The One Click Away project kicks off tomorrow: Enac, IATA, ITA Airways, Air Dolomiti and Neos together to facilitate booking assistance and information for people with disabilities and reduced mobility

 

Enac, IATA (International Air Transport Association), ITA Airways, Air Dolomiti and Neos together to simplify and ensure the assistance booking systems at the airport and on board the aircrafts and useful information are fully accessible to people with disabilities and with reduced mobility: this is the concept of the One Click Away project which will be operational from tomorrow, 3 December, on the occasion of the International Day of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

For the first time, a network made up of various institutions, national airlines and industry associations (FISH, FIABA, FAND, ANGLAT and ASSOFLY) has been created with the common goal of breaking down barriers and making air travel easy and completely accessible to all passengers, without distinction, without exception. The participating airlines have created immediate and intuitive paths on their websites, expressly dedicated to the assistance of passengers with disabilities and with reduced mobility in order to allow a direct and unequivocal access to information on the organisation of air travel and concerning their rights. With a single click from the home page of the three websites of the carriers which have joined the initiative, a path begins consisting of uniform and clear contents, characterised by the same layout and the same order of the topics covered. The icons, images and texts have been shared with and approved by the ANGLAT/FAND trade associations for the Italian version and by Open Doors Organization for the English one, to operate in respect of everyone's sensitivity and needs. The simplification therefore begins with the use of the wheelchair icon, positioned at the top right of the institutional home pages, to make the first click to be pressed to begin the search for the information of interest immediately identifiable. Once the dedicated page has been opened, the user has immediate access to the essential information for booking the assistance with the air carrier. In the same section it will be possible to access a list of topics useful to the passenger. The launch of the One Click Away project precisely on the world day dedicated to the rights

of persons with disabilities, highlights the objective and primary interest of all the players involved: to come together to create a system to improve the quality and experience of air travel for everyone. “The project - declares Enac President Pierluigi Di Palma - is part of ENAC's broader strategy which aims at simplifying the flight experience for disabled passengers and

    

passengers with reduced mobility. Being able to fly and move around in a globalised way, in accordance with our mission, must be everyone's right. Being able to rely, with the coordination of IATA, on companies sensitive to the issue, such as ITA Airways, Air Dolomiti and Neos, is a source of pride for us since we are talking about three Italian carriers. One Click Away is the calling card, the first gateway for disabled passengers to the world of airports and air transport. A way of saying that we are attentive to their needs and requirements”. Rafael Schvartzman, IATA Regional Vice President Europe, commented: “The airline industry is committed to ensuring that safe, reliable and dignified air travel is equally accessible to all passengers. The booking process should be the first touchpoint to enable this. We welcome this initiative in Italy and hope it will become a standard practice in ourindustry”.

“Participating in One Click Away, in addition to the intrinsic value of the project, allows us to pursue one of our important objectives - said Fabio Maria Lazzerini, CEO and General Manager of ITA Airways - to ensure everyone has equal access to air travel and at the same time to customise the service according to the needs of each. Doing so together with institutions and in synergy with other carriers is a good example of collaboration on a social issue which goes beyond the specific interests of the individual company". “We have worked with IATA, Enac and the other companies to create an aligned and harmonious communication so that our passengers can find full information on passenger assistance in a dedicated section. I think this is a good example of synergy and I hope that the project will become a best practice for airlines all over Europe” comments Captain Alberto Casamatti, General Operations & Accountable Manager of Air Dolomiti

Carlo Stradiotti, Chief Executive Officer of Neos, concludes: "One Click Away is a protection tool that allows standardising responses, speeding up and simplifying procedures and offering a clear and detailed picture of the services made available to passengers".

Tags: ITA Airways, Enac, IATA,