This is an incredible story! We are proud to be partnered with Cérge, helping us create a more accessible airport ❤️
Being mobility challenged, travelling can be daunting. As I am on bilateral crutches, I was also concerned about needing to wait for extended periods lining up, as this is difficult for me. Travelling with children adds an extra layer of challenge to the mix. While many people can just arrive at the airport & ‘go with the flow’, it takes planning & organisation when I travel, which can be stressful. Recently I had arranged to fly to Sydney for a holiday with my three children. I was somewhat apprehensive due to needing to navigate through the airport with the children & manage all our luggage. However, prior to travelling I had visited the Cérge website wherein I found a huge amount of information about the Sunshine Coast Airport. I was able to view a floor plan of the airport, & even do a virtual walk through with a 360 degree virtual tour. On the day of travel, I used the Cérge app to notify Sunshine Coast Airport of the time that I would be arriving & check in on arrival. The app itself also had extensive information about the airport & what to expect, including a comprehensive sensory guide. Once the children & I arrived at the entrance to the baggage check-in, Jordan was waiting to greet us & guide us through to the Qantas check-in area. We were guided through a priority lane, which meant we didn’t have to line up. This in itself was a huge relief for me as prolonged standing is difficult. At check-in, Jordan remained with us until all bags were tagged & checked through & we had received our boarding passes. We also discussed the possibility of assistance for boarding the flight & a lift was arranged for the time of boarding. Jordan then walked us through to the security check. He assisted us to run all items through the security screen, & there was a chair for me to sit on for the purposes of screening. After we had gone through security, Jordan showed us to our gate, provided me with a telephone number in case I needed anything prior to boarding, & was helpful, friendly & knowledgeable. We were then collected by Qantas staff & assisted to board the plane using the lift. At no time throughout our whole time at the airport did I feel a burden to anyone, & I didn’t have to spend time trying to organise assistance or work out a way to navigate difficult areas. The stress was removed, such that by the time I sat in my seat on the plane I was relaxed & ready for our holiday, not stressed & exhausted from navigating our way through check-in, security & boarding. What a wonderful service Cérge & the Sunshine Coast Airport offer. I have no doubt that Sunshine Coast Airport’s initiative to embrace inclusion & accessibility will make a huge difference to many. 💜💜💜 Department of Tourism and Sport + Queensland Tourism Industry Council + Tourism and Events Queensland + Tourism Australia + Australian Airports Association #AccessibleTourism #KnowBeforeYouGo #CustomerService #Inclusion Victoria + Matt + Kate + Kyle + Ferlina