As part of its “Differences Add Value” programme, the airline is helping to raise awareness among its ground and cabin crew by offering Sunflower lanyards to its passengers with invisible disabilities such as autism, dementia, anxiety, visual or hearing impairments.
Commenting on the new programme, Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Ekşi said, “As we enhance the privileged travel experience we offer as Turkish Airlines, we focus on the expectations and needs of our passengers and develop projects accordingly. As a result, we are able to host hundreds of thousands of guests from different cultures and regions with a high satisfaction rate above the clouds. As the airline that flies to more countries than any other and believes that every destination in its network has its gems waiting to be discovered, we will continue to develop services that remove the barriers above the clouds”.
Working with Turkish Airlines on the project, Hidden Disabilities CEO Paul White said: “We are delighted that Turkish Airlines has joined the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower global network. Delivering our training to 17,000 staff is an incredible achievement and demonstrates the airline’s commitment to making air travel accessible. Passengers with non-visible disabilities can travel with Turkish Airlines to 129 countries, safe in the knowledge that the airline’s staff will welcome them with kindness, patience and understanding”.
Sunflower lanyards, a symbol of invisible disabilities around the world, are available at the Assisted Counters in the domestic and international terminals at Istanbul Airport.