I really want to start traveling again. It bugs me that I used to be able to fly (sadly not literally), but after my breakdown, it's one thing that I just can't re-engage with. I have heard/read that airlines offer support to ASD sufferers to assist with getting through the airport. However, I've also read some pretty horrendous stories about flight experiences.
What are other people's experiences of this? Any airlines you can recommend or ones to avoid?
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.
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.
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
