Wheelchairs, Waitings and Ratings: The New Airport Accessibility Performance Report
CAA’s latest report shows progress, but some airports still need improvement
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At the end of May, I was in Berlin. The last day of my trip was Friday. I attended a funeral in the morning, had to leave the hotel quite early to get there and had to travel back to the airport later. Until I reached the plane, I had 14 quite exhausting hours behind me. I flew to Heathrow because I needed a late flight after the funeral. Usually, I try to fly to London City because it’s closer to home.
Three other people needed assistance on my flight, all with mobility impairments. One man was in agony because he had injured his knee before. There was an old man, likely in his 80s or even 90s, and a young girl who sat in a wheelchair, travelling with her family. And there was I, a wheelchair and aisle chair user. WCHC in aviation terms.
To assist four people, all with severe walking difficulties or unable to walk at all, the airport sent only one person to get four people off the plane. Totally inadequate and impossible to do if there is a passenger who needs an aisle chair. And even if we could all walk, that would have been a stretch. It took them 40 minutes to find a second person. That was half the length of the flight and not just an “inconvenience” for me. It had a knock-on effect on my whole journey home because it’s quite difficult to get a taxi in Greenwich after midnight.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has just released its latest Accessibility Assistance Performance Report, highlighting both significant progress and notable shortcomings in how UK airports support passengers who need assistance when using airports. The report, covering the period from April 2024 to March 2025, evaluates 28 of the country’s busiest airports, assessing their performance in providing assistance and ensuring a dignified travel experience for all.
Record Demand for Assistance
In 2024, a record of 5.5 million passengers requested assistance at UK airports - 1.9% of all travellers, up from 1.69% in 2023 and just 0.94% in 2010. This surge highlights both the growing awareness of assistance services and the increasing number of people who rely on them to travel independently.
The CAA assessed 28 airports with over 150,000 passengers annually. 11 airports were rated “Very Good”, including East Midlands Airport where I chair their advisory group. 14 airports were rated “Good”, three airports were rated as “Needs Improvement” and no airport was rated “Poor”.
Airports previously identified as needing improvement, such as Cardiff and Gatwick, have now moved up to the “Very Good” category.
Three Airports Fall Short
However, London Heathrow, Edinburgh, and Glasgow Prestwick were rated as “Needs Improvement”:
London Heathrow: While Terminals 2, 4, and 5 performed well, according to the CAA, Terminal 3 was singled out for unclear waiting time standards and discrepancies between reported data and observed passenger experiences. Some passengers waited over 45 minutes for assistance after arrival, and the CAA could not verify the robustness of performance measurement at this terminal.
During the CAA’s in-person monitoring at Terminal 3 they noted that while passengers were generally disembarked from an aircraft quickly, some passengers then waited for the equipment needed to provide assistance, such as buggies or wheelchairs, with some arriving passengers being left for unacceptable periods of time without access to toilets or other facilities.
Edinburgh Airport: Failed to meet standards for timely assistance, primarily due to operational disruptions following a contractor change. The CAA notes that these issues now appear to be resolved, but the year’s performance did not meet expectations.
Glasgow Prestwick: Did not adequately consult with disabled groups and individuals, a key requirement of the CAA’s framework. The airport has since committed to establishing an Access Forum to address this gap.
Good achievement
It’s a good achievement that most airports in the UK are operating with a good or even “very good” level of compliance and customer experience when it comes to disabled passengers. However, leaving passengers in the corridors without access to toilets and other facilities as described in the report doesn’t just “need improvement”. It’s “poor” and that should have been reflected in the rating. It’s also affects the passenger far more than lack of engagement with the disability community (Glasgow Prestwick). Of course, this is important. I strongly believe you can’t operate a good service for disabled people without engaging with this customer group, but it’s not in the same as lack of access to toilets. It can also get fixed much easier.
The issues at Heathrow are ongoing now for more than a decade with a short break before and after London 2012 and a focus on improvements after Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and BBC correspondent Frank Gardner used their voices to highlight their issues when flying from and to Heathrow. The overall fix for Heathrow seems still not to be there.
Walking distances are certainly an issue and increase the need for assistance at airports. That can only mean, to develop transport solutions within the terminals to the gates. This could reduce the need for assistance in the first place.
Disabled People are Customers too
In general, disabled and older people will not disappear. So this constant moaning about the high assistance numbers by some in the aviation industry is the wrong approach and won’t lead to solutions. If all airports were compliant with assistance regulations, disabled people who have requested assistance before travelling, still are expected to wait for 20 minutes after landing. That’s quite a long time considering the fact that the airport knew they were coming. So not even meeting this standard is not okay in 2025. It’s really a matter of priorities. Are disabled people seen as customers or not? If the answer is no, it needs regulating. There is no other option in a society that considers equality as important.
Some interesting links
25 years ago, I already argued that accessibility is a tool for innovation; it doesn’t hinder innovation. I thought, by now, everyone would have got the memo. Apparently not.
British Airways launches a dedicated customer service team for disabled passengers.
Michael Roberts, CEO of London TravelWatch, looked at the progress that needs to be made to create a truly accessible transport system in the capital.
The EU now has an Accessibility Act. Its obligations extend to importers and distributors. Included in the new law are payment terminals, self-service terminals related to the services covered by the Directive (e.g. ATMs, ticketing machines, check-in machines, and interactive self-service terminals providing information).
Something to listen to
BBC Radio 4’s “In Touch” programme assesses the implications of the upcoming European Accessibility Act on the UK.
Some final words
The Accessible Link is a reader-supported publication. So, if you like what you’re reading, consider to…
Who is writing this newsletter?
I’m Christiane Link, and I improve the customer experience in aviation, transport, and travel. I worked as a journalist for over two decades and travelled extensively for business and leisure. I’m a wheelchair user.
Work with me
Whether you're a Customer Service Director, a Head of Customer Experience, a corporate Accessibility Manager, a DEI leader, a transport planner, or a member of a disabled employee resource group, I can help you make your organisation more inclusive. You can book me for speaking engagements or hire me as a consultant for your accessibility or DEI strategy, communications advice and other related matters. I have worked for airlines, airports, train operators, public transport providers, and companies in other sectors.
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