Edmonton, AB, April 01, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To mark World Autism Day, 2019, Flair airlines today announced that all of its flight attendants have recently completed a specialized training course in ‘autism awareness’ – a first for a Canadian airline.
Flair’s cabin-crew members successfully completed the certification course conducted by Connecticut-based Autism Double-Checked: The course is designed to prepare flight attendants to recognize and cater to the special needs of autistic guests as well as – by way of a Flight Guide available to the flyer - to help prepare the autistic guest for the air travel experience.
In North America, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects approximately one in 58 children. Research has shown that families with an autistic child are significantly less likely to take vacations for fear of how their child will react when confronted with the many unfamiliar and daunting challenges represented by crowded airports, airplanes and hotels.
Flair’s Executive Chairman, David Tait commented, “This is a ‘first’ of which we are very proud. Our crews were very excited to participate in this training and look forward to easing some of the rigors of air travel for families with autistic children.”
Flair also has plans for helping to familiarize families with the travel experience on the ground. In cooperation with Edmonton International Airport (EIA), CATSA, Autism Edmonton and Autism Double-Checked, Flair will host a trial boarding event at EIA.
Families with autistic children will be invited to experience every phase of the airport experience: checking in, clearing security, waiting at the gate, boarding, finding your seat and fastening a seat belt. The standard onboard announcements will be made followed by the deplaning and arrival process. Tait added, “These are things we all learn to tolerate when travelling, for an autistic child however they can be frighteningly intimidating. Knowing the airline understands special needs and events like these ‘flights-to-nowhere’ greatly diminishes that fear of the unknown when the family goes on a trip.”
Full details on to the mid-June ‘Autism Flights’ event will be announced shortly.
About flair airlines
For over a decade flair operated as a charter carrier before transitioning to scheduled service in 2017. To consistently offer affordable air travel to Canadians - with a fleet that now includes Boeing 737-800s - flair is focused on key airports, with its main transfer hub in Edmonton and a network that supports seasonal demand. For more info, please see www.flyflair.com.
For more information:
Julie Rempel
Julie.rempel@flyflair.com
204.807.2900