Emirates brings Travel Rehearsal to Malpensa
Entering the airport for the first time can be an intense experience: noises, movements, waits and procedures to be dealt with in a short time. For some children, this complexity can become an obstacle even before departure. From this need comes "Travel Rehearsal", Emirates' global program designed to make air travel more accessible, which also arrives for the first time at Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP).
Worldwide, there are over 100 million people with autism and/or sensory sensitivity, and data indicate that 78% give up traveling for fear of being in new and unfamiliar environments. In this context, being able to know the airport route in advance helps to transform the unknown into something more understandable and manageable.
The initiative was organized by SEA Milan Airports and the L'abilità ETS association and involved six children between 6 and 10 years old, accompanied by the association's educators. The goal was to simulate the experience of traveling at the airport, creating a first positive contact with the environment and allowing participants to explore it at a time and in a manner appropriate to their needs.
The route reproduced the main phases of the start. In a specially prepared and uncrowded check-in area , the children began to familiarize themselves with some typical elements of the trip, such as the boarding pass, luggage tags and personalized passports, handmade with the support of educators. The experience then continued with security checks and the border crossing, where the stamp on the passport made the journey even more concrete. In the boarding area, participants observed the aircraft and ground handling operations, also experiencing the moment of waiting as part of the experience. The journey ended with baggage claim, thus offering a complete view of the journey at the airport. At the end, each child received an "expert traveler" diploma.
The project made it possible to build an environment calibrated to the sensory and relational needs of the participants, helping to reduce stress and anxiety. At the same time, it offered the children the opportunity to know the different stages of the journey in advance and to face them with greater serenity in view of a real departure.
The initiative is part of the broader ENAC program "Autism - Traveling to the airport", to which SEA has been adhering for some time through its own familiarization project. On this occasion, however, the experience takes on an even more complete form thanks to the direct collaboration between the airport, the airline and the association.
With the Milan Malpensa stop, Emirates thus continues the extension of the Travel Rehearsal program in Europe and the rest of the world, confirming an approach to travel in which accessibility becomes an integral part of the airport experience and the passenger journey.
