Arrange boarding when aircraft stairs are unsuitable

Explain the tasks that need assistance

Tell the provider whether you can manage a long walk, any stairs, the route along the aircraft aisle and moving into the seat. Use your own description and ask staff to confirm how it will be recorded. Do not select a less suitable assistance category simply because you do not use a wheelchair in daily life.

LOT’s assistance page distinguishes help with longer distances, stairs and reaching the seat, illustrating why these tasks are separate. The CAA’s help guidance describes assistance through boarding and the airport journey. Use the operating airline’s process for your flight and request written confirmation of the specific support needed, rather than relying on a broad note saying assistance requested.

Ask about the planned and alternative boarding methods

Check whether the flight is expected to use an airbridge or a remote stand and how assistance works if that changes. Ask how you would move from the gate to any vehicle and then to the aircraft door. Do not assume the usual arrangement for an airline is guaranteed on the day.

If a lift vehicle, boarding chair or transfer support is involved, ask the provider to explain its procedure in advance. Share relevant equipment dimensions and handling information through the airline’s approved process. Follow trained staff and manufacturer instructions; avoid planning an improvised lift by companions to overcome an unsuitable boarding route.

For a connection, ask whether the arrival and departure assistance teams share the same recorded requirements. Keep a copy with you so a change in aircraft or airport staff does not depend on a verbal explanation passed through several people.

Coordinate seating and mobility-equipment handover

Confirm the seat arrangement with the airline where it affects access or transfer. If you use a mobility aid, agree where it will be handed over and what support is available until it is returned. Keep your personal transfer requirements separate from the technical record for the device so neither is lost in a general equipment enquiry.

Pack documents and immediate essentials in a bag you can manage or access during the assisted boarding sequence. Ask how your companion will travel through the same process and where you will regroup if the airport uses different routes. Do not assume a companion automatically knows the handover point or can follow a specialised vehicle without directions.

Recheck at the gate and on arrival

Report to the assistance meeting point at the time instructed and explain if any requirement has changed. Ask what the next step will be and how staff will notify you. If the gate or aircraft changes, confirm that the support remains arranged before the general boarding flow moves on.

For arrival, ask how you will leave the seat, reach your mobility aid if applicable and continue to baggage or the onward meeting point. Keep enough time in the connection plan for the agreed assistance process. If the actual arrangement differs, identify the specific task you cannot complete and ask the provider to resolve it. A document pouch can make confirmations easy to show, while the essential result is a usable route across the aircraft threshold in both directions.

Your next steps

• Describe walking, stairs and seat-transfer needs separately.
• Ask about airbridge and remote-stand alternatives.
• Coordinate seating, companions and equipment handover.
• Reconfirm the boarding and arrival process after changes.

Keep planning

• Build an airport departure timeline that includes boarding
• Keep mobile boarding passes available without a signal
• Arrange a young person’s solo flight from handover to collection
• Check duty-free liquids before a connecting flight