Icelandair's Accessibility Plan and feedback process

We’re committed to providing equal access to travel and related services across the world. The creation of this inaugural Accessibility Plan highlights our commitment to working with diverse groups of individuals, including those with disabilities, guided by the goals established in the ACA, the Accessible Canada Act. Link to the ACA: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/a-0.6/

We are steadfast in our commitment to providing equal service for all, which aligns with our aim of consistently delivering smooth and enjoyable journeys to all our customers. Throughout the years, we’ve collaborated with our employees, customers, and the Icelandic Disability Alliance to identify, remove, and monitor barriers that may affect our customers with disabilities.

We’re dedicated to creating an environment that is accessible to everyone. We achieve this by deploying technology to monitor, analyze, and document input from our customers, employees, and disability groups.

The Accessible Canada Act

The Accessible Canada Act aims to establish a Canada without barriers by January 1, 2040. This is to be achieved by proactively identifying, eliminating, and preventing accessibility barriers in areas under federal jurisdiction, wherever Canadians interact. The ACA officially came into effect on July 11, 2019.

According to the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations, you have the right to certain accommodations and services. You can learn more about the ACA on the Canadian government’s website: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2019-244/FullText.html

Icelandair is dedicated to ensuring an accessible environment for both our customers and employees. This includes individuals with various disabilities, such as mobility, hearing, visual, and cognitive limitations. We will regularly evaluate and improve our policies, procedures, and facilities to ensure inclusion for all individuals.

General information regarding accessible travel with Icelandair may be found under Additional assistance.

We incorporated the principles provided in Section 6 of the ACA while developing our accessibility plan:

1. All persons must be treated with dignity regardless of their disabilities.
2. All persons must have the same opportunity to make for themselves the lives that they are able and wish to have regardless of their disabilities.
3. All persons must have barrier-free access to full and equal participation in society, regardless of their disabilities.
4. All persons must have meaningful options and be free to make their own choices, with support if they desire, regardless of their disabilities.
5. Laws, policies, programs, services, and structures must consider the disabilities of persons, the different ways that persons interact with their environments, and the multiple and intersecting forms of marginalization and discrimination faced by persons.
6. Persons with disabilities must be involved in the development and design of laws, policies, programs, services, and structures.
7. The development and revision of accessibility standards and the making of regulations must be done to achieve the highest level of accessibility for persons with disabilities.

More information on the accessible travel options provided by our Canadian partner airports:

Toronto: Accessibility Services and Facilities | Pearson Airport (torontopearson.com)

Vancouver: Accessibility at YVR | YVR

Halifax: Accessibility - Halifax Stanfield International Airport

Feedback Process and Contact Information

We’re committed to an inclusive and accessible travel experience for all, actively seeking feedback from customers, employees, stakeholders, and the public. We highly value the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities and believe that continuous input from our customers with disabilities is essential for enhancing the accessibility of our services. Recognizing that a barrier-free travel experience requires active involvement and feedback from the public and disabled communities, we are committed to listening and considering all feedback related to our plan, feedback process, progress reports, or any other issues that may arise.

Feedback is welcomed and can be provided through the following channels:

Mail

For written feedback on accessibility barriers or our Accessibility Plan, kindly address your letter to:

Gudrun Helga Heidarsdottir
Sustainability, Icelandair
Reykjavik Airport
102 Reykjavik
Iceland

Email

For electronic feedback, please email us at [email protected]

Phone

To share your feedback by phone, including anonymously, call us at: + 354 50 50 100

Our commitment to enhancing accessibility is a continuous journey that involves dialogue and consultation with stakeholders. To address this, we’ve established the Icelandair Accessibility Working Group, which consists of members from various departments, to steer the development of our initial Accessibility Plan. This group is dynamic, with plans to expand as the project grows.

Informed by feedback from our valued customers and insights from the Icelandic Disability Alliance, the Working Group has begun identifying and addressing existing barriers.

Our efforts to advance our accessibility journey include:

• The formation of a dedicated accessibility committee, tasked with assessing our Accessibility Plan’s progress.
• Strengthening our relationships with the Disability Alliance and their member associations.
• Holding consultation sessions and individual interviews with people who identify as having disabilities.

