Virgin Atlantic has joined forces with deaf influencers to better understand the needs of its deaf and hard-of-hearing customers.
The airline is currently the only UK airline to offer British Sign Language (BSL) trained cabin crew. Virgin has collaborated with Jodie Ounsley, a deaf Gladiators star, and Hermon and Heroda Berhane, deaf twin content creators. The objective was to test its services on a flight from London Heathrow to Washington.
The experience was captured in a film released to mark International Week of Deaf People. It showcases Virgin Atlantic’s BSL-trained crew aiding with onboard navigation, announcements, and in-flight entertainment.
Accessibility Advisory Board and BSL Training
Jodie, Hermon, and Heroda shared their feedback with Virgin Atlantic’s newly created Accessibility Advisory Board. The Board aims to enhance the airline’s accessibility offerings.
The Board includes industry leaders with personal experiences of accessible travel. They will review processes and products to ensure Virgin Atlantic continues to empower customers to travel the world.
In addition to ongoing BSL training, Virgin Atlantic has committed to increasing subtitled options on in-flight entertainment, improving clarity of services, and introducing Sign Live, an on-demand BSL interpreter for customer service teams.
Existing inclusivity initiatives
These commitments build on Virgin Atlantic’s existing inclusivity initiatives, including bespoke BSL and Deaf Awareness training conducted by Remark!, a leading deaf-led organization.
The airline’s team of BSL-trained crew has more than doubled since the start of 2023 and is available to request on all flights.
Feedback from Influencers
Jodie commented, “Knowing that airlines like Virgin Atlantic can provide specially trained crew with the awareness and understanding to make me feel comfortable onboard is really empowering.”
She added, “It’s amazing to see the feedback myself, Hermon and Heroda provided is going to help make the experience of flying even better for deaf travellers in the future.”
While onboard, Hermon and Heroda shared their positive experience of feeling understood and appreciated the ability to communicate their requirements.
Accessibility Advisory Board Future Plans
The Accessibility Advisory Board plans to explore expanding its training program to include more general conversation, based on the influencers’ feedback. This will allow the crew to engage in more natural and meaningful interactions with deaf passengers, fostering a sense of connection and belonging.
Emma Flanagan, a Virgin Atlantic BSL-trained cabin crew member, emphasized the importance of making all passengers feel included and empowered. She stated, “Being able to go that one step further and do this in BSL for passengers is hugely rewarding.”
Virgin Atlantic has been working with the RNID to uncover new research around travelling for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. The insights reveal that while many people are planning trips abroad, many worry about communicating with cabin crew and missing announcements.
The campaign is part of Virgin Atlantic’s ongoing commitment to inclusive travel for all. It follows a new partnership with Channel 4 and support for the England Deaf Rugby team.
Teri Devine, Director of Inclusion at RNID, said: “1 in 3 adults in the UK are deaf or have hearing loss, yet our research shows that every day people face negative attitudes and behaviours at work, when they’re out shopping, and even from their families.”
The impact of this can be huge: making people feel excluded, lonely, and disrespected, and destroying their confidence.
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