PRM Events 2022-2023
25 August 2023
We attended Stobhill Hospital after being invited by NHS Scotland to give a talk to the Ostomate support group. We manned a stand and gave information to the user group on special assistance provision at the airport and general help available at all EU airports.
Many of the service users had not travelled since their procedures and were naturally nervous or apprehensive about making their first journey by air and what to expect at the airport, security and onboard etc.
Following the event we are looking to update our own information and take further steps to help this hidden disability user group. We have also agreed to take part in another event soon.
24 August 2023
We volunteered and gave some time to help our local Alzheimer Scotland branch in running a day event for their service users form the area. It was a great afternoon and nice to also receive positive feedback from some users who had travelled recently through Glasgow Airport.
3 July 2023
We joined an AOA meeting, which also reviewed and took feedback from airports on the proposed CAA accessibility framework, CAP2486.
28 June 2023
Met with a passenger who had a difficult experience travelling through GLA with an insulin pump. Having reviewed the journey and feedback from the couple it was evident that the correct process had not been followed. We wanted to meet in person to fully learn from the experience and ensure that all new staff have been fully trained and aware of the process.
The passenger is travelling again soon, and has kindly agreed to act as a mystery shopper and we will await further feedback. She has also kindly offered to carry out specific training if needed.
27 June 2023
We joined the GLA multi agency readiness call which has been set up to ensure all parties at GLA are ready for the summer peak and further increase to passenger growth moving into 2024.
22 June 2023
We joined the Scottish Government Aviation Accessibility working group along with several other representatives from other airports. A member of MACS, Hilary Stubbs, also gave an overview of feedback on how airports could improve accessibility further.
22 June 2023
We met with the family of a young lady who is preparing to travel long distance for the first time. Despite travelling from another UK airport to Canada, she had heard of the service we offered at Glasgow and wanted to explore options available to her through her entire journey. We talked the family through the entire process from booking assistance with the airline all the way to her final destination. In doing so, we also saw first hand how difficult it was for them to book with a non UK based airline. We will share this feedback further with the CAA. We also facilitated a tour of the entire PRM journey for her, a few days later, and feedback from the family was that it had made a huge difference for the daughter.
13 June 2023
Glasgow Airport fire service (Falck) hosted and delivered a presentation on the challenges and safety of Lithium batteries. It was extremely well attended and external emergency services are keen to roll the presentation out wider.
13 June 2023
Joined the CAA framework for airline accessibility as part of the ongoing consultation for proposed airline framework CAP 2486. Several clarifications were made enabling us to provide better feedback on the consultation paper.
23 May 2023
Took part in the CAA Aviation Accessibility. The CAA shared details on current UK PRM performance in increased demand across the UK. Several other airports shared best practices and operational updates at their locations.
16 & 17 May 2023
Met with CAA board and gave an overview on the GLA PRM service and our performance as part of their visit to GLA looking at our entire operation from check-in to departure.
10 May 2023
Met Loganair and their web design team to review CAP 2486 requirements, specifically to look at WEB design requirements as Loganair were in the process of updating their current website. Shared any feedback and learning from our own design and best practice from other airline booking systems.
9 May 2023
Meeting with Renfrewshire Access Panel (RAP) to share updates on some queries raised through our feedback process, and to start preparation for our next PRM forum.
4 May 2023
We had an introductory meeting with a company who provide an innovative approach to quiet spaces. We have arranged to meet further and vie the solution in operation at another location within the next couple of weeks.
28 April 2023
We met with Alzheimer Scotland to make arrangements for a pop-up event for Dementia Awareness week. This year’s theme is “Tea and a Blether” and scheduled for late May.
28 April 2023
We joined the Access Panel Scotland online conference hosted by Disability Equality Scotland (DES). We rely on Renfrewshire Access Panel (RAP) for engagement wide a wider community, access auditing, training and help in resolving access issues. It was good to hear from other Scottish Access panels and learn of the different and sometimes unique issues they may have due to their location or catchment area.
