AirEuropa

Special Passengers / Passengers with Reduced Mobility
Passengers with Reduced Mobility:

Any passenger that needs help from another person to reach an exit with adequate speed in the case of an emergency evacuation is considered as disabled. This also includes passengers that have serious difficulties in receiving or understanding the emergency instructions.

They can divide into two categories:

· Ambulatory: Capable of getting up or down, or moving within the aeroplane unassisted or with a little help from someone else, such as deaf, blind or mentally disabled people.

· Non-ambulatory: Incapable of getting up or down or moving unaided within the aeroplane .

Stretchers

To be able to authorise a transfer by stretcher on an Air Europa flight, it is necessary to comply with the following requirements:

1. The length of the stopover at both the departure and arrival airports must be at least 90 minutes to allow embarkation and disembarkation at each.

2. It is necessary to reserve and pay for the nine places used for said assembly.

3. The maintenance technicians at both the departure and arrival airports will need to be allowed to set up the stretcher.

4. The passenger will have to be accompanied by medical staff, present a medical certificate confirming they are well enough to travel and finally sign a release of responsibility form before boarding.

Any queries regarding these terms, please contact by fax on: + fax 902 401 505.

Accompanying the disabled

They must have with them as a minimum the following companions:
An adult over 18 years of age to accompany each non-ambulatory disabled passenger (in serious cases and to fulfil the criteria set by the department of In-flight Security or the pilot, up to 2 companions can be demanded).

An adult over 18 years of age to accompany each ambulatory disabled passenger capable of moving by themselves but with difficulty.

An adult over 18 years of age to accompany up to 12 ambulatory disabled passengers in all the other cases except for blind passengers.

An adult to accompany every 2 blind passengers.
A blind person can travel alone if they are accompanied by a guide dog, which remains with them in the cabin during the flight even when it exceeds the 8 kilos weight limit. Said dog must travel with a muzzle and record of all vaccinations.

The total number of accompanied and unaccompanied disabled passengers, added to the number of companions demanded by the Civil Aviation Authority must not exceed 10% of the plane capacity.

The authorisation for groups of disabled passengers will always be carried out by fax, specifying the maximum number of details referring to the group, like the types of the disabled, number of companions, etc.

Types of wheelchair services:

There are three different types of wheelchair services available. On requesting this service, it is necessary to differentiate accordingly and specify the type required:

WCHR: (R for Ramp) The passenger is capable of going up and down the steps to the plane and walking to their seat, but needs the wheelchair to cover the distance from the check-in to the aeroplane and viceversa.

WCHS: (S for Steps) The passenger cannot walk long distances or go up or down the steps to the plane, but once onboard, is capable of making their own way to their seat.

WCHC: (C for Cabin) The passenger is completely immobile (paraplegics, etc.) and needs to be taken from the check-in to their seat on the plane.
(It is important when requesting the wheelchair service to state clearly which of the three types is required, in order to provide the appropriate level of assistance required by the passenger in question).

Passengers with reduced ability to sit

A). General A. General
For safety reasons, passengers not travelling on a stretcher are required to sit upright in their seat while taxiing, take off, turbulence and landing.

Note: Flat seats in a suitable angle may only be provided in Business Class in certain aircraft types.

Passengers with Reduced Mobility who cannot sit upright unaided and who do not meet Air Europa’s criteria for sitting on an adults lap or for using an infant car seat, can use certain helping devices which must be supplied and fitted by the passenger, and whose use shall be notified to the company.

B). Classification and approvals
The following devices are considered acceptable in an Air Europa flight provided the passenger signs a Liability Release Form and they can be installed properly on the respective aircraft seat.

Cushion. Some passengers have reduced ability to sit because of chronic pain. Some of them suffers from neck or back pain or pelvic pain, also called symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) or simply hip pain. People suffering from coccyx pain, also have problems sitting down.
Some people get help from sitting on cushions which are cut out on one side to relieve pressure on the ischial tuberosities, or for those suffering from spinal injuries or arthritic or orthopaedic problems. For this purpose, air donut cushion or wheelchair cushions are permitted on Air Europa flights as long as they fit on the seat and the passenger is able to fasten his/her seat belt.

Crelling Harness. It is designed to support and protect passengers (children and adults) with specific requirements. It is not a safety harness and must be used in conjunction with the aircraft seat belt.
It works by using a series of straps which fit around the back of the seat and are tightened to fit securely (this will not interfere with the passengers drop down tray table behind) and uses a 5 point harness.

Body Support. A device that may be with vacuum technology which moulds the body and holds the desired posture. It is designed to be used anywhere and to maintain full body support by stabilising the torso. It will be flexible to touch and easy to fit into the aircraft seat. There are two side holes for the seat belt to fit through, which would be done first before the passenger would be seated. On the back of the seat there is a section for a tube which will be used to suck air out of the bag, which then goes ridged and forms a full body support. This may take a few minutes to set up therefore the passenger would need to be preboarded.

Travel Chair. A device with head support, a pommel strap and foot rest. It allows
disabled passengers with limited upper body support to travel in comfort and it is very much like an infant car seat in design. It has been developed with children (usually aged, without being limited to, 3 to 11, depending on size / weight) with specific requirements in mind. The Travel Chair fits snugly into a conventional seat with adjustable security strap and 5 point harness which will give complete upper body support. It is not a safety harness and must be used in conjunction with the aircraft seat belt. There are two side holes for the aircraft seat belt to fit through which would be done first before the passenger would be seated.

C). Limitations
Although the width of aircraft seats varies, a device whose dimensions exceed 40 cm (16 in) width (distance between armrests) is unlikely to fit, even if the armrests of the aircraft seats are moved out of the way. An ill-fitting safety seat will not provide adequate protection for the passenger. The passengers, whose needs cannot be met through any of the above mentioned devices, may be accepted on stretcher under the rules set in "Stretcher Passengers (STCR)".