Reviewer name	DG
Title	Airports and ageing passengers: A study of the UK
Authors	Anne Graham, Lucy Budd, Stephen Ison, Andrew Timmis
Year	2019
Study location	UK
Study objective	(…) the aim of this paper is to undertake an exploratory analysis of ageing passengers at UK airports.
Study design	Case study
Population	Older adults
Needs addressed (explicitly in the text)	much of the extant literature on transport and ageing focuses on driving cessation, public transport use and the role of active travel in supporting healthy older age (…) while the impacts of ageing on air travel are hitherto comparatively unexplored.
Purpose of the practice(s) described	N/A
Micro (factors and practices)	(…) Age-related hearing and sight loss, as well as mobility and cognitive impairments, can create challenges associated with navigating new environments and negotiating the procedural logic of air travel, while advances in airport automation may generate anxiety and confusion among an older generation who have not grown up with the technologies and who are consequently not familiar with their purpose and operation. (…) allegations of pre-booked assistance failing to meet user needs, inappropriate equipment, inadequate staffing levels and poor customer service standards often reported (Buckley, 2017). […]
Meso (factors and practices)	In the United States, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) (2019) has introduced special security screening protocols for passengers aged 75 and over which negates the need for older travellers to divest of shoes and clothing during the security search. (…) priority boarding and disembarkation from the aircraft In response, some airports are seeking to become ,”Dementia Friends“ by providing staff with additional training and providing lanyards to allow customers self-identity if they think they would benefit from additional support. […]
Macro (factors and practices)	Within the European Union, all passengers with a disability (whether physical, cognitive or communicative) or reduced mobility (irrespective of age) are legally entitled to support or “Special Assistance” whilst travelling by land, water and air. EC Regulation 1107/2006 states that all EU airports handling over 150,000 passengers a year must provide, free of charge, help and assistance to wheelchair users, older and elderly travellers, and those with communication, social interaction and “hidden” disabilities including autism and dementia. […]
Link to participation (if any)	the latest CAA tracker consumer survey found that 43% of the passengers who requested assistance on their last trip did so for the first time (CAA, 2019b). This survey found that 76%. Those receiving assistance were very satisfied or fairly satisfied with services at the UK airport on departure, and 69% on their arrival back, but satisfaction with the overall flying experience for those with disabilities had decreased from 82% in 2016 to 77% in 2019 (compared to 90% to 81% for the total market) […]
Disability perspective (term used, person or disability centric)	There is a popular misconception that the ageing traveller market consists of frail old people in wheelchairs or with walking sticks. This is incorrect, especially as these travellers make up a number of diverse and heterogeneous consumer groups (Nielsen 2014; Alén et al, 2016).
Research team member reflections and comments	The authors directly support the next steps of our project: “An important area for future work would include in-depth qualitative studies of senior passengers’ experiences of using airports. This would provide both much needed and valuable insight into their needs and a greater understanding of the behaviour of this passenger segment.”