24-28 April 2023
We hosted a work experience placement for a young student who has hearing impairment and wears cochlear implants. We facilitated 5 days, in as many departments within Glasgow Airport Limited and with our PRM Service provider (OCS) across multiple disciples to give him an overview of our workplace. He gave really nice feedback and is rally keen now to pursue a career within aviation or customer service and we wish him luck in his future.
18 April 2023
We joined the Glasgow Airport Multi Agency working group to ensure that moving further into the pandemic recovery and expected increase in passenger numbers, we are ready for the increase in PRM requests, and our infrastructure is fit for purpose for the demand.
6 April 2023
We joined the Scottish Government led Aviation Accessibility Group with other national airport stakeholders, and a key guest from Mobility & Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) gave an overview of what can be done and good practice in travel sectors. The group discussed existing provision and some innovation already endorsed. Another meeting has been scheduled.
30 March 2023
We visited a local church where Alzheimer Scotland were holding a day event for the service users. It was a fantastic afternoon and being able to help out with refreshments and chat to some of the users and family members was hugely rewarding.
16 March 2023
We had our first PRM Forum of the year and included guest invites with Lanarkshire branch of the National Autism Society, as well as a user of the service who had provided feedback on the service. Please see attached minutes here.
15 March 2023
We met with Emirates airlines, following the proposed return of the A380 on a regular schedule at GLA, to review operational requirements for PRM passengers and plan for the additional high volume of PRM assistance requests expected.
13 March 2023
We met with Loganair to review and provide feedback on proposed changes and updates to the functionality of their new website and PRM booking pages. After consultation with them and heir web development team we have agreed to provide further help where required.
16 February 2023
We met with the Renfrewshire Access Panel to catch up on events and plan for our upcoming PRM Forum on the 13 March 2023.
16 February 2023
We worked with Police Scotland to facilitate a visit for a local group of families with children with additional support needs and provided a complete tour of the passenger journey and external areas not normally accessible to the public.
10 February 2023
Following feedback received from the Lanarkshire branch of the National Autism Society, we to review and update our on-line hidden disability guides. These are now in draft format and have been passed to our digital and media team. Once drafted we will forward and seek further feedback on the draft documents.
9 February 2023
We joined the second of the Transport Scotland Aviation working group meetings. Some of the main discussions were around what each airport saw as it’s current challenge ahead. We discussed the need to match the sudden passenger growth and resource challenges around this as an airport community and in particular for Glasgow, the need to re-engage with the NHS. Several other airports agreed and had the same challenges. The next meeting is scheduled for April.
7 February 2023
We met with Loganair, who is one of our key partners across all three AGS airports and have a high proportion of PRMs who use the service when travelling for medical care. Due to the effects and difficulties of the pandemic, it has had a particular impact for those using the PRM service. We are looking to re-engage with NHS and Loganair to try and resolve some of our current challenges and better provide for this group of users.
6 February 2023
We hosted a two-day visit with one of the Southampton Airport Duty Managers who is now overseeing the PRM provision at the airport. The visit was to give a good understanding of PRM legislation, the processes and IT solution that we use, to ensure that we provide an excellent service to our customers. The aim was to share best practice of both operations and ensure a consistent approach and level of service is delivered across both airports.
31 January 2023
We hosted a visit by Jane Thomson and Steven Crichton from Prestwick Airport and shared a lot of the work going on in the background at both locations. Even though our operations are different, we share a lot of similar processes, and it was great to be able to share best practices on both sides.
15 December 2022
Following on from the first Aviation Accessibility Group meeting, we were in contact with Jane Thomson from Prestwick Airport and following this meeting we have agreed to host a site visit at Glasgow with Jane.
6 December 2022
We visited the YMCA in Renfrew to conclude our consultation of sensory rooms. They have a fantastic set up there and this meets a lot of the criteria that we were considering and we can now progress further with our plans.
