Assistance hub
What assistance is available?
We offer support for passengers with a range of needs. We can support you if you need mobility assistance, have non-visible disabilities, are D/deaf or hard of hearing, are blind or have low vision, or if you have intellectual or developmental disabilities or autism.
You can request assistance in Manage My Booking. If you can’t find the type of assistance you need, please contact us. You can speak to one of our team on the telephone or by using our chatbot.
Please let us know what support you require at least 48 hours before your flight departs. If we don’t receive advance notice that you need assistance, you could experience delays with your service of choice during your journey.
Our Accessibility Team are on hand to provide support and advice for your journey, even before you’ve booked. Just so you know, if you’re contacting us from outside of the UK, you’ll be directed to your local support team.
The information on this page applies to flights with British Airways, BA Euroflyer and BA Cityflyer. If you’re travelling with one of our partners during your journey, you may need to contact them directly to book assistance.
There are several types of assistance available. If you need support with multiple conditions, please select the type of assistance that’s closest to what you need. For further advice, please contact us.
Mobility assistance, including using a wheelchair
This assistance is for passengers with limited upper and lower limb mobility, those who need help walking long distances, carrying bags for extended periods, performing tasks with their arms or hands or who use mobility aids like wheelchairs.
We offer three types of mobility assistance:
- Service 1: Assistance to the aircraft
- Service 2: Assistance to the aircraft door (including stairs)
- Service 3: Assistance to your seat
We also offer assistance if you're travelling with your own wheelchair.
Find out more about mobility assistance
D/deaf or hard of hearing assistance
This option is for passengers who need help navigating the airport, assistance with communication or who use assistive technology like hearing aids.
Find out more about D/deaf or hard of hearing assistance
Blind or low vision assistance
This is for passengers who need help navigating the airport, support with practical tasks like finding their seat or opening food packages or who use assistive technology such as screen readers.
Find out more about blind or low vision assistance
Non-visible disability assistance
For passengers with non-visible disabilities or conditions, such as mental health issues, cognitive impairments, chronic pain or fatigue. This also includes those with intellectual or developmental disabilities, autism and those who need help navigating the airport, assistance with communication, or who wear a sunflower lanyard.
While on board the aircraft, our cabin crew can help you:
- Find your seat and familiarise you with your space and the surrounding area
- Store and retrieve your hand baggage
- Move between your seat and the toilets
- Open the packaging of your on-board meal, identify your food and the layout of the meal tray
Our team will also be able to provide you with essential flight information.
There are certain tasks that we’re unable to help with on board our flights. If you’re not able to complete these tasks without someone else assisting you, you’ll need to travel with a companion who can help. Find out more about what you'll need to take care of on board.
Once you’ve booked your flight, please let us know what support you require at least 48 hours before your flight departs in Manage My Booking. If you can’t find the type or level of service you need, get in touch.
For other helpful tips on flying with us, visit our before you fly page.
Passenger responsibilities
Once you’ve booked your flights, you need to request your assistance in Manage My Booking so we can organise it for you.
We recommend you do this at least 48 hours before your flight is due to depart. If we don’t receive advance notice that you need assistance, you could experience delays during your journey with the service that you need.
If your booking includes a flight with one of our partners, their services may be different. Please check with them directly before you travel.
If you've requested assistance, we recommend arriving at the airport two hours before a short-haul flight is due to depart, or three hours before a long-haul flight. This is to ensure you receive the level of service you expect, and your travel through the airport is as easy and stress-free as possible.
US Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights describes the fundamental rights of air travellers with disabilities under the US Air Carrier Access Act. This document provides a convenient summary of the existing law for disabled travellers flying to and from the United States on U.S. and international airlines.
Find out more about the Bill of Rights
You may be able to reserve your seat for free if you have a specific seating requirement because of your disability.
In most cases you can select your seat in Manage My Booking once you’ve booked your flight and requested the assistance you require. You won’t be able to reserve your seat for free if you haven’t requested this assistance. In certain circumstances, you may need to contact us to reserve your seat. This is so we can ensure we’re supporting you in the best way possible.
If you can select your seat for free, everyone travelling with you on the same booking will also get free seat selection.
Seat supports
Our aircraft can accept a range of seat supports for your journey. Read our list of approved seat support systems and the cabins they’re suitable in to check if yours will fit.
