Access to fly: A scoping review of travellers with Disabilities’ experiences in air travel

• Air travellers with disabilities face numerous social, policy and physical barriers. • Interaction with personnel is one of the most problematic aspects of air travel. • Differing aviation policies and accommodation strategies create systemic inequities. • People with hidden disabilities are underrepresented in air travel research. Accessible air travel is recognised as a human right for travelers with disabilities. However, many travellers with disabilities have negative experiences when they fly. While existing research has examined travel constraints faced by travellers with disabilities, we do not know how travellers with disabilities navigate through these challenges. We conducted this scoping review to analyze how the existing literature has studied the air travel experiences of people with disabilities and the environmental factors that impact their experiences. We also seek to identify the gaps for future research. We reviewed published scientific articles indexed in nine electronic databases and published from January 1990 to April 2024. A total of 26 articles met the inclusion criteria. The findings of the included studies were thematically analysed. Five themes were identified that captured the experiences of air travellers with disabilities: (1) issues related to accessing information, (2) concerns related to interaction with personnel, (3) built infrastructure barriers, (4) assistive device problems, and (5) policies and procedure constraints. The review identified gaps pertaining to the underrepresentation of people with hidden disabilities, insufficient training among personnel, limitations to independent travel planning, and variability in policies and procedures across jurisdictions. These represent potential areas for future research that can help promote a more inclusive air travel experience for travelers with disabilities.