Flying for the first time

Thanks again Bristolvr3, i'll let you know how we get on!

Hello, mash.

Many thanks for your reply. I'm not sure which airport is local to you, but if you were jetting off anywhere for the first time, what you could do is perhaps book a domestic return flight to London. Many airports, big or small, provide this kind of service, and most of them provide limited or non-stopping express trains to central London.

For example, if Manchester Airport was your local airport, you could book a return flight to London Heathrow, then you could get to the airport around two hours or so before your outbound flight. That would give you plenty of time to have a look around the airport. I'm sure that the staff members would be able to help if you needed to know more about flying on a jet plane.

When you get to Heathrow, you could get an express train to central London, do some sightseeing, do some shopping, and then return to Heathrow around two hours or so before your return flight. If you had plenty of time to spare, you could have a look around Heathrow Airport itself, which could give you an additional airport tour. If you would rather get something to eat or drink before your return flight, that's up to you.

I have done some online research, and you may be able to get hold of an affordable flight package on the Internet. These flights last about half the time of an equivalent train journey. Even when you factor in the shuttle train to central London, the chances are that the overall journey time would be a bit less than if you used a mainline train service plus the London Underground travel.

This goes to show that I am capable of doing some useful Internet research, whether it's for my work colleagues or my family members. Around fifteen years ago, there were very few websites, if any, like there are today. If I had been dealing with a similar query back then, I would have had to go to a local travel agent, or spend a potential fortune on going to an airport and obtaining all the necessary brochures.

Hi bristolvr3,

Thank you so much for your informative reply, definately some excellent advice there!

I'm keeping everything crossed that he is excited about the trip and i've contacted my local airport to see if i can take him along to see how an airport works before we are planning to go.

As i said, we are still very new to Autism and learning all the time so i am very glad i found this forum.

Hi, mash.

I may be an autistic person myself, but I have coped well with air travel. I have only been on a jet plane once, when I was flying from Stansted Airport, in Essex, to Minorca (probably in 1994, by which time I was 13 years old and at high school). Beforehand, I remember doing some plane-spotting at Gatwick Airport's Skyview facility. However, for security reasons, this facility has now closed. The sudden loud noise of the jet engines can be a bit scary at first, but I soon get used to it.

I easily coped with the flights, which were about two hours or so each way. My family was there to support me. However, the very early-morning journey (probably around 3am) was a nightmare due to the misty weather at the time. I was a bit worried that we would be late at the airport, or that the plane would be delayed. But things turned out fine in the end.

About a couple of years later, I went aboard a light aircraft, and got some aerial views of Ipswich and Felixstowe, both in Suffolk. It was a fantastic school trip at the time, and, in my opinion, it would make a great day out experience for anyone. I'm sure that some local airports or airfields would provide light aircraft or helicopter trips, which would make an ideal introduction to flying, before trying out short-distance jet flights within the UK, or Europe for that matter. If the prices for such day trips were reasonable enough, so much the better.

Hopefully my experience and advice will be helpful to you.

Thanks Hotel California,

He's 9 years old and we haven't really had a melt down as yet but this will be a big new step for him. Going to try and take him to our local airport at the weekend so he can get a feel for it (even though its not the one we're going from) have also printed out the Manchester Airport booklet they produce for Autistic children, again not the airport we're flying from but looked a useful thing to have.

He'll have his own entertainment screen onboard so i'll probably just download some of his favourite cartoons onto my tablet incase the offering onboard isn't enough for him.

Also going to take his pillow as he takes it everywhere round the house so figured this would be useful too!

Will let you know how we get on!

How old is he?  From experience you have to consider how you will cope if he has a meltdown (say just before you are about to board your plane).  Will you be able to pick him up and run for the departure gate.  I you cannot carry him, you may not have time to reassure him if time is not on your side.  I would also suggest getting some  Autism Identity card that you can produce (if need be).  

Another idea is to create a folder and itinery for him to follow (they love knowing what's going to happen next).  A DVD for the flight, books of interest to him and some games.

Our only issues occured in the airports.  We tended to do self catering and pretty much kept away from crowded places so kept stressors to a minimum.

Hope you have a lovely time.