The Airline Digital Accessibility Audit report - who's soaring above when it comes to inclusion?

Earlier this year the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) commissioned the Airline Digital Accessibility Audit report , conducted by Hassell Inclusion , and examining the accessibility of the top eleven airlines in the UK.

The report covers consumer offerings including home pages, booking journeys, including ‘the ability to book services specific to passengers who need assistance at the airport or on the plane’, access and signposting for essential information, information on passenger rights, customer service and the process for making a complaint.

The analysis finds that Ryanair, Jet2.com and Tui were ranked the worst for accessibility of those reviewed and that:

• No airline has a full accessible digital experience for users, both in terms of WCAG compliance, but also the wider user journey.
• There is a varying level of compliance under WCAG, as well as the digital journey for consumers, ranging from very good to below the minimum standard, suggesting a need for improvement across the board.
• The report found some common themes across their analysis, namely:

1. A lack of process in place or mechanism for users to feedback on their experiences using services
2. Gaps in compliance up to WCAG 2.2, including guidelines for people who are less IT literate or neurodiverse users.
3. A lack of attention towards the accessibility of third-party content, both pre or post-implementation – something which can often act as a barrier to access for users.

This research follows analysis done earlier in the spring by WebAIM, who published their Million Report for the fifth consecutive year. The report, which we delved into at the time of release , examines the state of web accessibility across the top million home pages, exploring sector trends and analysing the barriers to access for individuals with disabilities navigating the web.

"We know a lack of inclusion in customer service extends beyond digital touchpoints and we want to help organisations move from being caught out in audits and legal claims, to helping their teams excel at inclusion yet we continue to read horror stories about costly booking errors, missing luggage, broken wheelchairs and sadly, a lack of awareness in staff. The experience could be so different for disabled passengers" - Chris Bush, Head of Experience Design, Nexer Digital

WebAIM found that across the one million home pages they analysed, 49,991,225 distinct accessibility errors were detected, equating to an average of 50.0 per page. The report also found that the travel sector was among the most poorly scoring sectors, in line with the conclusions of the CAA report.

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) comes into effect in 2025. For us, the act has been a big area of focus - we're running two events with our Swedish colleagues in Nexer Group exploring how organisations can start their inclusion journey and embrace accessibility as a core principle, and we'll be sharing plenty more thoughts and insights from our team and projects in the coming months.

The EAA requires organisations in the private sector that operate within the EU, including those ‘related to air, bus, rail and waterborne passenger transport’ to fulfil specific accessibility obligations such as; the provision of information about the service’s accessibility features and facilities, ensuring easy accessibility of websites and mobile devices, and implementing practices and policies that address the needs of people with disabilities. Services that do not comply with these regulations risk sanctions in the form of fines, but of course, it goes far beyond that.

It’s important that airlines ensure they are addressing the accessibility issues not just for business and compliance purposes – and this in itself is notable, with the Purple Pound (the estimated spending power of disabled households in the UK) equating to a ￡2bn loss per month for UK businesses due to barriers to access for users - but for ethical ones too. Put simply, everyone deserves to be able to access digital services. And the process of digital accessibility is not one of quick fixes and box-ticking, but an iterative journey which should include the users of the service at its core.

"We need to think about true customer experience and brand reputation, moving from compliance and minimalist approaches to truly inclusive service design. This will set responsible airlines apart, and take them from the deceptive UX patterns for which they are sadly known, to being trusted, inclusive and ethical - accessibility is an opportunity to innovate" - Danny Lancaster, Accessibility Lead, Nexer Digital

To speak to us about accessibility, and how we can help, get in touch with us at:

[email protected]