Airport help /special assistance.

[Youagain2025]

I'm flying with ryan air . From stanstead airport.

Ds has autism so we could get assistance. But its confusing me.

What's the pros and cons of it ? Is it helpful?

We already have seats booked. We have already checked in.

With the assistance thing I have heard you get through security faster. But then your last on the plane and last off . My concern with that is. I have heard they over book flights so our seats could be given to someone else. Or are,we ok due to booking in?

With the last one last of/on thing i think ds may panic.

We are just taking the luggage that gos under the seat . So no check in type cases.

Has anyone had assistance due to autism. Is it helpful? What's the pros and cons ?

I have tried to look up information but I get confused.

I have asked this before but it was a while back and it went over my head. Thought I would ask again please the time is closer.

OK, what do you need to know? I'm sure we can help work it out.

Based on the questions in your OP, when you get to the boarding gate, they will have a note against your names that you are travelling with special assistance.

Ryanair ask you to tell them what sort of assistance you need when you request it - you would need to give code DPNA and then contact them to explain exactly what might be helpful - from what you've posted here, that would be to board first. Then you'd know what to tell him. The rest of the process will be explained in the Stansted video.

The Ryanair approach is way more complicated than other airlines I've come across so I can sympathise with finding it daunting.

I'm going to look at the actual stanstead airport. See what I can find.

But for example when I messaged them.. its just they say things like yes we can help you though security help you get checked in if you need it. But they don't say what happens at security. What needs to be done.

How do they help. Do they walk you to security then leave you to it? What happens next. Someone a message or 2 up said about patting down I wouldn't have known that.
Then what about departure gate hiscto you get there. How do they help. Then the getting on the plane part. Do we board along with everyone else. Is there shuffing etc on the plane because people are fighting over space fif their case etc (not proper fighting)

How do they help. Do they walk you to security then leave you to it?

When you arrive, go to the Special Assistance desk at Stansted and they will take you to the special assistance security queue where you'll go through standard pre-flight security (bags through the scanner, you through the body scanner and then a light pat down if any alarms go off). You'll also need to clear passports and hopefully the Stansted video will walk you through that. If you've got someone from the airport with you still, they will be able to help you find your boarding gate (and you'll be able to ask for this level of support from them when you arrive). This is all airport staff and not Ryanair.

Then what about departure gate hiscto you get there. How do they help. Then the getting on the plane part. Do we board along with everyone else. Is there shuffing etc on the plane because people are fighting over space fif their case etc (not proper fighting)

At the gate, it becomes the airline's responsibility. When you call them to explain your needs, ask to board first. Then you can be sitting down before most people get on so whatever jostling over the baggage compartments goes on it won't matter to you. You can also request support on landing although you can easily just stay seated until the rush is over anyway - no one will make you get off before you're ready.

I don't know your destination but airports worldwide are increasingly aware of the sunflower lanyard and will bring you to the front at passports when you land.

No people don't fight on the plane over space.
Security is scanning and checking your hand luggage, you will walk through a scanner and possibly be patted down.
When you get through Security you are free to get something to eat, go to duty free or just sit there doing nothing. There are huge boards everywhere with flight details and gate numbers. Locate your flight number on the board, read your gate number and head towards it.
If you get confused ask a member of staff for help.

Thing is , you don’t always get patted down. Each of you will need to remove coat, belt, possibly shoes, put in a tray on the conveyor and also your bag, liquids and electronics. Walk through the body scanner. If that triggers a beep you then get body scanned with a wand and/or patted down. You then collect your possessions which have gone through a different scanner and move on to departure lounge. There is usually a quiet area there for those with assistance to wait for the boarding gate to open. There is often a walk to the gate. I would think the assistance staff will meet you before security and you can decide what help and guidance you need.

Thank you. So would i phone ryanair. Whilst I'm at the gate

No find a member of ryanair or airport staff!

I think you should get the special assistance rather than going without as you say you get confused, things go over your head etc. The bottom line is that no one can say exactly what it'll entail because it will be different for everyone who uses it according to their needs, but as long as you have it and communicate your DS's needs, then they should be able to do the basics to get you through as smoothly as possible. It feels like if you leave it up to chance, you could find it quite stressful let alone DS.

To be honest it sounds as though for you, special assistance isn’t necessary and is likely to be more of a stress.

Some people know for sure they will need help with X (mobility, visual impairment, deafness for example). And can ask the airline “do you provide help with X?”

With you, you don’t know what you need help with, you just want to know what is available, which is hard to say.

I think you should research normal airport procedures, plan for this, leave plenty of time and bring plenty of comforters / distractions.

