Hawaiian Airlines Hosts Disability Practice Flight in Honolulu With 258 Aboard
HONOLULU, Honolulu County, Hawaii — Hawaiian Airlines hosted a special practice flight on October 18: 258 people boarded an Airbus A330 at Honolulu's airport, and the aircraft pushed back and taxied without ever taking off. The exercise was designed for travelers with autism, sensory sensitivities and other disabilities, along with their families.
Participants went through check-in, security and boarding, and experienced the sounds and movement of a taxiing widebody aircraft. For travelers with sensory challenges, rehearsing these ordinary steps without the pressure of an actual departure can help families understand what to expect and where assistance might be needed. The event was organized with Never Quit Dreaming, the Hawaii Autism Foundation and the Autism Society of Hawaii.
It was Hawaiian's first disability practice flight in Honolulu in ten years and the first time the airline used a widebody aircraft, allowing more families to participate. According to the airline, Reid and Sandra Moriyama had never flown together with their two children, and their younger son, who struggles to enter large buildings, eagerly entered the terminal and was among the first to board; his parents are now considering a family trip to Disneyland. (GSM, via Hawaiian Airlines and Beat of Hawaii)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：夏威夷航空空客A330在檀香山机场（资料图，非本次活动现场）。照片：Wikimedia Commons。A Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330 at Honolulu airport (file photo). Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
