Guide Dogs and Virgin Atlantic Partner to Enhance Training for Passengers with Sight Loss

Guide Dogs, a charity organization, will be providing Virgin Atlantic cabin crew with online resources to enhance their training and improve accessibility for passengers travelling with sight loss. The training will teach best practices for helping individuals with visual impairments and will emphasize the appropriate position for guide dogs to rest on long flights.

According to a survey of 250 people with sight loss, 59% of respondents wish to travel abroad more, but nearly seven in ten (68%) are hesitant to fly due to past negative experiences. Furthermore, 84% of respondents indicated that they would feel more comfortable travelling by air if cabin crew were better educated. To address these concerns, the training will focus on how airlines can better support passengers with visual impairments.

While guide and assistance dogs have the right to fly, passengers who plan to travel with their guide dogs are advised to contact the airline’s special assistance department before flying to ensure that full support is provided and any questions are answered.

Virgin Atlantic’s Chief customer and operations director, Corneel Koster, believes that everyone can “take on the world,” and ensuring that all customers have the best possible experience is essential. Guide Dogs’ customer experience lead, John Welsman, hopes that the long-term partnership will make a positive difference in the lives of individuals with sight loss by providing advice and training to cabin crew, enabling blind and partially-sighted passengers to travel confidently and independently.