(Dis)Embodied Air Travel Experiences: Disability, Discrimination and the Affect of a Discontinuous Air Travel Chain

Abstract

This article presents an investigation of the embodied air travel experiences of people with disability. The study was informed by human rights frameworks, social approaches to disability and critical tourism. The research design included a review of newspaper articles, human rights complaint cases, open-ended responses to a survey on the tourism experiences of people with disabilities and semistructured in-depth interviews. The findings revealed that the air travel practices routinely contravened disability discrimination legislation and identified a series of socially constructed constraints across the air travel chain from the preplanning of trips through to disembarking after a flight. What emerged from these experiences was that the embodied individuals became (dis)embodied at each stage of the air travel chain. The inequitable, inaccessible, undignified and dependent practices resulted in heightened anxiety, increased helplessness and, in some cases, humiliation to which they were not subjected in their everyday lives.

Preparing for Baby Boomers as an Agri-tourism Market

“…Since these sensory needs have been accommodated domestically as a result of the Americans with Disabilities Act, it will also be important to assure that such needs are attended to, regardless of location for people. For example, the installation of amplifiers on telephones in guest rooms, and flashing lights which serve as warning signals are helpful to those who are hard-of-hearing [9][10][11][12].…”

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“…Given the barriers and constraints reported by air travel passengers, Darcy (2012) highlights that due to negative experiences some passengers stated they may never fly again, while others stated they will choose modes of transport where their independence and dignity can be maintained. Poria et al (2010) suggest that given an unpleasant experience, passengers may decide not to travel again with the same airline.…”

“…The constraints experienced by these passengers do not result from their disabilities; these constraints are structural, socially constructed, and perpetrated by airlines and airports (Darcy, 2012). Darcy (2012) points out that during the pre-travel planning stage, the main issues identified by passengers are segregated booking procedures, for example, they cannot reserve a priority seat through the company's website and are required to make phone contact to explain their needs to the customer service attendant. Other issues include the inaccessible information format, the independent travel criteria, and limit to the number of assistive devices or service animals allowed per flight.…”

“…Some difficulties during boarding and disembarking include the separation of the passenger from their personal assistive devices, boarding and disembarking delay (first on-last off), the lack of boarding bridges (jetways) in regional airports, poor training of professionals that assist passengers, the transfer process to the on-board wheelchair and to the aircraft seat, service attitude, and the loss or damage of assistive devices (Darcy, 2012).…”

“…With regard to the aircraft, passengers encounter difficulties with seat allocation, the number of seats with flip-up armrests, safety procedures, difficult access to the lavatory, lack of on-board wheelchairs (Darcy, 2012). Small et al (2012) analyzed tourist experiences of people who are visual impaired and observed that accessibility is a major issue in all stages of the journey and places visited, especially with regard to access to information, experiences of wayfinding, travelling with a guide dog, and knowledge and attitudes of others towards disability.…”