We're dedicated to understanding and dismantling the barriers our customers and employees face, and we look forward to your participation in creating a travel experience that everyone can enjoy.

Our built environment is diverse, spanning office buildings, aircraft hangars, and airport terminals. We’re devoted to crafting an accessible travel experience and are constantly enhancing the accessibility of our facilities, including our aircraft interiors, signage, and check-in procedures.

Operating across numerous international airports, we actively collaborate to tackle unique accessibility challenges, striving to enact meaningful improvements informed by the feedback from our customers and employees. Other airlines share in this commitment, emphasizing the importance of ensuring accessible built environments for people with disabilities.

We ensure compliance with accessibility standards on board our aircraft and in our diverse workplaces, promoting flexibility through a work-at-home policy and providing guidance for adapting workstations to meet the diverse needs of our team.

We are committed to ensuring that our workplace is accessible to all employees, including those with disabilities. Our facilities, equipment, and communication channels are designed to accommodate the needs of individuals with disabilities, in accordance with relevant accessibility standards.

At Icelandair, we acknowledge the importance of ensuring accessibility for all in our telecommunication systems, computer systems, networks, including our website, and mobile app.

Our commitment extends to employees, assessing better incorporation of digital accessibility.

We guarantee that communication with our passengers is easily accessible through various channels, such as phone, mail, social media, chat, or an online form. Additionally, communication can be conducted in the official language chosen by the passenger.

Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech impediment can reach out to us for any past or future travel-related inquiries by utilizing relay services.

Our website complies with WCAG 2.0 Level AA accessibility standards, ensuring consistent and easily accessible navigation and presentation mechanisms. Notably, text can be enlarged to 200% without any loss of readability, and information is not solely conveyed through color.

We strive for continual innovation, setting ambitious standards to lead in making air travel accessible for everyone.

Icelandair is committed to improving interactions with both passengers and employees by addressing communication-related barriers. Our goal is to deliver information and advertise our products and services in the most accessible manner possible. This dedication extends to conveying information through various accessible channels and consulting individuals with disabilities to determine the most effective means of communication across all aspects of our services.

Our commitment to accessibility extends to the procurement of goods, services, and facilities. Aligned with our Supplier Code of Conduct, we emphasize fair, transparent, and responsible procurement practices, guided by the interests of Icelandair as a whole. Our objective is to be a role model, integrating sustainability into our supply chain and promoting positive social impact.

As part of this commitment, we encourage diversity among our business partners, seeking suppliers who align with our accessibility expectations. We continuously review and enhance our procurement policies, processes, and tools to foster an environment where all suppliers, including those with disabilities, feel confident participating in our procurement processes.

We're committed to the inclusive and accessible design and delivery of our programs and services. We continually strive to ensure that our program delivery is as inclusive and accessible as our work environment itself.

In the development of our training program for front-line employees, we sought expertise from Medaire, an organization specializing in services for individuals with disabilities. We’re now crafting comprehensive training programs for all departments and will incorporate recommendations from the Icelandic Disability Alliance.

Amidst the current labor shortage challenge, it's crucial for us to collaborate with our service providers to ensure that accessibility training is not only continuous but also completed in a timely manner.

To further standardize services for passengers with disabilities, Icelandair and its external partners routinely utilize IATA service codes.

Ensuring smooth travel for everyone is a core part of our service. Recognizing and addressing barriers that our employees and customers face, we strive to exceed the accessibility expectations set by the ACA.

Collaboration is key to enhancing the accessibility of our aircraft and the safe transport of mobility aids. We aim for our facilities to be welcoming to all, consistently in line with regulations.

Meaningful travel experiences come with accessible options, and we're continually refining our products and services to meet this goal.

Dedicated to inclusivity, we extend our support to every passenger. Detailed information on the assistance we offer is available under Additional assistance on the Icelandair web.

Icelandair is subject to the following provisions:

• Part 2 of the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations
• Accessible Canada Act
• Canada Transportation Act
• Accessible Transportation Planning and Reporting Regulations
• Air Passenger Protection Regulations
• Air Transportation Regulations

Introduction

Icelandair is committed to ensuring accessibility for all passengers. This progress report outlines the advancements made in the implementation of our accessibility plan and highlights other accessibility-related achievements since the plan was initiated in November 2023. This report is prepared in accordance with the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) and Accessible Transportation Planning and Reporting Regulations (ATPRR).

