British Airways has held the first meeting of its new Customer Access Advisory Panel, aimed at engaging with members of the community to improve the end-to-end experience for its customers with accessibility requirements. The airline is committed to delivering a seamless experience for everyone and is dedicated to ensuring that its accessibility offering meets the diverse needs of its customers.
The independent panel, comprised of individuals with both visible and non-visible disabilities, met in person for the first-time and will come together every few months to provide invaluable feedback and discuss and review new initiatives, to ensure that British Airways’ products and services are designed and built with accessibility and inclusion front of mind. From IT solutions to airport and onboard experience, the panel will play an important role in shaping improvements within the airline and provide practical recommendations on best practices for inclusivity, informed by evidence and supported by lived experiences.
The panel is chaired by Mary Doyle, who is dedicated to providing organisations with practical support around inclusivity. Mary is also a proud wheelchair user and accessible aviation consultant, with a 25-year service delivery management background, which took her worldwide.
Other panellists include:
- Simon Houghton, a behaviour change consultant who was born deaf. Simon launched ‘WeSupportDeafAwareness’ during COVID and is the founder of UnseenAware, a movement designed to create an inclusive experience for customers and employees with disabilities that people don’t see
- Paul Hayman, an international Chief Financial Officer with more than 30 years’ experience. Paul is a frequent traveller and as someone with autism who finds air travel challenging, he is keen to help members of the neuro-diverse community by educating others
- Dom Hyams, Global Client Director at Purple Goat, the world’s first and only social-first inclusive marketing agency. Dom is the founding editor of the Disability Power100 - Power List of Disability, which showcases some of the most influential disabled changemakers in society
- Neil Barnfather MBE, a renowned entrepreneur and accessibility advocate. As a blind entrepreneur, Neil understands the challenges faced by disabled travellers. He couples this lived experience with an impressive background in technology, innovation and business transformation across sectors including telecommunications, fintech and aviation