Welcome Brain Consulting and inclusive-design specialist Jessie Buckle have launched research into neurodivergent passengers’ experiences at airports, with London City Airport expected to be the first to work towards accreditation under a planned Neuroinclusive Airport Benchmark. The study will examine the ground-based journey from travel preparation to arrival, seeking evidence to guide a practical framework for assessing and improving airport experiences in the UK and internationally.
The research covers arrival at the airport, check-in, security, departures, boarding and arrivals. It is seeking feedback from people who have travelled through an airport in the past three years, including details of what they found difficult and what airports handled well.
Welcome Brain Consulting founder Andy Williamson described the project as an effort to gather evidence rather than make assumptions about travellers’ needs. Buckle, who chairs London City Airport’s Accessibility and Inclusivity Panel, said the work would consider sensory and cognitive aspects of the journey alongside physical design.
The proposed benchmark is intended to give airports a consistent way to review neuroinclusive passenger provision. No research method, recruitment or survey dates, or timetable for the benchmark’s availability have been specified.