Navigating and utilizing airports will be complicated and irritating for anybody, however particularly so for these with disabilities or particular accessibility wants. That is, after all, one thing that airports think about with services and applications in place. The insurance coverage firm, PayingTooMuch, has launched an attention-grabbing survey wanting into this, overlaying 30 industrial airports throughout the UK.

The survey checked out a number of elements and ranked every airport with an “accessibility rating.” The elements thought of included whether or not they have Hidden Incapacity schemes, what number of Altering Place bathrooms they’ve, and the way rapidly individuals with lowered mobility are in a position to get via the airport. Based mostly on these outcomes, we glance right here on the high 5 airports within the UK.

1 Manchester Airport

Accessibility rating (from PayingTooMuch) 9.99/10

Manchester Airport comes out high by fairly a great distance on this survey. It got here out high in a number of of the classes examined, placing it forward of the opposite airports. This can be a good consequence for the nation – Manchester is the busiest regional airport within the UK, and third busiest within the nation.

Main outcomes from the survey embrace:

• The airport has extra Altering Locations bathrooms (accredited and registered) bathrooms than another airport – with three throughout the airport. In accordance with the group which manages these (Altering Locations Bogs), such bathrooms are designed to allow individuals to get out and about as they supply
  “extra space and the fitting gear, together with a peak adjustable altering bench, a peninsular bathroom, and a celling hoist.”
• It has RoomMate audio descriptions out there in bathrooms (these are audio-based help methods for blind or visually impaired customers). It’s one among solely 4 airports within the UK to supply this – and the one one on this high 5 abstract.
• One other main statistic checked out was the ready time for departure help for these with lowered mobility. At Manchester, 99.95% of passengers with pre-booked service waited beneath 10 minutes. 100% of passengers with out reserving waited beneath 25 minutes.

2 London Gatwick Airport

Accessibility rating (from PayingTooMuch) 7.59/10

London Gatwick Airport is available in as the highest most important London airport for accessibility and second total within the UK. Luton Airport is the one different London airport to make the highest ten (it’s in ninth place). Vacationers with entry necessities may need to hold this in thoughts when flying from the capital.

Photograph: Wealthy Higgins | Shutterstock

Gatwick scored effectively within the survey within the following areas:

• It has two Altering Locations bathrooms (the one different should have multiple).
• 99.94% of pre-booked departure providers had been handled in lower than 10 minutes.

3 Aberdeen Airport

Accessibility rating (from PayingTooMuch) 7.5/10

Aberdeen is an excellent small airport to fly from, and it’s good to see it positioned so extremely. Specifically, it scores on the next:

• It has one Altering Locations bathroom.
• 100% of pre-booked departure providers had been handled in lower than 10 minutes.
• 100% of not pre-booked departure providers had been handled in lower than 25 minutes.

Photograph: Justin Hayward | Easy Flying

 

4 Metropolis of Derry Airport

Accessibility rating (from PayingTooMuch) 7.5/10

Metropolis of Derry Airport, primarily based close to Derry/Londonderry, serves Northern Eire. It displayed related outcomes to Aberdeen Airport, assembly 100% of its booked and non-booked departure help requests well timed.

It also needs to be famous that every one these high 5 airports function the Sunflower Lanyard scheme. This permits vacationers to share any hidden disabilities and obtain applicable help.

5 East Midlands Airport

Accessibility rating (from PayingTooMuch) 7.5/10

East Midlands Airport is one other of the busiest airports within the UK (ranked 14th in 2022 by the CAA), so once more, it’s good to see it performing effectively on this space. It once more scores the identical as Aberdeen and Metropolis of Derry Airports, with the identical bathroom services and departure help efficiency.

Photograph: BoeingMan777 | Shutterstock

Technically, a number of different airports – Leeds Bradford, Cardiff, and Inverness – additionally scored the identical 7.5 from the survey, making all of them joint third actually.

This has been a fast have a look at the perfect accessibility options at UK airports primarily based on one specific survey. For a wider have a look at accessible journey and airports, together with airport obligations and laws, check out our current Information to Accessible Journey.

Would you want to debate extra about accessible services at any of those airports or at another airports? Be happy to take action within the feedback part beneath.

Sources: PayingTooMuch, Changingplaces.org