If part of your journey involves a flight with another airline, you’ll need to contact them directly about which seat supports they’ve approved for travel.
If you’d like the seat next to you to be kept free for additional personal space, you can buy it to provide extra space for your comfort.
You'll need to buy yourself an extra seat if:
- You're unable to fully lower both armrests of your seat. It's a safety requirement to have a fully lowered armrest between each passenger during take-off, landing and turbulence
- You're travelling in economy and need more space to easily fasten your seat belt for take-off, landing or during periods of turbulence
We can give you an extension seat belt if you need it.
See more information about buying an extra seat.
For some medical conditions, you need to get medical clearance before you can fly. These include:
- Recent illness, hospitalisation, injury or surgery
- Existing unstable medical conditions
- A need for additional oxygen or use of medical equipment on board
- Travelling for medical reasons or treatment
On-board wheelchairs
An on-board wheelchair is available on all flights operated by British Airways, BA Euroflyer and BA Cityflyer.
If your booking includes a flight with one of our partners, please check with them directly to find out whether they have a wheelchair available on board before you travel.
Travelling with your own mobility aid
When you tell us the type of mobility assistance you need in Manage My Booking, you can also tell us if you're travelling with your own mobility aid.
If you are, you can choose whether you'd like to give us your mobility aid when you check in or use it until you reach the departure gate. Just so you know, this will depend on the airport you’re flying from.
To travel with your own aid, you must be able to prepare it for your flight yourself. This may require you to remove parts and batteries, depending on the type of aid. Please refer to the manufacturer’s details for more information.
All our aircraft have space to store one collapsable wheelchair in the cabin. This is on a first come, first served basis and can’t be pre-booked. Please speak to our colleagues at the gate about this.
We also have wheelchairs available on our aircraft to assist you on board. You'll need to be able to transfer yourself from your seat onto the wheelchair, or travel with a companion who can help you do that.
Find out more about travelling with a mobility aid
Battery-operated wheelchairs, mobility scooters and mobility aids
If you want to travel with your own device, we need to make sure we store your battery-operated wheelchair, mobility scooter or mobility aid safely in the hold of the aircraft. To do this, we need information from you about your device. This includes the type of batteries it uses, and the weight of your device with the batteries inside.
More details can be found in our information on travelling with mobility issues and wheelchair assistance.
We'll always try and place your wheelchair or mobility aid in containers to keep them safe. There may be some instances where we might not be able to carry your wheelchair or mobility aid, for example:
- If it's not possible to prevent unintended operation of your electric mobility aid
- If the weight of your aid exceeds the loading capacity on our smaller aircraft, operated by our subsidiary BA Cityflyer, to and from London City. Read about wheelchair dimensions.
Batteries (including spare batteries)
There are various battery handling requirements for mobility aids, and they’re dependent on the type of battery your wheelchair, mobility scooter or mobility aid has.
We need information on the type of batteries your device uses – for example, wet cell or lithium ion – and its weight with the batteries inside.
To prevent your device from activating unexpectedly during your flight, you’ll need to confirm that the power has been disconnected or isolated, and the device cannot turn on. Information on how to disconnect or isolate your battery can be found in the manufacturer's instructions.
Find detailed guidance on our battery handling requirements.
Please carry the dimensions, weight and battery details of your wheelchair or mobility aids with you when you travel. You’ll be asked to verify these at the airport.
Please contact us if you require additional information.
Your wheelchair or mobility aid must fit within the dimensions that we can accommodate on our flights for us to be able to accept it for travel.
Please carry the dimensions, weight and battery details – for example, wet cell or lithium ion – of your wheelchair or mobility aids with you. You’ll be asked to verify these at the airport.
To travel with your own aid, you must be able to prepare it for your flight yourself. This may require you to remove parts and batteries, depending on the type of aid. Please refer to the manufacturer’s details for more information.
All our aircraft have space to store one collapsable wheelchair in the cabin, which is stored in the upright position. This is on a first come, first served basis and can’t be pre-booked. We also allow other mobility devices to be carried and stored in the overhead locker, if they’re within the cabin baggage dimensions.
This applies to flights operated by British Airways, BA Euroflyer and BA Cityflyer.
If your booking includes a flight with one of our partners, their regulations for travelling with a wheelchair may be different. Please check with them directly before you travel.
