Customers with disabilities are a diverse and valuable segment of the travel market, but they often face barriers and challenges when flying. How can you market your airline to them effectively and inclusively? Here are some tips to help you attract and retain these customers and improve their flying experience.
The first step to marketing your airline to customers with disabilities is to understand their specific needs, preferences, and expectations. You can do this by conducting research, surveys, interviews, or focus groups with customers with disabilities or organizations that represent them. You can also review feedback, complaints, and compliments from your existing customers with disabilities. This will help you identify the gaps, opportunities, and best practices in your service delivery, accessibility, and communication.
Marketing your airline to customers with disabilities involves a comprehensive approach that prioritizes accessibility, inclusivity, and a deep understanding of the unique needs of this demographic. Key strategies include ensuring all marketing materials are accessible, highlighting your airline's accessibility features, employing inclusive advertising, providing thorough staff training, establishing a feedback loop with customers, engaging in partnerships and sponsorships with disability organizations, offering special services, actively participating in social media and community engagement, and not only meeting but exceeding compliance standards for accessibility.
Disability is not inability! Companies must embrace those abled differently. Training: Train your staff well so that they can handle those abled differently with respect. Leave your guests with a permanent impression so that they go spread the word to their colleague. Include a few staff enabled differently in your organization: Having a few staff who are abled differently affirms the airline's commitment to serving this group of guests. Supporting Infrastructure: Its mandatory to install such facilities that can support these guests so that they don't find difficulties during their travel. Promotional fares: Offer promotional fares specifically to them. Coporate social responsibility to support communities where they come from
Understanding the diverse needs of customers with disabilities is pivotal in crafting an inclusive marketing strategy for airlines. Tailoring communication to highlight accessibility features, assistance services, and inclusive experiences fosters a welcoming environment. Utilizing multiple channels, such as social media and dedicated web content, ensures widespread awareness. Collaborating with disability advocacy groups for insights and feedback enhances sensitivity. Ultimately, prioritizing empathy, clear communication, and continuous improvement establishes a positive brand image, making the airline more appealing and accessible to a broader customer base.
Understanding the needs will allow the airline to think ways of improving their services, no matter on the ground or even up to boarding the plane. With these, the airlines open themselves to wider audiences.
Je pense qu'il faut être subtil dans sa communication pour ne pas stigmatiser les personnes souffrant d'un handicap. Dans le handicap il y'a ceux visibles et d'autres non, il faut faire en sorte que le message transmis soit celui que tout le monde a sa place au sein de la compagnie.
Customers with disabilities want to know what kind of accessibility features and services you offer before they book a flight with you. You can highlight these features on your website, social media, brochures, and ads. For example, you can showcase how you provide wheelchair assistance, priority boarding, seat allocation, special meals, or assistance animals. You can also mention how you comply with relevant laws and regulations, such as the Air Carrier Access Act or the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Je pense qu'il ne faut pas communiquer sur le fait d'être soumis aux règlementations mais plut?t prouver que la compagnie se montre précurseurs et à la pointe de la personnalisation du service apporté.
The way you communicate and represent your airline to customers with disabilities can make a big difference in how they perceive your brand and trust your service. You can use inclusive language and imagery that respect the dignity, diversity, and autonomy of customers with disabilities. For example, you can avoid terms that imply pity, dependency, or inferiority, such as "handicapped", "suffering", or "special needs". Instead, you can use terms that emphasize ability, empowerment, or identity, such as "accessible", "independent", or "person with a disability". You can also use images that show customers with disabilities enjoying your flights and destinations, rather than focusing on their limitations or challenges.
Pour les personnes à mobilité réduite, les toilettes sont aussi un moment compliqué, il faudrait généraliser et former le personnel de bord à aider au moins pour uriner discrètement sans avoir pour la personne à se déplacer.
We are the customer...not the wheelchair. The number of times I hear staff (airline and others) say we have one more wheelchair to load/serve is ridiculous. It is passenger with a wheelchair. Was once out a restaurant and waiting in line. The host told the server we still have this couple and then the wheelchair. I asked if it was ok if I go with the wheelchair as I was kind of hungry. :) Also...probably good idea to remember I am the one with the wallet.
Another way to market your airline to customers with disabilities is to engage with them on various platforms and channels. You can do this by creating and sharing relevant and useful content, such as tips, stories, or testimonials from customers with disabilities or experts in the field. You can also invite and respond to feedback, questions, or suggestions from your customers with disabilities. This will help you build rapport, loyalty, and trust with them, as well as learn from their insights and experiences.
Engaging with the customers and understanding their needs is the key for success and will leverage the airline products. Some airlines just go shopping and order top notch technologies in order to simply sinalize that they are ready to adequatly welcome customer with desabilies but sometimes this move will play against the airline simply because they dont understand customers expectations so engaging with customers is the most cost effective and efficient solution.
Finally, you can market your airline to customers with disabilities by training your staff to provide courteous, professional, and respectful service to them. You can educate your staff on the different types of disabilities, the appropriate etiquette and language, and the specific procedures and policies that apply to customers with disabilities. You can also empower your staff to handle any issues or complaints that may arise during the flight or at the airport. This will ensure that your customers with disabilities feel welcome, comfortable, and satisfied with your airline.
I was recently on a flight to Calgary. On boarding, the ground crew person came up to get the wheelchair on the ramp to load it and that way I could show them the particular attributes of my chair. The reality is every chair is a little different. It worked well as chair came back to me as it went in the plane...very exciting. (I know...that is how it should be...but sadly my experience has left me being super excited when the wheelchair arrives ok.) Maybe also have a form to document key points - how to collapse chair (if applicable), put it on manual, switch off/remove battery. Then attach form to the chair so ground crew at other end has info.
Une simple formation en empathie devrait suffir, le client handicapé ne doit pas se sentir infantiliser ou comme un poids. Ne pas oublier que certains handicap ne se voit pas. Par exemple une personne dont un bras ne peut plus bouger va avoir des difficultés à mettre un bagage en cabine, sans pour autant que cela se voit. Le fait que le personnel d'accueil ait l'oeil et qu'il intervienne rapidement ferait la différence
Treat them the same as anyone else. Inclusive language is really divisive in actuality. The real goal is egalitarianism, one set of rules applying equally and equality of opportunity for all.