Low-mobility passengers tested food delivery service at Edinburgh airport
At the airport of Edinburgh (Scotland) for passengers with disabilities offered a new facility for ordering and delivering food and beverages. This is a special mobile platform, through which airport employees can take an order from a passenger for delivery of various dishes from an airport cafe, and then bring it to the departure lounge directly to the passenger’s resting place. Currently, the service is in test mode.
Anthony Payne, Enterprise Applications Manager said: “We pride ourselves on being an innovative airport and embrace technology which benefits our passengers wherever possible – FetchyFox brings both of those things to the table. By using the FetchyFox platform, our staff will handle all aspects of the order process, from menu selection through to payment and delivery, allowing the passenger to relax in our PRM waiting area ahead of their flight. It ensures we are creating an accessible service that offers a choice for our passengers, removing any unnecessary worries for them and whoever they are travelling with. Early feedback is very positive, and we’re looking forward to seeing the trial in action and introducing more offerings to the service.”
It should be noted that the efforts of the Edinburgh Airport to create an accessible environment have been rated as ‘very good’ by passengers with disabilities. It is the first airport in Scotland to achieve an Autism Friendly Award in recognition of the accessible and supportive environment created for autistic passengers. In its accessibility report in 2018, industry regulator the Civil Aviation Authority, has also noted considerable improvement in the service.
The service at Edinburgh Airport was used by almost 88,000 people in 2017, up from 70,000 in 2016, and the airport has continued to invest in and improve the service, including:
- 2 Ambu-lifts, 3 minibuses and 1 avi-ramp which improves our arrivals service and passenger experience;
- a mobile app for passengers with reduced mobility and hidden disabilities to personalise the assistance they receive;
- trialling innovative wheelAIR chairs to cool the back and reduce the user’s core temperature by taking away excess heat and moisture.
According to the Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport, Gordon Dewar, all these changes were made as a result of consultations with reduced mobility passengers, based on their travel experiences and access needs.