Airbus
Home-to-Gate-to-Seat Accessibility Solution for Reduced Mobility Passengers
First in the World
Access to New Customer Segment
Airbus BizLab Development Grant Winner
High Impact CSR Initiative
Innovation to Improve the Passenger Journey of Visually Impaired Individuals
Airbus is an international pioneer in the aerospace industry. A worldwide leader in designing, manufacturing and delivering aerospace products, services and solutions to customers on a global scale, Airbus aims to provide the most innovative solutions to airlines and their passengers. Blind and visually impaired passengers experience a significant lack of independence, dignity and psychological safety while flying. In order to enhance the customer experience of blind and visually impaired travelers and to improve the operational efficiency of airlines, Airbus wanted to provide a virtual assistant for guidance at the airport and inside the aircraft that is seamless.
A Solution to Provide Independence and a Seamless Passenger Journey
A largely overlooked area of the travel experience is the improvement of the journey of visually impaired visitors. While traditional methods like tactile paving and assistive staff are available in many airports, these are not enough to provide a seamless, fully autonomous and comfortable journey for the visually impaired. On the plane, travelers with visual impairments depend on the assistance of flight staff. The struggles of flying, the lack of independence and dignity and not feeling safe cause people with reduced mobility – individuals with visual impairments and seniors – to avoid flights when they can.
A Home-to-Gate-to-Seat Assistive Solution for Accessible Passenger Journey
As part of the Airbus BizLab Program, Boni Global developed a home-to-gate-to-seat virtual assistance application which provides audio-based guidance to blind and visually impaired travelers. Developed to be intergated to the Airbus mobile application, the solution provides guidance to those with special needs at every stage of their passenger experience from buying tickets to finding shuttle informaiton to finding their gate. The application also provides in-craft navigation with an interactive aircraft layout map that allows users to discover different parts of the aircraft, find toilets and exits and have access to other amenities like accessible content on the in-flight entertainment systems. The application aims to enhance independence, confidence, and comfort for users and provides operational, financial, and social responsibility related benefits for air travel providers.