does not worry about the security checks and likes to roam the duty-free area looking for nice things to buy – well, which girl doesn’t? 

Marc Powell, Paralympian and Innovation Strategist at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), has enough sight to get him from A to B without assistance. Although, entering the unknown and crowded territory of the airport, he needs somebody to get him to the check-in zone.  Usually, it’s a person in a high-vis jacket.   

Sophie Bradbury-Cox and Marc Powell, Paralympian both feature in the films, released by Gatwick airport this week. These new videos demonstrate the possibilities for independent or semi-independent travel, showing the journey through the airport from the perspective of two frequent flyers - a wheelchair user and someone who is partially sighted.

Sophie Bradbury-Cox said: “It’s been fantastic to be able to show what it's like for me, as a wheelchair user, to navigate around the airport. It can be an exciting and sometimes daunting experience, but at Gatwick, I was able to get the right help at the times I needed it.”

Marc Powell said: “It’s great to work with Gatwick to highlight what it’s like for me to travel through a busy airport. Everyone's different but for me, it’s important to retain a level of independence when traveling. I rely on accessing the infrastructure and when I can’t, being able to get assistance when I need it is key.” 

Gatwick, the UK’s second-largest airport, also aims to be the most accessible airport, giving everybody an equal opportunity to fly. The films also inform of how the airport’s special assistance service works and other initiatives to help make passengers’ journeys smoother.

Jack Bigglestone-Silk, Accessibility Manager, Gatwick Airport said: “We’ve been working hard to improve accessibility for all our passengers and these videos show, not only how far we’ve come, but how we are still continuing to work on improvements. We want to be the UK’s most accessible airport and it’s important that we continue to work with passengers, charity partners, and other experts to make that ambition a reality.”

Gatwick also recently announced a new independent panel – made up of experts in the travel needs of disabled passengers and people with reduced mobility – to help shape airport’s accessibility strategy and improve services for disabled passengers.
 

The films can be viewed here.