LATAM to Train Crews to Be Autism Aware

LATAM will begin training and certifying their employees in dealing and assisting families who fly with autistic travelers. The airline is working alongside the U.S. organization Autism Double-Checked to make sure that airline personnel meet the requirements of handling and understanding autistic passengers on LATAM flights.

The airline says that the point of this mission is to continue to foster an environment of inclusivity, respectfulness and appreciation for LATAM employees. LATAM employees will work towards the notion of creating empathetic assistance towards autistic passengers and in doing so will become the first airline in the region to get the Autism Double-Checked green light for its clients in the future.

When asked to talk about the achievement, LATAM CEO Roberto Alvo said, “At LATAM, we dream of a world that does not discriminate, but rather includes; where all people have the same opportunities and are respected and accepted in any environment. Our relationships are based on respect, welcome and empathy for all people, without exception. This vision has led us to begin this process that will allow us to move towards a more inclusive group. We hope to become an even more diverse LATAM from within, supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace in the future.”

The LATAM training will take part in three separate core focuses, being Autism Aware, Autism Ready and Autism Double-Checked. Autism Aware will focus on understanding sensitivity tools and traits that can be seen in autistic travelers. Autism Ready provides job-specific training and reading situations that may unfold and necessary steps to help the passenger in these events. Finally, Autism Double-Checked will public information about LATAM’s autism understanding and the help they can provide when marketing the airline to those passengers with needs.

A LATAM 767-300 arrives in São Paulo/Guarulhos. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | João Machado)

A New Horizon

Formed by Alan Day and David M. Tait, OBE, the Autism Double-Checked program focuses on creating travel experiences for families with autistic family members and creating vacations that allow those traveling to enjoy the experience without hassle. The program allows families to be in an environment where staff understand the autistic person’s issue and can assist with any problems without causing issues for the family in the process. The Autism Double-Checked program plans to release a searchable directory in the future of data collected about brands that are autism aware in the leisure and travel industry.

“We are very pleased and impressed with LATAM’s understanding of travel for people with special needs, and the role that they are playing in creating a better onboard environment for autistic passengers. Families with autistic people are eager to travel, and LATAM is opening up new opportunities to this community. With this, LATAM is also demonstrating how much they value their employees by empowering them with professional training. Their leadership in the airline industry is admirable,” noted Autism Double-Checked co-founder Alan Day.

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Ian McMurtry

Although Ian McMurtry was never originally an avgeek, he did enjoy watching US Airways aircraft across western Pennsylvania in the early 2000s. He lived along the Pennsylvania Railroad and took a liking to trains but a change of scenery in the mid-2000s saw him shift more of an interest into aviation. He would eventually express this passion by taking flying lessons in mid-Missouri and joining AirlineGeeks in 2013. Now living in Wichita, Kansas, Ian is in college majoring in aerospace engineering and minoring in business administration at Wichita State University.

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