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British Airways Visual Guide
A visual guide to help you with your journey.
British Airways Visual Guide is designed to help customers prepare for their flight ahead. It has been produced in partnership with Learning Rose, a company who develop support material for people with autism, and is endorsed by the National Autism Society.
The guide describes the experience of flying using simple icons and text, and explains the sights, sounds, smells and experiences you may encounter when flying. It is aimed at customers with autism but can also support those who have a fear of flying, or any other customer who is looking for support and reassurance.
You can also download a PDF version of our Visual Guide which you can save or print at home if you would like to take a copy with you when you travel. Future phases of the project will expand the customer journey to cover the airport experience before customers board their flight.
Boarding and during take off
- Welcome on board ready for your flight
- Check your boarding pass and go to your seat number. If you need help, ask the cabin crew.
- You might have to sit next to someone you don’t know.
- You might be able to smell food cooking, or hear noises.
- Put your bag in the overhead locker, or under the seat in front of you
- The cabin crew are here to help you and keep you safe.
- Pay attention to the cabin crew’s safety demonstration.
- The safety card is in the seat pocket.
- Carefully read the safety card.
- Make sure you fasten your seat belt.
- Take-off will be noisy and shaky, and the noise of the engines might change throughout the flight.
- Your ears might feel strange.
- When the seatbelt sign turns off you can unfasten your seat belt and move around.
- It might be noisy and shaky during the flight and the seatbelt sign might come back on
- If the seatbelt sign comes on, don’t be scared, but sit down in your seat and fasten your seat belt. This is turbulence and is perfectly normal when flying.
- On some flights you can watch a film or a tv show, or listen to music.
- You can also use your laptop or iPad.
During the flight and landing
- If you need help, you can ask the cabin crew or press the button near your seat.
- The cabin crew will offer you food and a drink. You might have to pay for this.
- The toilets are at the front or the back. They might be smaller than you are used to. You might have to wait in a queue if it’s busy.
- The captain and crew will make announcements during the flight and tell you when you are going to land.
- Make sure you put your things away and fasten your seatbelt for landing.
- The cabin crew will walk through the cabin and make sure you are safe. They will also sit down during landing.
- Landing will be noisy and bumpy.
- Your ears might feel strange.
- When the seat belt sign turns off you can get your bag from the overhead locker.
- Make sure you have all your things, then you leave the aircraft.
- You can say goodbye to the crew and go into the airport.
- You might walk down some stairs or get on a bus Sometimes you will walk through a tunnel into the airport.
- Follow the signs for Arrivals or Flight Connections.