Accessibility in Airports: A Critical Analysis of the Tourism Industry

Accessibility is arguably one of the most important issues affecting the modern tourism industry. According to the World Health Organisation (2020) 15% of the world’s population is living with some form of disability or impairment. In some ways, individuals living with physical disabilities may feel less open to tourism, due to issues with the services provided (Yau et al, 2004). Many still do choose to travel and therefore it is vital that the industry is open and accommodating to these tourists. A key of service for tourists is an airport, and therefore these need to be accessible to all. Arguably, by assessing the accessibility practices of airports it can provide a deeper understanding of the transportation and tourism industries, but also provide recommendations to better accommodate passengers. To evaluate this, a content analysis was conducted to establish the current accessibility within airports in the UK.

Within an airport setting, there can be some issues of social justice and disabilities. For example, many European Union airports have chosen to implement e-gates as a faster alternative to passport control, however many of these are not disability friendly (Oosteven and Lehtonen, 2018). Similarly, Manley et al (2011) outlines that there are issues with evacuation routes in airports and people with physical disabilities. They argue that there are issue with lack of flat surfaces for wheelchairs. This suggesting that there are issues of accessibility that need to be addressed. On the other hand, there are some examples of best practice, for example at Heathrow Airport, they have introduced a hearing loop for deaf or hard of hearing passengers (Heathrow Airport, 2020; Lipp, 2015). This arguably shows a clear investment in accessibility in airports. Similarly, Burke and Welbes (2017) discuss the practices within Minneapolis St-Paul International Airport, including a panel of experts as well as service animal refuge areas. Raman (2010) outlines a list of criteria that make an airport accessible, including security procedures and ticketing. This showing an example of best practice in accessibility in airports.

To further analyse the practices of airports within the UK, a criterion of 15 best practices were selected from a list created by Raman (2010). These included accessible parking, loading and unloading zones, security procedures and other vital areas of accessibility within an airport. The criteria was then compared to information found on the websites of 5 major airports in the UK: Heathrow, Manchester, Gatwick, Edinburgh and Cardiff. The airports were given points for every criterion that it met. This was then used to create a percentage. Interestingly, none of the airports met all of the criteria, however, each had their own individual practices that aided in the accessibility of the airport.

The highest scoring airport was Heathrow, with 80% of the criteria. Cardiff was the lowest scoring, with a percentage of 33%. In some ways however, Cardiff had other elements that could be considered accessible to individuals with physical disabilities, as it allows tours of the facilities in advance of the passenger’s flight (Cardiff Airport, 2020). This meaning that the passenger can familiarise themselves with the airport and plan ahead. Edinburgh was arguably highly accessible, as it provided a guide on the airport’s accessibility (Edinburgh Airport, 2017). Manley et al (2011) suggested that some airports are not equipped to handle disabled individuals’ emergencies, however, this is not the case in Edinburgh. This as the guide clearly outlines the circulation of the airport and also the procedure in the event of an emergency. From this study, it can be concluded that airports are somewhat accessible, as they may not fit the criteria but have unique policies and procedures making them accessible.

It may be suggested that although the airports may not fit with the criteria, they still have unique elements of accessibility, and therefore may be considered accessible. However, there is still much to do be done to achieve accessibility within this sector. It is recommended that airports develop a standard of best practice as there is some differences between accessibility in airports.

References
Burke, P. and Welbes, J. (2017) Minneapolis- St. Paul International Airport: Instilling a culture of accessibility for people with disabilities that goes above and beyond requirements. Journal of Airport Management, 12(2) 198-206. Available from: https://web-a-ebscohost-com.proxy.library.lincoln.ac.uk/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=f043b63a-680e-44ea-8697-6b89d5bc98b7%40sdc-v-sessmgr02 [Accessed 27 April 20].
Lipp, E. (2015) What creates access and inclusion at airports? Airport Management, 9(4) 390-397. Available from: https://web-b-ebscohost-com.proxy.library.lincoln.ac.uk/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=5e29de13-dc33-44e6-9b63-966b52d7e381%40pdc-v-sessmgr04 [Accessed 27 April 2020].
Raman, S. (2010) Airport accessibility for travellers with disabilities. Journal of Airport Management, 5(3) 239-244. Available from: https://web-b-ebscohost-com.proxy.library.lincoln.ac.uk/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=13953c27-5f89-43a0-a813-711f408fc17e%40pdc-v-sessmgr04 [Accessed 28 April 2020].

