Travel of passengers with reduced mobility on Air Arabia Maroc planes

What are the passengers with reduced mobility and special needson an Air Arabia Maroc flight?

When we are preparing to travel by plane, we are all concerned with some questions regarding baggage, tickets, boarding and other details of our flight. However, there are some people for whom traveling is much more complex. These are the so-called special passengers, to whom airlines offer different treatment depending on their personal and physical circumstances. We refer to people with reduced mobility, minors, pregnant women and the sick or people in temporary difficulty.

Regulations governing this type of passenger

Community regulations, through Regulation (EC) 1107/2006 on the rights of people with disabilities or reduced mobility in air transport, attempt to alleviate the difficulties with people who have reduced mobility and recognize a series of rights such as full support at airports and the ban on refusing a reservation or boarding for disability reasons. The Regulation applies to persons with reduced mobility who use flights departing from a Community airport, passing through a Community airport or coming from a non-Community airport bound for the Community. It is also applicable in Norway, Switzerland and Iceland.

Directive 95/46 / EC on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data must be strictly applied, in order to ensure that the privacy of people with disabilities or reduced mobility is respected, that the information requested is limited to compliance with the assistance obligations established in the regulation and that it is not used against passengers requesting the service.

Types of special passengers on flights

– Passengers with reduced mobility (PRM)

In general, PRMs are passengers who require the assistance of another person to carry out an emergency evacuation.

It is the responsibility of companies, airports and agents of services related to both, to meet the needs of PRMs, who are all those passengers whose mobility is limited, due to any physical, sensory, locomotion, mental handicap. . , or because of your age or state of health. But they can also require that these people travel accompanied by another, capable of providing the necessary assistance.

– Types of passengers with reduced mobility

Passengers with reduced mobility can be divided into two categories:

– Ambulatory patients: people who are deaf, blind or have an intellectual disability. Able to move inside the aircraft without assistance or with occasional assistance.

Non-ambulatory: people not trained to move around the aircraft without assistance.

Companies allow PRMs to stay in their wheelchairs until they reach the aircraft door, as long as the chair is manual and access to the stairs is not required, otherwise the company will provide a chair for the transfer, delivering the wheelchair on arrival at the destination. Folding chairs can be stowed in the aircraft cabin and battery operated chairs in the cargo hold for safety reasons. Air Arabia Maroc will provide the wheelchair necessary for use on board the aircraft. Passengers who require wheelchair service should inform the airline when booking, specifying the type of chair they need based on their needs, in order to have the assistance each passenger requires.

It is important that you always inform yourself of your real limits when booking, at least 48 hours before flight departure, through the booking channels available at your travel agency or airline and at Spanish airports, it is also possible to do so through the channels that Aena makes available to passengers.

Airlines use internationally recognized codes to identify the level of assistance they need to provide to the PMR.

Rights of passengers with reduced mobility

Right to reimbursement or to alternative transport: in the event of denied boarding, the passenger and his companion will be offered a choice between full reimbursement of the ticket within 7 days, driving to the final destination as quickly as possible or driven to the final destination at a later date convenient to the passenger.

Right to assistance: provided by both the airport and the airline, on departure, on arrival and in the various connections to be made during the flight.

The assistance provided by the Airport must allow the passenger:

– Communicate your arrival and your request for assistance at the meeting points.

– Go to the check-in desk.

– Ticket verification and baggage check-in.

– Pass security checks.

– Board the plane.

– Sit in your place.

– Store and collect your luggage inside the aircraft.

– Go from your seat to the aircraft door.

– Disembarking from the plane.

– Passage of the plane to the baggage claim.

– Meet at the meeting point for departure.

– Connection with other flights.

– Field assistance in handling mobility equipment.

– Ground assistance, if necessary, to guide dogs.

Assistance provided by airlines includes:

– Cabin transport of recognized guide dogs

– Transport of medical equipment, up to two mobility devices, including electric wheelchairs.
Communication of essential flight information in an accessible format.

– Make all reasonable efforts to arrange the seats according to the needs of each person, whenever mobility and safety requirements permit.

– Help navigate to services if needed.

– Passenger seat next to the PRM, if possible.

Community law establishes the general principle of priority for persons with reduced mobility and their companions or certified accompanying dogs and also generally establishes the prohibition to deny boarding due to a disability or reduced mobility. , except for security reasons, which require limiting the number of PRMs that can travel on the plane.

In addition to the regulations for passengers with disabilities, airlines are subject to strict safety rules that set restrictions aimed at ensuring the safety of the rest of the passengers. Thus, a PRM will not be able to sit at a window or an emergency door. Likewise, the total number of PMR on an ordinary flight cannot exceed 10% of the capacity of the airplane.

And what about the luggage?

With regard to baggage, according to international conventions, compensation for loss or damage to your personal baggage (including the wheelchair) will be calculated on the basis of the weight of the object, and not on the value, unless declared special and plus charges have been paid at time of billing.

Minor passengers

As a general rule, minors under the age of 12 must travel accompanied by an adult. Some companies have an escort service, where a member of the cabin crew will be taken care of by the minor, after payment to the service company.

Children from the age of five can travel alone, provided that a disclaimer is signed by their legal representative and it is guaranteed that a duly identified adult will take care of them at the airport. arrival.

Airlines also offer special services for babies and toddlers, such as games and children’s menus, as long as they are requested in advance.

Most of the passengers with special needs who travel by plane, it is very likely that they will not have any inconvenience during the flight, however there are certain situations which require prior consultation with their general practitioner or specialist to adopt the appropriate measures for each case and minimize the possible risks. You can also consult your travel assistance company as advice is a service generally included in policies.

Before leaving home, you should check that you have all the medications needed during the trip in your hand baggage and that you have the necessary funds to cover your needs in the event of a flight delay or any other incident. It is also advisable to have a prescription from the prescribing doctor or a medical report detailing the treatment followed.
Types of sick and temporary incapacity

Some common cases are detailed below, although this is not an exhaustive list:

– Passengers with sensory impairments: Airline staff will provide necessary assistance during the flight, explaining emergency procedures and helping to remove crutches or canes before take off. They will also help passengers to eat and get around.

– Passengers with respiratory failure: If oxygen is needed during the flight, the airline will provide it, as it is not allowed to carry your own oxygen in cylinders; In some cases, the company may charge for this service. There are also approved oxygen generators that can be licensed by airlines.

– Passengers traveling with a guide dog: The dog can travel on the plane at no additional cost. It must be properly equipped with a muzzle, collar and leash. If you are traveling in the cabin, you will go with the passenger to the place designated by the crew. If you are traveling from a country other than Spain, you should take into account the national assistance dog regulations, as according to these regulations you may have to travel in the hold of the aircraft.

– Passengers recently operated on

– Passengers traveling with their legs in a cast.

– Passengers who have suffered a heart attack, angina pectoris or circulatory disorders.

– Passengers with lung disease.

– Passengers suffering from chronic sinusitis, otitis media or otitis.

– Passengers suffering from nasal congestion due to respiratory infections or allergies.