See how it goes. If you find something is a problem, you will know specifically what to ask for help with next time.

There will be staff on the entrance to the gate checking passports and boarding passes, so ask them where to wait for assisted boarding and when to go through. There may be a 30 minute wait there. Some airports use shuttle buses to take passengers across to the plane outside and you climb stairs to board, others have tunnels from the terminal which go straight on board. If a shuttle bus you may need to ask to go first.

I was kind of thinking that to. I could probably tell ds what happens more clearly if its standard stuff

Which airport are you flying to? Some are horrendous with queues on arrival, for example Tenerife south frequently has hour plus long queues to get through passport control.

Sorry, last time we flew Ryan Air with DD I was able to contact the airport directly to book passenger assistance but it looks like things have changed.

Have you got this number for them?
tel:01279358399 01279358399

I explained what DD’s needs were and what the areas we were most concerned about (DD’s Tourette’s mean her tics can sometimes be interesting, especially when standing in a queue in the airport)

Once we’d checked bags in, etc, we went to the special assistance desk and were taken through security. Our gate hadn’t been announced at this point so we just found somewhere a bit quieter to wait. They offered to come back and meet us and come escort us through to the gate, however, DD was much happier and calmer at this point so we made our own way there.

Ryan Air staff at the gate were great, we had priority boarding anyway but they took us to the front of the queue and we were amongst the first to board the plane. I don’t know if they were expecting us due to the passenger assistance or they just spotted DD’s sunflower lanyard.

I’ve found you have to be clear with them exactly what the issues are and exactly what you need help with

TBH, if the airport is fairly quiet and the queues for security isn’t too bad, it’s sometime easier to not bother with passenger assistance. There’s a lot of waiting for them which DD gets quite stressed about, more than the queue itself.

General tips:

• Arrive at the airport 2 hours in advance, and calculate extra travelling time in case of delays. Nothing more stressful than being delayed on the way to the airport when time is tight.

• Airports are very well signposted, but if you’re not sure where yo go, don’t hesitate to ask a member or airline or airport staff. There will be an information point available in most areas, and you can also ask passing staff. In departures, shop or cafe staff can usually direct you to facilities like toilets or lifts, and send you in the right direction for your gate etc.

• You may find there’s a lot of waiting / hanging around. Bring stuff to keep occupied.

• You might have to walk a distance in the airport. Have comfy shoes and luggage that can be wheeled, for ease.

• Sit in areas where you can see departures boards and keep listening for announcements. There can be delays or changes of gate.

• Carry your passport and boarding pass (or phone, if your boarding pass is on your phone) somewhere safe but easily accessible.

• Double check your cabin bag size and weight the day before you go. Ryanair will not let you get away even a tiny bit extra and will charge you extra and also maybe put your bag in the hold.

• Never skip an opportunity to use the toilet at the airport. Try to avoid going on the plane if you can, they are extremely cramped.

• Ryanair cabin colour schemes can be quite bright (yellow) so bring sunglasses if that will be annoying for you / your son.

• They have the safety evacuation instructions on the back of the seat in front of you. Some people might find it alarming if they are nervous about flying. It might help to know that Ryanair has one of the best if not the best safety record in Europe and I think has never had a fatal crash despite flying thousands of planes every single day.

• Food is for sale on the plane, and can include quite smelly food like burger and chips. If your son is sensitive to smell, bring a lavender bag or hankie with peppermint oil or something else he can sniff to cover up food smells.

• There can be a lot of waiting to get off, with people standing in the plane aisle for ages before getting off single-file. Prepare your son for this. I suggest letting him stay in his seat until the cabin is almost empty. No need to pack everything away the moment you land. It could still be quite a while before you actually get off.

• Wear layers and bring a cardigan or jumper, it can be cold in an air conditioned plane.

Have a lovely holiday!

I have no idea what ds will be like. Assistance could help or maje other worse.im thinking do not book it . Nut just get the lanyard abd just ask for help if it's needed

I think I would just get a lanyard and take it but you don't have to use it if you don't need/want to.

You can go through the usual process with him in advance. I find my DC like to have a little printed out book or card or something to reference (a friend suggested cards on a keyring which I thought was cool!) see how you go. It might be fine.

Yeah i think that's that's what I'm going to do. That way there's no expectations. I just spoke to adult ds as well . He said we will sort it between us. Ds can have a blanket or coat that he can hide under if he wants to. Adult ds can carry him as well if need be. So we are just hoping to go with the flow really.

Thing is, no airline would outline their security policy, that'd be crazy. There are all kinds of crazy in the world who would use it to their advantage. A
I don't think you've flown before op? Maybe it's better to take the assistance.