Deaf travelers say airline announcements are a safety risk

• Many Deaf and hard-of-hearing travelers miss crucial flight information because announcements are often only made verbally.
• Airlines sometimes provide incorrect accommodations, like wheelchairs, for Deaf passengers due to flawed communication systems.
• Advocates argue that a lack of visual announcements and captioned content is a safety concern, not just an inconvenience.

Cruising Altitude is a weekly column about air travel. Have you experienced your own accessibility issues while flying? Fill out the form or email me at the address at the bottom of this page.

When you’re sitting in the airport, the deluge of announcements can be overwhelming. The boarding order for the flight to Orlando has no impact on your trip to Denver. But imagine how dangerous it could be if you didn’t have any announcements. 

For many Deaf travelers, that’s the reality of flying. Crucial announcements in the airport and on board airplanes are often only made verbally or in some other audio-based format, which means travelers with hearing loss may be missing out on important information like last-minute gate changes or crucial safety instructions in the event of an emergency. 

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Hearing Disorders, about 30 million people age 12 or older in the United States have some degree of hearing loss in both ears, so this audio-centric information broadcasting in airports potentially affects millions of travelers every year.  

One of those travelers really wanted to make sure I was paying attention and reached out to me recently. 

“When reserving my flights, I always disclose that I am Deaf. This usually does not get passed on to actual airline employees, such as the gate agents or flight attendants,” Corina Butler-Demeo wrote to me. “Every time I ask if it is listed for my name or seat, they say that there is nothing on their list. Typically, even if I let someone know, it is forgotten or ignored, so I miss things like meals/snacks and important announcements.” 

Butler-Demeo, 36, wrote that she often doesn’t have access to closed captions on in-flight entertainment, which she explained is especially frustrating because she frequently flies between the United States and Australia, where the Boston native now lives. 

She also wrote that she often receives accommodations she doesn’t need when flying. 

“You know what DOES happen almost every time? A wheelchair is waiting for me when I get off the plane. This has happened to almost every Deaf person I know who has traveled by air. It’s so disheartening to get off a flight to be met with an accommodation that I don’t need,” her email said. “It feels like I’ve wasted resources when this happens, and it’s somewhat embarrassing to have to explain that I don’t need a wheelchair for being Deaf. It’s clear that my name is just put on a list sent to the partners who provide the wheelchair assistance service.” 

Butler-Demeo's experience highlights how far the aviation industry still has to go in making flying equally accessible to all travelers. 

Here’s how they can do it. 

Better communication is needed 

“The biggest barrier is communication access,” Bobbie Beth Scoggins, interim CEO of the National Association of the Deaf, wrote to me in an email. “When airlines fail to provide accessible communication, they are not just creating inconvenience ‒ they are excluding millions of Americans from full participation in air travel.” 

She added that accessible announcements help travelers across the spectrum. 

“Accessibility benefits everyone,” Scoggins wrote. “Visual announcements, captioning, and clear communication improve the travel experience for all passengers, including non-native English speakers and people in noisy environments.” 

For Butler-Demeo, it starts with the simple fact that her own accessibility needs are not often communicated to everyone she interacts with on her trips. 

“Typically, when booking a ticket, you can check a box to request ‘Special Assistance.’ Usually, there is no 'free text' field to describe your needs,” she wrote.  

The result is that she often winds up being unable to fully communicate with airline staff throughout her journeys. 

If airlines had better internal communication systems and more robust training, Butler-Demeo wrote, her experience could be smoother. 

“Proper training for employees who are customer-facing is important too. Having a basic understanding of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing experience and what communication methods typically work for us (i.e., getting my attention with a gesture or a light tap, making sure you are facing me, and writing important information down),” she wrote. 

Many airlines provide updates like gate changes and other information in a visual format in their app, but often during major disruptions like severe weather, information is broadcast verbally by gate agents well before the apps are updated, meaning travelers who rely on visual updates may not get the most up-to-date information in real time. 

Recognize that this is a safety concern 

Scoggins noted that as frustrating as it might be to not be able to watch an in-flight movie if there are no captions, the much bigger – and more pressing – concern with lack of accessibility while flying for Deaf travelers is safety. 

“In an environment where timing and safety are critical, inaccessible communication is not just inconvenient ‒ it can be dangerous,” she wrote. “Critical accommodations like captioning for pilot announcements or visual emergency updates are often unavailable or inconsistent.” 

Tips for Deaf travelers 

For advocates like Scoggins, the ideal situation would be for airports to be built and airlines to be structured with accessibility as the default, but she acknowledged that improvements in this area are unlikely to happen across the board overnight. 

“Technology exists to provide real-time captioning and visual alerts. The barrier is not feasibility ‒ it is prioritization,” she wrote. 

In the meantime, Deaf travelers can be proactive to try to ensure their needs are met while traveling. 

Here’s what Scoggins recommends: 

• Request accommodations in advance and confirm them before travel. 

• Arrive early to allow time to address communication needs. 

• Use airline apps for visual updates when available. 

• Inform gate agents directly that you need visual notification of announcements. 

• Know your rights under federal disability laws. 

Still, she wrote, even having to take those steps can be frustrating. “The responsibility should not rest solely on Deaf travelers to ensure their own access. Equal access is a civil right, not a favor.” 

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at [email protected].