We're able to carry an assistance dog free of charge in the cabin on all our flights. If your dog doesn’t meet our guidelines on assistance dogs, or is an emotional support dog, it will need to travel as a domestic pet and cannot be in the cabin.
Find out more about how to travel with pets
An assistance dog has been trained to provide support to a person with a visible or non-visible disability or medical condition. Your assistance dog must meet specific requirements to be able to travel in the aircraft cabin on a British Airways flight. Please refer to our full guidelines on assistance dogs for more information.
You'll need to register your dog so they're approved to travel. We recommend doing this before booking your trip to avoid delays with your ability to travel. You should also check with any other airlines you are travelling with during your journey, and the requirements of the countries you are entering.
We do not allow transport on a stretcher.
In-flight oxygen
If you require in-flight oxygen, you’ll need medical clearance to fly.
On long-haul flights we can provide in-flight therapeutic oxygen to one person on board. If you need to use oxygen while travelling, you must book it with us in advance.
On short-haul flights, customers are required to make their own provisions. This also applies to short-haul journeys that are part of a booking with long-haul flights included.
To find out more information about in-flight oxygen, please visit our medical conditions page.
Travelling with oxygen cylinders or a portable oxygen concentrator (POC)
There are specific requirements that must be met in order to travel with oxygen cylinders or a portable oxygen concentrator.
To travel with these items, please read the full details in the oxygen cylinders and portable oxygen concentrator (POC) sections of our medical conditions page.
The rules for travelling with medicines or medical equipment vary. Visit our medical page to see what's permitted and how to prepare for your journey.
If you have further questions, you can contact our Passenger Medical Clearance Unit (PMCU).
We understand that having an allergy can often make travelling feel daunting, and as an airline we’re committed to making your journey as smooth as possible.
To notify us of your allergies before you travel, or to discuss your specific needs, please contact us if your flight is operated by British Airways, BA Euroflyer or BA Cityflyer. For flights operated by another carrier, you’ll need to contact them directly.
When travelling with us, you must let your cabin crew know of your food allergy when boarding your flight. This is still the case even if you’ve already told us about your allergy information as there may be instances where crew don’t have access to your booking details.
To find out more about food and drink on board, please visit our food allergies page.
To find out more about travelling with an allergy, visit our medical conditions and pregnancy page.
You can check in online 24 hours before your flight departs. In some cases, you may not be able to download or print your boarding pass and you'll need to collect it at the airport.
This is to allow staff at the airport to discuss your assistance request with you and ensure the right level of support is provided.
If you haven't booked or haven't completed your journey with us
Please contact our Accessibility Team who can provide support and advice. If you're outside of the UK or US you'll be directed to your local support team who can assist.
If you've completed your journey with us
We have specially trained advisors ready to help if your experience with us didn't meet your expectations.
You can make a complaint or claim online. More information about making a new complaint or claim, or following up on an existing case, can be found on our complaints and claims page.
Hearlo
We’ve partnered with Hearlo, a free mobile app designed for anyone facing communication and cognitive challenges, so they can travel with confidence. It now includes a customised British Airways version, offering tailored tools to help users communicate comfortably at every stage of their journey with us.
To find out more about the app, visit our Hearlo page.
British Airways Visual Guide
In partnership with Learning Rose, we've designed a visual guide to help passengers prepare for their flight and make them feel as comfortable as possible during their journey.
It’s designed for autistic passengers but can also support those who have a fear of flying, or anyone who’s looking for support and reassurance.
Prepare for your journey with our visual guide.
You may also find other tools like Be My Eyes and aira useful for your journey.
Convo video relay
We've partnered with Convo to trial new ways for customers who use British Sign Language (BSL) to contact our team.
You can now use this free service to connect with a qualified online BSL interpreter using a Video Relay Service provided by Convo. They will relay the conversation between you and a member of the British Airways Accessibility Team.
To find out more and how to use this service visit our Convo page.
Signed videos and safety briefings
We've also partnered with Signcode to provide our on-board safety briefings in both British Sign Language and American Sign Language. These are available to watch before you travel and also on board through our in-flight entertainment.
We're always working to make our website easier to use and more accessible.
Find out more on our accessibility and site help page.
We continue to update and monitor the website regularly, but if you find any problems, please get in touch with us at digital.accessibility@ba.com. For more information, visit our accessibility and site help page.