Wings for Autism®
Wings for Autism® – What they did at Asheville Airport
We want to help make air travel accessible to our friends and neighbors with autism spectrum disorders. We shared some #airportlove the evening before Valentine’s Day in 2018, for our 3rd annual Wings for Autism® event. We invited families and their autistic loved ones to come to the airport to check-in for an imaginary flight. They checked in at the ticket counter, got a boarding pass, went through airport security, waited at the gate, ate a boxed dinner from Bojangles’, and then boarded an Allegiant airplane. After this learning experience, they deplaned to the gate area for more #airportlovewhere everyone received a souvenir from their trip to take home.
What it’s about
Wings for Autism® is an airport “rehearsal” specially designed for individuals with autism spectrum disorders, their families and aviation professionals. The program is designed to alleviate some of the stress that families who have a child with autism experience when traveling by air. The program provides families with the opportunity to practice entering the airport, obtain boarding passes, go through security and board a plane. Wings for Autism® also gives airport, airline, Transportation Security Administration professionals and other personnel the opportunity to observe, interact and deliver their services in a structured, learning environment.