30 November 2022
We were invited by Transport Scotland to join an Aviation Accessibility Group along with several other Scottish Airport stakeholders. The initial meeting was chaired by Maureen Olliffe, the Policy Advisor on Accessible Travel. The aim of the group was to share issues and best practice and help improve the services.
30 November 2022
We paid a visit to BBC Scotland studios in Glasgow to look at some innovation they are testing. We were invited along by news reporter Ian Hamilton for a demonstration of some new software they are trialling to improve wayfinding for people with visual impairments. This was following a previous visit on site at the airport with Ian where we looked at another IT solution that he uses. We have also agreed to invite Ian as a user of the airport, to “mystery shop” the service for us and hope to do this early next year.
23 November 2022
We met onsite again with PRM Assist to provide further training for our PRM staff and we met with Emirates Airlines to discuss the possibility of them joining the trial.
26 October 2022
We met with our PRM IT provider support manager to discuss and further develop some of our PRM productivity reporting tools to help better deploy our resources and aid in forward planning, to further improve the assistance provided.
26 October 2022
We met on site with PRM Assist following an introduction on the 6th and after some further discussion around the system and its benefits, we have agreed to take part in a trial along with four other UK and Irish airports. We have engaged with a few airlines who operate at Glasgow, and they have also agreed to take part in a trial and help by providing more data.
Please see the link here for more information and details.
25 October 2022
We had our second PRM forum of the year and were joined by the Renfrewshire Access Panel and Alzheimer Scotland. Please see minutes from the meeting here.
24 October 2022
We met with out IT provider system support, to look at the workflow of the AvTech system around last-minute flight gate changes. We did this to minimise the risk of the potential for a PRM passenger to miss their flight after it occurred at another location, even though they do not use our system.
Following this a change has been requested and has since been fully implemented and tested.
18 October 2022
We met with our service provider to look at a review and update of our IVR system to make it easier for people using the phone to get help from the PRM services. This work has now been fully implemented and the system should now be much more streamlined.
12 October 2022
We visited Ibrox football stadium who had installed an award-winning sensory room as part of our ongoing consultation. This gave another insight into how different needs can be met for a sensory room.
12 October 2022
We joined the Lanarkshire branch of the National Autistic Society, and on request, gave a presentation on the work and overview of the PRM service. In particular, we shared information on the help provided for those with hidden disabilities at the airport. Following this, we took some questions and advice on how we could improve. We agreed to invite one or two members to one of our PRM forums and meet again once we have received further feedback.
6 October 2022
We joined with PRM Assist who are a start up company and are currently developing a mobile and desktop application to help PRMs and airports to better capture PRM requests and improve the overall prenotification and help remove some of the difficulties for passengers requesting assistance.
22 September 2022
We visited with Renfrewshire Access Panel, who were now able to return to their office buildings and was our first visit in person at the centre since the start of the pandemic. We met to review and update on the actions from the accessibility audit which took place on the 5th of May and start of the preparation for the next PRM forum planned for post summer.
21 September 2022
We visited the Milldale Centre to look at their sensory room at the outset of our consultation before we start work on a proposed sensory room / quiet room within the Terminal. We took a few points away from this visit and they suggested that we look at a couple of others that might better suit or needs.
We had another visit that afternoon to Riverbrae, a school for children with additional support needs. It has two sensory rooms, and we took further advice on who else to engage with as the school rooms function in a different manner.
20 September 2022
Both GLA and our service provider OCS, spent a second day volunteering for Alzheimer Scotland, and helped by painting and refreshing some of their garden furniture to allow the residents to again enjoy the outdoor facility after return form COVID.
15 September 2022
Our PRM team hosted a visit from Berlin to share best practice and discussed our current challenges and ongoing improvements on both sides. The Berlin team were from Berlin Brandenburg which is a relatively new facility, who also operate on guidance and regulation of EC1107/2206 and wished to have a better understanding of how we used AvTech to operate, manage and record the PRM services.
