Seventh heaven for customers who need extra help at East Midlands Airport, with top marks from the CAA
The extra help that East Midlands Airport provides for more than 100,000 passengers a year has received top marks from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for the seventh year in a row.
The airport’s highly popular Assisted Travel service is a free option for anyone who needs some support getting through the airport and onto their plane. The CAA has once again graded the service with the highest score of ‘Very Good’ for 2025/26.
Its report says that East Midlands Airport "consistently achieved very close to or 100% against waiting time standards during the reporting year. They also recorded strong survey scores above 4.5, demonstrating consistent delivery of assistance services," referring to scores out of five. The airport’s own survey shows 87% of service users rate their experience as good to excellent, recognising not just customer service, but also the quality of the physical environment, communication tools, and staff friendliness.
The Assisted Travel service can include hiring a mobility scooter or wheelchair, being provided one-to-one support from a member of the Assisted Travel team, using specially designated waiting areas, or using an ‘ambulift’ bus to take them from boarding gates straight up to the aircraft door.
There are also Quiet Rooms in the check-in area and departure lounge for those who need them, along with a sensory pod – the first of its kind at a UK airport – for customers with neurodivergent conditions.
The departure lounge Quiet Room and sensory pod were both new improvements put in place ahead of this summer, along with six new mobility scooters doubling the number available for customers. These add to other facilities that aim to make the airport experience effortless for all customers – including accessible and stoma friendly toilets and Changing Place facilities. The airport also recognises green lanyards and sunflower lanyards worn by people with non-visible disabilities so staff can take their needs into account.
An Accessibility Advisory Group made up entirely of disabled airport users helps to shape the Assisted Travel service – one of the few at a UK airport that is operated in-house.
East Midlands Airport’s Head of Customer Operations and Business Change, Jessica Ward, said: “We’re really thrilled to have our Assisted Travel service recognised by the CAA as top rate for the seventh year running.
“We see it as an essential offer for people who choose to fly from East Midlands Airport – we want to make sure everyone has an effortless experience, whatever their needs. We’re proud that people who use the service rate it highly, but as can be seen with the improvements carried out ahead of this summer, we’re always looking at ways to make it even better.”
More information about the Assisted Travel service is available here: Assistance at the Airport | East Midlands Airport