Accessibility.

To enable barrier-free travel, airports and airlines offer a range of free services – both at the airport and onboard the aircraft.

Barrier-free travel by air

For passengers with reduced mobility (PRM = Passengers with Reduced Mobility), there are many support services available for air travel. In cooperation with the Deutschen Behindertenrat (DBR, German Disability Council), the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Seniorenorganisationen (BAGSO, German National Association of Senior Citizens’ Organisations), and Tourismus für Alle (NatKo, Tourism for All Germany), the BDL has published a brochure with travel recommendations for barrier-free air travel.

In general, there is a right to assistance services in the case of:

• Physical disabilities, especially walking impairments, with temporary (Code: WCHR¹, WCHS²) or permanent wheelchair use (Code: WCHC)
• Orientation difficulties (Code: DPNA)
• Cognitive impairment (Code: DPNA)
• Psychological impairment (Code: DPNA)
• Visual impairment and blindness (Code: BLND)
• Hearing impairment and deafness (Code: DEAF)

¹ The passenger can walk short distances and climb stairs.

² The passenger can walk short distances but cannot climb stairs.

Services at the Airport

• Escort through security checks to the airplane
• Assistance for wheelchair users when boarding the plane and transferring to the airplane seat
• Help with transporting and checking in baggage
• Escort to baggage claim and help loading baggage
• Escort to the arrival hall or, if desired, to a taxi, bus, or airport train station

Services Onboard the Airplane

• Priority boarding
• Free transport of up to two mobility aids, typically including electric wheelchairs
• When possible: A requested seat at seat allocation, provided it is available and meets safety requirements. Those traveling with a companion will be seated next to them.
• Allowance for certified assistance dogs/guide dogs in the passenger cabin (advance registration required)
• Leaving the airplane after all other passengers have disembarked, possibly using an airport wheelchair for transfer

Airport and onboard staff are not permitted to provide caregiving services such as administering medication, washing, or dressing. They are also not allowed to assist with eating or drinking.

Passenger Rights

The rights of passengers with cognitive or mobility impairments are regulated at the European level through various legislations. These ensure that affected individuals can travel by air in the same way as other citizens.

If affected individuals believe their rights have been violated, they can file a complaint with the respective airline or contact the National Enforcement Body. In Germany, this is the responsibility of the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA, Federal Aviation Office).