Breeze Airways, an American low-cost carrier is partnering up with Stamford, Conn. based Autism Double-Checked (ADC) to become the world's first Autism certified airline. This means that the flying experience for autistic people will improve dramatically.
The start of the partnership means that staff who work in roles that make direct contact with the passengers will need to have additional training in Autism to help care for their passengers better. Breeze's partner for this process is the organization Autism Double-Checked, which was co-founded by travel agent Alan Day. This organization aims to make sense of the ever-changing travel and logistics industry and make it easier for Autistic individuals traveling through airports, which is a common trigger among many Autistic people.
Partnering with Autism Double-Checked is good for the airline and the individuals that fly with them because not only is ADC ran by people who know and understand travel, but also Autistic parents who know first-hand what it can be like to travel with a child who has the complex needs of having this condition. Autism is a wide spectrum and many times it comes with different needs, so additional training is important to make passenger journeys more accessible and comfortable.
Breeze is not the first airline to make special accomodations for Autistic people. Many airlines have created policies that are supposed to support Autistic individuals, but these often fall short. Breeze is now officially Autism certified by ADC, meaning that Autistic travelers and their companions can fly Breeze with the peace of mind of knowing that they will be cared for appropriately.
In a statement made from Breeze, CEO David Neeleman stated that it has always been a priority for the airline to make customers' journeys easy and simple, and that they hope this initiative will help make people with Autism have a stress-free journey when they fly Breeze. Alan Day, from ADC said that April was Autism Awareness Month and that he hoped that this partnership will show other airlines that they can work together to support Autistic passengers when they fly. This partnership is huge, seeing as Breeze is a new airline that promises to shake up the airline industry. Through this partnership, it seems to be living up to its promise.