This conference paper presents insights to shocking revelations regarding the level of accessibility for disabled passengers in UK Airports. Questioning that tourism is still not accessible to all. Airports are an essential part of travelling abroad, so the findings presented were surprising that they are not considered fully accessible. Helping bring attention to the matter of UK airports, with none of them meeting simple criteria created by Raman and adapted by Richardson in the paper.

Although I believe the analysis is limited as it does not include a comparison of airports outside of the UK. Since all European airports offer assistance services to all disabled passengers (Oostveen and Lehtonen, 2018). Adding in the European perspective would have helped strengthen the study to provide an insight into whether UK airports are leading with accessibility or far behind other countries. Providing additional knowledge for those who are unaware of the accessibility in tourism.

Upon further research into accessibility of airports, it was discovered that there is an “Accessible Airport Award” which is a recognised institutional award in cooperation Airport Council International Europe (Hakobyan, 2020). Celebrating the success of airports who are achieving high levels of accessibility and quality of assistance in the European air travel market. The award was set up to encourage airports to break down barriers that hinder disabled people from travelling and worrying about accessibility issues. The criteria which measures the success and produces the winner has 35 checkpoints which have expressed that airports should cater for people who both physical and non-physical disabilities Previous winners include Gatwick in 2019, Pafos Airport in 2018, Larnaka Airport in 2017 and Dublin Airport in 2016 (Hakobyan, 2020). Indicating that the UK was not meeting standards previously but is now gaining recognition in the European market.

Research of this kind is extremely useful in tourism and more studies should focus on analysing the accessibility of the industry in order to bring attention to issues that require improvements or set examples in leading the way for issues related to accessibility in tourism. Overall a well-presented conference by Richardson to making tourism more accessible.



References

Hakobyan, M. (2020) Accessible Airport Award Applications are now open. Brussels: European Disability Forum. Available from http://www.edf-feph.org/newsroom/news/accessible-airport-award-applications-are-now-open [Accessed 08 May 2020].

Oostveen, A. and Lehtonen, P. (2018) The requirement of accessibility: European automated border control systems for persons with disabilities. Technology in Society, 52, 60-69. Available from https://www-sciencedirect-com.proxy.library.lincoln.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S0160791X17300878#bib17 [Accessed 09 May 2020].

I have chosen to comment on this topic as I have in the past, researched similar matters specifically concerning those with a visual impairment. Therefore, this paper is interesting from the outlook of all disabilities and impairments. The Author has focused on the accessibility within airports and was able to support these findings with current statistics. Also, a clear link was made to ensure how airports could still provide better services for the individuals.

From the authors findings as well as my own research it is clear that improvements could be made towards accessibility in UK airports. For instance, I have previously found that Manchester Airport received negative comments regarding its service to visually impaired passengers. In an interview with BBC radio, Peter White (2018) discussed his own personal experience travelling as a visually impaired individual in Manchester Airport. White (2018) states that the assistance he requested which consisted of a member of staff to walk beside him to the luggage reclamation, was overlooked by the airport. This was due to the airport only offering assistance via a wheelchair making the individual feel uncomfortable. To support this, the airport also received a ‘poor’ rating in terms of the accessibility of passengers been aided around the airport (Civil Aviation Authority, 2018). Thus, providing evidence on how airports within the UK are not addressing the correct needs of every individual, causing many disabilities to be seen as homogeneous when in fact the needs for each individuals disability, is diverse (Kong and Loi, 2017).

Whilst many individuals with a disability or impairment still choose to travel, it is crucial that the industry is open and accommodating to these tourists (Raman, 2010). Overall, this paper has successfully accessed the accessibility within airports and highlighted some of the key issues concerning this topic. Though to further strengthen this, the author could use some ‘real life’ experiences, through the use of primary research in order to support this study.

White, P. (2018) Interviewed by K. Core. In Touch. BBC Radio 4. 17 July. Available from https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b9v6n8 [accessed 4 May 2020].

Civil Aviation Authority (2018) Airport Accessibility Report. Available from http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/20180711%20CAP1679%20FINAL.pdf [accessed 10 May 2020)

Kong, W. H. and Loi, K. I. (2017) ‘The barriers to holiday-taking for visually impaired tourists and their families’, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 32, pp. 99–107. doi: 10.1016/j.jhtm.2017.06.001 [accessed 10 May 2020].