General

The designated contact for receiving feedback on behalf of Icelandair is:

• Name: Gudrun Helga Heidarsdottir
• Position: Sustainability
• Mailing address: Icelandair, Reykjavik Airport, 102 Reykjavik
• Telephone number: +354 50 50 100
• Email: [email protected]

Feedback can be provided, and alternate formats of the accessibility plan or feedback process can be requested via the above contact details.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Icelandair has made significant progress in improving the accessibility of our ICT systems:

• Our website and mobile applications have been updated to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA standards.
• We have enhanced the accessibility of our communication to better serve passengers with disabilities.

Communication, other than ICT

• We have taken steps to improve non-ICT communication methods:
• Staff training programs have been enhanced to ensure communication with passengers is informed, respectful, and accessible.
• Crews are trained in accordance with manuals and standards, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). It is a requirement that all crew members receive training in the SOP, both new recruits and permanent re-entry training. During the year, improvements were made on the material and training in the carriage of special categories of passengers. A course was also set up in the electronic classroom Eloomi on the topic of Disability Awareness.
• Training for the Services Centre staff has been improved, among other things, to effectively handle calls from relay services. The updated course now covers various essential topics related to disability awareness and the responsibilities of cabin crew and service centre agents in ensuring accessible and non-discriminatory services for passengers with disabilities.
• Icelandair seating policies for every type of disability have been reviewed and standardized. By standardizing these seating policies, a more consistent and supportive travel experience can be provided for passengers with disabilities.
• We have started sending passengers who travel with wheelchairs a pre-flight post with information about the journey ahead. We are also completing the production of an educational video for travel in a wheelchair.

Design and Delivery of Programs and Services

We have integrated accessibility into the design and delivery of our programs and services:

• Feedback from employees and passengers with disabilities has been instrumental in refining our service delivery to be more inclusive. Programs are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure they meet the diverse needs of our passengers.
• We receive continuous feedback from passengers with disabilities who use our services. Such feedback is immediately put into the appropriate corrective process and processing.

Transportation

Our efforts to enhance transportation accessibility include:

• Ensuring accessible transportation options are available between terminals at airports we serve.

Provisions of CTA Accessibility-Related Regulations

Icelandair adheres to the following CTA regulations:

• Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR)
• Part VII of the Air Transportation Regulations (ATR)
• Personnel Training for the Assistance of Persons with Disabilities Regulations (PTR)

We have made significant progress in implementing our accessibility plan as per these regulations, ensuring compliance and striving to exceed minimum standards.

Feedback Information

We actively solicited and received feedback from passengers regarding accessibility. This feedback is crucial in informing our ongoing efforts and improvements. Actions taken based on feedback include:

• Adjusting services and facilities to better meet the needs of passengers with disabilities.
• Implementing new training programs for staff based on common feedback themes.

Consultations

Consultations with different associations that represent persons with disabilities during the consultation period from November 2023 to May 2024:

• Consultation in February 2024 with ÖBÍ – the national disability association.
• Feedback received through virtual meetings, surveys, and in direct consultation with passengers will be reviewed perodically.

Publication of Progress Reports

This progress report will be published on Icelandair’s main digital platform, ensuring it is accessible either directly from the homepage or through a prominent hyperlink.

Notice to the Agency

Within 48 hours of publication, we will notify the Canadian Transportation Agency via email, including a hyperlink to the report on our website or addresses of locations where a print copy is available

Alternate Formats

Upon request, this progress report will be made available in print, large print, braille, audio format, or an electronic format compatible with adaptive technology. Requests can be made via mail, telephone, or email.

Conclusion

Icelandair remains dedicated to enhancing accessibility and ensuring an inclusive travel experience for all passengers. We continuously strive to meet and exceed the requirements set forth by the ACA and ATPRR.

For any further information or to provide feedback, please contact Gudrun Helga Heidarsdottir at [email protected].

Next Steps

We will begin preparations for the next progress report and continue to update our accessibility plan, ensuring ongoing improvements and compliance with all regulatory requirements.