Autism friendly Airlines

There are definitely some success stories out there, with airlines offering assistance to make the airport and flight experience more comfortable.

That being said, it's also true that not all experiences are smooth sailing. It might vary from one airline to another, and even from one flight to the next. It's often a good idea to research airlines that have specific programs or policies in place to support passengers with ASD.

As for recommendations, it can be helpful to reach out to airlines directly to discuss your specific needs and concerns. In your case, if you're looking for information about flying with Delta, don't hesitate to call Delta. They should be able to provide you with detailed information about their services and support options for passengers with ASD. It's all about finding the airline and the approach that works best for you.

Airlines have come a long way in terms of providing support to individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

• I prefer airlines that actually tell you about delays and keep you in the loop and Ryanair, got all their sins, do at least do that. Not knowing what is going on and not dignifying its customers with straight communication is what I prefer.

Thanks for the advice. I had a similar problem, I decided to find a solution on the Internet and found a good service where you can choose a reliable airline and find a ticket with a discount. I found [removed by mod] for myself and will soon go on a trip 

Many airlines are sympathetic to people who have any type of disability. The most important thing is to warn them about it. But people around me don't always have an understanding of people who are sick. My brother is autistic, and I've had to fight with people at the airport a few times because they saw him as a threat. I got sick of it, and now when my brother and I need to fly somewhere, I use a private plane. Before buying tickets, I find the flight cost through the [link removed by moderator] r. I am willing to pay more to get better conditions.

Virgin Atlantic make a very big deal about supporting passengers with hidden disabilities, including a symbol you can print off to discreetly show a member of staff at the airport if you need any help and haven’t been in touch with them.

The reality when I tried to get assistance recently was that it took them 6 weeks to respond at all, they sent me a form to fill in that was in a format that meant I could only fill in part of it, they completely ignored all of the assistance I had asked about except a specific seat location but I didn’t hear back from them about it at all so I had to pay for an upgrade to make sure I could cope.

My flights ended being operated by KLM who offer no assistance at all; I struggled on the flight with being crammed in as the seats were very close together and there was very little room overall. I found trying to navigate through the various airports horrendous as well - none of the enquiry desks were staffed (you had to phone someone which I couldn’t make myself do) and they were so busy. 
The only thing that helped was wearing my sunflower lanyard through Heathrow that meant I could use the assistance lane and didn’t have to get trapped in the crush of people going through passport control.

I’ll really have to think hard about whether I want to fly anywhere again.

In fact it got slightly worse (and more comical in retrospect)

The security thug I was dealling with turned to a colleague and they discussed ways of how to tell if an egg was boiled on not - it involved spinning it - but neither of them could remember how to do it.

Finally the thug in front of me hefted the box of three eggs in his hand and uttered the insane words:

" well they seem quite heavy so they're probably cooked.." 

.. with the clock ticking until my flight (the info board already said 'Last Call') .. I said nothing and just took my things and sped off ...

Ha ha!  We've all been there!  It's not just noise, for me, tho - it's crowds, physical proximity to people, stuffy air, queueing, etc.  Most security people are pretty good but as you say once you get a bad one, OMG.  

My solution to many noisy and/or unempathic places/situations is noise cancelling headphones ..

Only the more expensive ones really work (eg Sony, Sennheiser, Bose) but *such* a good investment :-)

Now I can float through airline lounges, flights, supermarkets in my own blissful world of quiet music .. 

Of course there are times that I have to disengage my life-support system :-) but airpots tend to be predictable and so I can be prepared for what is coming next ..

The most stressful part is the security check where sociopathic thugs with inferiority complexes get to act out their 'power' by making stupid decisions to delay passengers

..  the most stupid I had to deal with was going through a UK airport; my carry on bag got pulled by the x-ray machine. 

.. I had to wait half any hour to be seen by a grumpy security operative 

.. he pulled out my lunch including three hard boiled eggs - claiming that they breached the 100ml limit of liquids allowed in carry-on luggage

.. I suggested I could simply crack the shells in front of him to show there was no liquid - but NO .. I wasn't allowed to touch my own stuff :-/ 

Eventually I got through and had to run for my flight :-/ :-/

No such thing.  The business model for budget airlines is to maximise compliant, herded conduct by large volumes of people.  Economy tickets have tiny margins and anyone who is in any way 'different' adds disproportionately to the cost.  They engage, grudgingly, in a very small amount of difficult-to-access services for different groups; but the high percentage of complaints from people who use wheelchairs, carry valuable musical instruments, have dietary issues or anything else remotely 'different' signals that this is tokenism, mainly done so that they can trot it out when complaints reach the media.

Sadly, the only realistic option for anyone with special needs - of any sort - is a premium ticket, in Business or First, with a regular scheduled airline, not a budget airline.  Those tickets make more profit so the flexibility offered is higher, because there are more staff-service-hours-per-passenger. It's a bit better; not great, and the cost differential can be horrendous.

In 2022 even that small improvement may be further eroded, depending on your specific needs.  Whatever ticket you have, the further you are, as a individual, from the standardised compliant passenger model for that class of travel, the more difficult travel will be for you. Business Class is horrible in comparison to what it used to be - lounges are often horrid, crowded, stuffy places with poor ventilation, insufficient daylight, and shouty, thuggish, inebriated, once-a-year-business-trip sales guys bawling into cellphones because they're deeply insecure and want to pretend that they're very important.  Short haul is particularly bad.  Forget any notion that this is some form of travel for the elite; it's herded mass transit which is only slightly less repulsive than economy.

I was fortunate due to my business life and travelled in Business and First for 30 years, even when I travelled privately (I used air miles to upgrade economy tickets when travelling privately). For most of that time it was a better experience than now (though I once left a BA lounge in the US because of the odious behaviour of a British rock band).  But lounges are smaller, not as well staffed or serviced (cleaning in particular), and they're more crowded.  It's an improvement on economy, but not what it used to be. Some lounges are notorious for being worse than the public areas. The BA lounge at Manchester Airport always used to be one of these - knowledgeable passengers avoided it.  

I was absolutely horrified when I semi retired and travelled a few times in economy; I won't do that again. Ever. For any reason.  

I either bite-the-bullet and buy premium tickets, choose not to travel at all, or drive, if that's feasible (high mileage driving doesn't bother me).

In 2019, before the pandemic, I drove when I took work trips to Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Turin and Geneva, because I work for myself and the extra time involved is down to me. The prospect of flying, even in Business on a short haul trip, was too nasty to contemplate.