Travel chaos and a vote of no confidence

I hope everyone has had a good week following the long bank holiday weekend! It was certainly nice to have that extra time off wasn’t it?

And as we head into Summer, I’m sure people will be looking forward to holidays abroad, trips in the UK, music festivals, concerts and longer evenings at home with loved ones.

But it’s also no secret that as we gear up for a busy few months, many industries are still feeling the strain of the pandemic and its impact on staffing levels. Staff sickness, coupled with large recruitment gaps, are affecting a whole range of sectors, including social care, hospitality and the travel sector.

And you’ll have no doubt seen over the last few weeks that staffing levels are having a huge impact on airlines at the moment, with cancelled flights and large queues at many of our airports. And this seems to be having an impact on accessibility.

I was disappointed to read a story this week about a disabled passenger who was stranded on an empty passenger plane at Gatwick for over 90 minutes. Victoria, the passenger, had booked assistance three months in advance of her journey, yet was still let down by staff on the day.

And this isn’t the only example of inaccessibility at airports I’ve read about recently. Just last month, Daryl, a disabled passenger at Manchester Airport, was left stranded on a plane for two hours. He even had to resort to calling the police for help, as by the time he got off the plane there was no one at border control to let him through.

This really isn’t good enough. I can only imagine how frustrated and let down these customers would have felt. It’s absolutely no way to end a trip away! As Scope rightly pointed out this week, with the current staffing crisis across multiple airlines, it’s absolutely paramount that more disabled passengers are not forgotten about amid the chaos. Accessibility simply cannot be overlooked.

That being said, in other ways the travel sector really has come a long way when it comes to accessibility and inclusion. There’s now lots more options for holidays, including adventure holidays where thrill seeking activities are actually made accessible.

You can hear all about some of these options over on one of our Disability Download podcast episodes. Adventure tourist Jezza Williams talks all about adaptive adventures and travel blogger Sophie Elwes discusses the importance of diversity and representation within the travel industry. It’s well worth a listen, especially if you’re gearing up for some of your own adventures this summer!

Now, it would be remiss for me to sign off this blog without mentioning the fact that we started the week with news of a no confidence vote on Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s leadership. And while Boris Johnson may have held onto his position, it’s clear that tensions are high within our Government.

Despite everything going on, it’s really key that decision makers remain focussed amidst all these distractions. The cost-of-living crisis isn’t going away and we need to see renewed efforts from Government officials to ensure that disabled people have access to the support they need.

The measures announced recently go some way, but they need to go further. We can’t afford the Government to drop the ball during such a desperately worrying time for individuals and families struggling to make ends meet.

Best,

Ruth