Sunflower lanyards are a way to discreetly let airport staff know that you may need a little extra support or consideration while travelling. You do not need to share anything about your disability, but you can attach an ID card to the end of your lanyard with details about your condition and what support you may need if you don’t feel comfortable talking to people about what you require.

Sunflower lanyards are available at all of our airports in the UK, and can be collected from the ‘Special Assistance’ or ‘Reception’ areas. We recommend that you check on your departure airport’s website for the latest information on where to collect a lanyard from. They can also be purchased from HD Sunflower if you’d like to make sure you have one before you travel - Lanyard & Card Packs.

We want to make sure that everyone has a great experience whenever they fly with us, and we understand that customers on the autism spectrum may have different needs and preferences.

If you're a person with autism, you'll be able to travel unaccompanied if you're:

• Able to understand the safety briefing


• Able to get out of your seat and to an exit without assistance in an emergency situation, e.g put on a life jacket, oxygen mask and unfasten your seatbelt without assistance


• Able to take care of your personal needs during the journey, such as taking your own medicine, eating and drinking without assistance or using the facilities on board

If you need support with any of the above, you will need to travel with an accompanying adult who is aged 16 or over and must be physically and mentally fit to be able to provide you with this assistance.

Below are our top tips for travelling if you are a person with autism:

• Airports can be noisy, crowded and disorienting, so we recommend that you pack anything in your cabin bag allowance that will make your journey easier for you. For example, headphones for music and videos, ear defenders, books, toys or a comforter.


• If you need to choose a specific seat in order to be comfortable while flying, please contact our Special Assistance team. If you’re travelling with another person, we will do our best to make sure you’re seated together while on board, but the best way to make sure this happens is to speak to us as soon as possible before your flight.


• If you would like a familiarisation visit to the airport before you travel, please visit your airport’s website for more details on how to do this.


• Security searches are essential to safety and every customer needs to go through security checks when they fly. Security searches could mean that staff need to inspect the contents of your bags or give you a personal body search to check you are safe to fly. If you feel uncomfortable with anything, or want to know more about the procedure, please just ask one of the security staff as you go through. Some airports can create an autism-friendly security process. If you want to find out more, ask at the Special Assistance desk when you arrive at the airport.

If you need to travel with hypodermic needles, you’ll be allowed to bring these on board for medical purposes only. You’ll need to bring a letter from a medical practitioner confirming what type of medication you’re carrying and what it is used for.

If you need to administer insulin in private while flying with us, you’re welcome to use our toilets on board. Our aircraft are regularly cleaned and will be a sanitary area for you to administer your medication if you need to. The used needles must be disposed of in a sharps box. If you don’t have one with you, please let our crew know and they will be able to bring a sharps box to you.

We also recommend that you pack some extra snacks in your hand luggage like fruit or a sandwich in case you’re affected by delays.

If you're travelling with a stoma bag, you don’t need to tell anyone on the flight that you have one, but we recommend that you keep your stoma equipment in your hand luggage so it's always with you.

If you need to change your bag while flying with us, you're welcome to use our toilets on board to change this. Our aircraft are regularly cleaned and will be a sanitary area for you to change your equipment if you need to.

Some of our airports offer quiet places or special areas in case you feel overwhelmed or need to sit down in a calmer environment.

Below are a list of some of our airports that offer these areas, but we recommend that you check your departure airport website for the latest information before you travel.

Manchester airport – Sunflower room

Gatwick airport – North terminal sensory room

Luton airport – Quiet place

East Midlands airport – Quiet places

If you feel as though you would benefit from extra support while you fly, we highly recommend you call our Special Assistance team before you travel. You can advise them of any adjustments you might need and they will be able to give guidance on how the teams in the airport will be able to support you on your journey. For more information, please visit our Special Assistance page.

As Special Assistance is provided by the airport themselves, the services may differ considerably by location. If you will need assistance in the airport, it’s important that you familiarise yourself with the services they provide to make sure your needs will be met. Please take a look the airport's website for the latest information.

Once on board, if you would like our crew to be aware of your needs, please let them know when boarding. Please note that cabin crew are unable to provide one to one special assistance and if you think you will need this, we advise you to fly with a travel companion.