13 September 2022
We facilitated a visit with the team from Transreport to give an overview of the service we provide as well as the systems we use to manage and oversee the Glasgow PRM operation. Transreport are working on software solutions for accessible transport, and it was good to share and discuss opportunities for improving the service further.
26 August 2022
We met with Marion Fellows, SNP Disabilities Spokesperson and with her colleague Shona Davidson, and gave an overview of our service and how we are currently preforming. She wanted to see first-hand how the airport operates the service. We took time explaining the booking process, journey logging and our full service delivery methodology, including how we measure or performance, as well as an insight into other initiatives around hidden disabilities.
Please click here to read Marion’s feedback.
25 August 2022
Glasgow Airport Terminal Compliance Manager and OCS Airport Service Manager, who are both responsible for the PRM assistance provision at Glasgow, gave up some time and spent the day volunteering to carry out some work for our local Alzheimer Scotland facility. Carolyn had suggested that we could refresh the painting on the summer house and some other wooden garden furniture. We have planned a second date on 20 September to complete remaining tasks.
6 July 2022
Following on from an accessibility audit with RAP we carried out a complete seating survey of the Terminal building and began re-organising and relocating seating following the original seat moves for COVID social distancing. This work will hopefully be completed soon, and the reserved seating area has been fully re-instated.
28 June 2022
Visit by CAA for a PRM operational review and we were able to gain a valuable insight into the current ongoing difficulties across UK airports and share best practices across the UK networks. To date, our PRM service provision has been maintained and our CAA ECAC and other performance KPIs have remained on target throughout.
8 June 2022
We took part along with other airport businesses and communities to ensure that our PRM service, along with other parts of the journey were ready for the rapid rise in traffic as we move pout of lockdown and return to normal growth. These meetings are now scheduled fortnightly for the foreseeable future.
10 May 2022
Meeting on site with the new TUI PRM and accessibility manager. This enabled familiarisation of the site and our PRM provision and allowed discussion over any difficulties or issues in communications and the service provided to PRMs on both sides.
5 May 2022
Renfrewshire Access Panel (RAP) carried out and site audit of Glasgow Airport over most of the day looking at accessibility of the entire passenger journey from Car Park/Forecourt to point of departure and the reverse passenger journey. Area reviewed in the audit included all areas of the Terminal and journey looking at wayfinding, accessibility, accessible toilets, seating provision, help points etc.
Initial draft feedback has been received and the final document out output actions will be tracked by the GLA PRM forum.
20 April 2022
We attended the online Disability Equality Scotland (DES) access panel conference and main topics were around Covid recovery and access panel engagement. We took an action to pick up separately with the Renfrewshire Access Panel after the event.
6 April 2022
We attended a local group in Bishopton, The Inbetweenies, who requested that we attend one of their members monthly meetings and give an overview of the assistance service at Glasgow Airport. Around 80 people attended, and information provided about how to book the service, and what could be expected n the day pf travel. Feedback from the group was that it was very worthwhile, and our details have been passed t other local groups. We have already started to receive requests for similar events.
29 March 2022
Follow up with Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) and Loganair to prep for a change to the Santa flight, now planned as an Easter Bunny flight on the 2 April 2022. This took place as planned and by all accounts, it was a very memorable day for everyone involved.
15 February 2022
First GLA PRM Forum with the new member make up took place and included changes to terms of reference, member make up and overview of current PRM provision. Please see attached minutes here.
3 February 2022
PRM forum now planned for 15 February 2022. Further meeting took place to discuss Terms of Reference and proposed agenda.
18 January 2022
Further meeting and consultation with RAP in preparation for the GLA PRM forum.
Meeting was moved from the 24 January 2022 following covid outbreak affecting one of the members.
12 Jan 2022
Meeting with PRM forum member from Loganair in preparation for the upcoming PRM forum meeting. Following this we made a further call to CAA on clarifications to the proposed CAP1228A
For previous consultations click below:
PRM Consultation 2021 (PDF)
PRM Consultation 2020 (PDF)
PRM Consultation 2019 (PDF)
PRM Consultation 2018 (PDF)