Air Canada has become the first airline in North America to adopt the Hidden Disabilities ‘Sunflower’ program to better serve customers with non-visible disabilities such as autism.
"Our customers make 1.3 million accessibility requests each year and this initiative further demonstrates our commitment to improve accessibility, which we are reinforcing through the creation of a Customer Accessibility Advisory Committee,” said Tom Stevens, VP, Customer Experience and Operations Strategy.
“Consisting of customers with disabilities from accessibility groups in Canada, the committee will contribute to heightened awareness and help us identify barriers and develop solutions," Stevens said.
The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is a globally recognized program that employs the use of a discreet sunflower symbol to identify customers with non-visible disabilities. By choosing to wear the Sunflower lanyard, Air Canada customers can indicate to airline staff that they may require additional assistance, have specific needs, or simply require more time while travelling.
Air Canada wants to make flying easier for people with hidden disabilities including autism.
In support of the program, Air Canada is training and building awareness amongst all customer-facing employees to recognize and respond appropriately to participating customers. The lanyard is available at check-in counters at Hidden Disability Sunflower member airports in Canada and on board all flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Express.
"It gives you great confidence, in that you know that you can be seen,” said Paul Rogers, a director on the board of Brain Injury Canada and a member of the Air Canada Customer Accessibility Advisory Committee.
“It's a very visual tool without me having or anyone having to explain and have that conversation. And it's reassuring knowing that there's somebody who's got your back. Who's there and can see what's going on and help you out."
Air Canada committed in its three-year Air Canada Accessibility Plan to establish an advisory group of customers with disabilities. In November 2023, the airline announced it was accelerating the plan through a series of measures to remove barriers and improve the travel experience for its customers with disabilities. These included:
Boarding: Customers at the gate who request lift assistance will be consistently boarded first before all other customers and proactively seated at the front of the cabin they booked.
Storage of mobility aids: Mobility aids will be stored in the aircraft cabin when possible. When mobility aids are stored in the cargo hold, new systems are being put in place to track them in transit, including a process to confirm mobility aids are properly loaded before departure. Customers travelling within Canada are now able to track the journey of their mobility aid using the Air Canada app.
Training: Enhanced training will be supplied to improve all aspects of employee interactions with customers with disabilities, including understanding customer experiences in air travel. Air Canada's approximately 10,000 airport employees will receive this training as part of a new annual, recurrent training program.
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