Easyjet makes flying easier for people with complex mobility problems

easyJet, Europe’s leading airline, is working with easyTravelseat to continue improving passenger experience for wheelchair users when they fly.

easyTravelseat is an in-situ transfer sling and seat designed to help wheelchair users transfer safely and comfortably into and out of aircraft seats and enhance overall passenger experience for wheelchair users. easyJet has verified the product for safe use onboard which makes the airline the first to approve such a product.

easyTravelseat was designed by Josh Wintersgill driven by a belief of making aviation more accessible for people with physical disabilities.

In 2018, Josh won the UK Disabled Entrepreneurs Award. The award has been running for the past 12 years by the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, in partnership with Leonard Cheshire, and is widely recognised across the UK for its continuous support and recognition of disabled entrepreneurs.

“We are delighted that easyJet supports the benefits easyTravelseat can have on reducing the current undignified and uncomfortable processes that can sometimes be faced by wheelchair passengers when boarding and disembarking aircraft, whilst making the special assistance processes for air travel even more efficient,” Founder and CEO of easyTravelseat Josh Wintersgill said.

“We are very pleased to be working with easyTravelseat to continue improving passenger experience for wheelchair users when they fly," Celine McGuigan, Accessibility and Assistance Manager for easyJet said.

“We will fly around 100 million passengers this year and of those over 659,000 required and were with provided with assistance during their travels - a record number for the airline.

“We are really focussed on ensuring that travel is accessible for all and with the number of passengers now travelling and requiring special assistance increasing, this suggests that more passengers than ever are confident in the support they will receive when flying with us.”

easyJet saw a 27% increase in passengers requiring special assistance in 2018 from the previous year and customer satisfaction amongst easyJet special assistance passengers was 82%, higher than all other passengers in 2018.

easyJet has a range of measures for passengers who require special assistance including the ability to book specialassistance on easyJet.com, a dedicated special assistance team in its customer management centre and onboard wheelchairs on all aircraft. easyJet’s crew are trained on providing special assistance to travellers, including how to identify and support passengers with hidden disabilities.

easyJet established the easyJet Special Assistance Advisory Group (ESAAG) in 2012 to provide feedback and guidance on the services it provides to passengers who require special assistance. The group is chaired by former cabinet minister Lord David Blunkett, and includes experts in key easyJet markets all of whom have personal or professional experience of special assistance issues. RMR director Roberto Castiglioni has been a member of esaag since its inception.

Visit the easytravelseat website to read more or purchase easytravelseat.