After taking a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, American Airlines restarted its program designed to help special needs children get ready for a flying experience.
Called “It’s Cool to Fly American Airlines,” the program provides families with the opportunity to check luggage, go through security, and board a plane in hopes that any anxiety will be lessened through making the experience more familiar.
“It’s targeting kids with autism, but we don’t turn anyone away,” Bruce Sickler, the program’s director, told the Dallas Morning News. “Anyone that has anxiety can come, even adults with anxiety.”
A goal of the program is to also provide special needs training for American Airlines employees.
“The initiative is also valuable for the team members who are involved, particularly those who work onboard aircraft,” the program’s website states. “Through this experience, they grow to understand the difficulty that those traveling with autism face and how they can care for and assist families during their journey. They are also encouraged to ask customers how best they can assist and allow each family to determine their own specific needs.”
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Sickler said more than 6,000 passengers and their families have participated in the American Airlines program that offers experiences in different cities across the country.
The next “It’s Cool to Fly American Airlines” event is scheduled for Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 23 and in Los Angeles on May 7.
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The program may prove to be especially helpful since the Biden administration extended the public transportation mask mandate by two weeks. The most recent date for the mask mandate to end was set to be April 18.
