Airlines Increasingly Commit To Autism Training For Staff

Just ahead of the summer travel season, another airline is taking steps to be more welcoming toward travelers on the spectrum.

Virgin Atlantic says that it will train all of its cabin crew on how to support individuals with autism and their families.

The airline is working with Autism Double-Checked, an organization that helps travel companies become autism friendly, on the effort which will be incorporated into Virgin Atlantic’s annual training activities.

“We know that for autistic customers and their families, flying can be a unique and unfamiliar environment which presents challenges. By listening to our customers and working with autism travel specialists Autism Double-Checked, alongside our own people who have personal experience of autism, we’ve built a training programme that gives every crew member the understanding and confidence to make a real difference onboard,” said Becky Woodmansee, chief people officer at Virgin Atlantic.

Airline staff are expected to complete two digital learning modules with information about autism generally and about identifying signs that an individual is distressed or overwhelmed. The training will also provide guidance on how to adapt communication styles depending on a person’s needs and how to offer reassurance and support, according to Autism Double-Checked.

“For autistic travellers and their families, knowing that every crew member on a flight has been trained to understand and support their needs is such a positive step in the right direction,” said Alan Day, founder and CEO of Autism Double-Checked. “We’re proud to have developed this programme with Virgin Atlantic and hope it sets a new standard for the industry.”

In addition to cabin crew, Virgin Atlantic is planning to extend its autism training effort to customer-facing ground staff this year.

Virgin Atlantic isn’t the first airline to incorporate autism training for its staff. Breeze Airways committed to the practice in 2022 and Emirates said last year that it had trained 30,000 cabin crew and ground staff.