Assisted travel
Special assistance is available
London Southend Airport prides itself on making your journey easy breezy.
If you or anyone travelling with you needs extra help, please don’t hesitate to ask. We’re a friendly bunch! And it’s our job to ensure that everyone can travel through the airport with ease, so we have a range of special assistance services to facilitate this.
Pre-booked special assistance at London Southend Airport will reflect your individual needs. Telling us exactly how we can help you means that we can be ready to:
- Provide assistance to/from the train, your car or your taxi
- Support you from check-in all the way through to boarding the aircraft, including visits to retail outlets or café and introducing you to crew members on board
- Ensure a trained member of London Southend Airport staff can support you to your designated seat on-board the aircraft
- Help you with luggage
- Provide assistance with customs and immigration procedures
Be sure to pre-book your special assistance
It is best to give as much notice as possible both for your outbound and return journeys so that the necessary arrangements to give you the assistance you require can be made.
Pre-book special assistance
You must book special assistance with your airline, tour operator or travel agent at least 48 hours before you fly.
If you require further assistance from London Southend Airport after pre-booking please email: [email protected]
Getting to & from the airport
Our train station is only 100 paces from the passenger terminal and accessible car parking is also available close by.
Accessible car parking & pick up or drop off
There are conveniently located blue badge bays in our Short Stay car park (charges apply) that provide the closest option for accessing the terminal. Blue badge bays are also available in our Premium and Mid stay car parks.
Getting to & from our train station
It’s only 100 paces from the train station to the airport terminal, via a sheltered walkway. Help on and off of the train can be pre-booked directly with our station team. Station accessibility is well considered and there are lifts to the platforms on both sides of the station.
Getting to & from your taxi
When you book your taxi to or from the airport, please ensure that you advise the provider of your specific support needs. Our recommended provider will ensure that on arrival at the airport that the driver will meet your needs.
Walking distances
Need to understand the walking distances and times of our passenger journey?
Click to see walking distances
Parking
Short stay
1 minute from check-in (115 metres)
Premium
1 – 2 minutes from check-in (115 metres)
Mid stay
3 minutes from check-in (269 metres)
Long stay
3 – 5 minutes from check-in (246 metres)
Taxi
Taxi drop off is in Short stay or Long stay – advise your driver of Short Stay for closest drop off (fee applies).
The taxi rank for taking a taxi from the airport is at the front of the terminal – 1 minute (100 metres)
Train
Train (from London) to check-in
2 minutes (130 metres)
Terminal
Check-in concourse to Security
2 minutes
Security to Departure Lounge
1 minute
Departure Lounge to furthest aircraft stand
2 minutes
Arrivals Hall to Short Stay or Premium car parks
3 minutes
Arrivals Hall to Mid stay or Long stay car parks
5 – 6 minutes
Terminal to/from Holiday Inn
7 minutes
Taxi to/from Hotel is available from airport taxi rank or bookable from the Hotel via +44 (0)1702 200200
Terminal & facilities
Our terminal is modern, highly accessible and our award winning team are ready to welcome you. Lifts and escalators are in place for access.
Where to head for special assistance or for hidden disability support at the airport
Simply head for the ticket desk in the entrance concourse of the terminal – this is the assistance meeting point.
Please don’t be shy – if the desk is unmanned, please use the intercom to let us know that you have arrived.
Wheelchair or mobility scooter use
All airlines flying from London Southend Airport can accommodate mobility scooters and manually powered wheelchairs but airlines need to know this in advance. Please contact your airline to book in advance, as airline authorisation may be needed before you travel.
Taking medical equipment in your luggage
Learn more about taking medicine or medical equipment in your luggage.
Toilets & showers
Clearly signposted accessible toilets are available in all areas of the terminal, there is also a shower facility near to the check-in area of the terminal, before you enter Security.
Help available at the airport
We know that the journey through an unfamiliar airport can be a little overwhelming for many, we want to be a solution to this.
Support with hidden disabilities
Our award-winning team have been fully trained to recognise not only the Sunflower Scheme, but also when any of our passengers need a little extra help, we go the extra mile every day to ensure that every passengers journey is an easy breezy one.
More information can be found in our special assistance Q&As.
Support with blindness or vision limitations
Guide dogs
Guide Dogs are more than welcome at the airport to support our blind or visually impaired passengers.
Please note that guide dogs can only travel if they are registered with the Pet Travel Scheme and if allowed by your airline and holiday destination.
Dog lovers – one thing to remember! When you see a Guide Dog wearing its harness, please don’t distract them – they’re working hard to support their handler. Speak to their handler first before talking to, stroking or feeding the dog.
Support with deafness or hearing limitations
Hearing loops are situated at all touchpoints throughout the airport and are at the ticket desk, check-in desks and boarding gates. Visual flight information is provided throughout the terminal via Flight Information Display Screens.
Our tannoy will share verbal flight and airport communications too.
Therapy dog programme
What better way to reduce your anxieties about flying than with a good doggo cuddle and stroke? Which is why we have a joint partnership with Essex Therapy Dogs here at London Southend Airport.
More information can be found on our dedicated Therapy Dogs page.
Travelling with a stoma
Keep any medication in clear resealable plastic bags and place them in the tray with your hand luggage. Any liquid medication over 100ml can be taken so long as it has the prescription label or a doctors letter. A private search room is available, so please do not hesitate to ask for this.
Shelving and sanitary bins are provided in all disabled toilets to assist in changing and disposing colostomy bags.
Further advice can be found on the Colostomy UK website.
Our targets
At London Southend Airport, we aim to provide high standards of assistance to everyone who needs extra support throughout their journey at the airport, and to minimise waiting times.
We are committed to ensuring that everyone who has requested assistance in advance will reach their aircraft in time for departure. We will make every effort to provide assistance to our passengers who have not requested help in advance. We constantly monitor our quality standards to ensure we are meeting our targets and commitments to passengers with reduced mobility and other needs.
How well did we support you?
To help us measure our performance and look for ways to improve, please take a moment to feed back about our Special Assistance service at the airport. This independent survey, designed by the Civil Aviation Authority, should only take a few minutes to complete. Thank you.
CAA passenger survey results
The most recent Civil Aviation Authority survey results can be found here. These reports contain tables and charts of passengers surveyed at London Southend Airport.
Our work with national disability groups
We take an active role in our community and meet regularly with disability groups. We have partnerships with organisations working with hidden disabilities and working with the Alzheimer’s Society via the Strategy and Commissioning Officer for Dementia. We are proud to be the UK’s first dementia friendly airport.
Meeting minutes
Learn more
We have also produced a leaflet giving advice to those with dementia, and their carers, about how to improve the quality of their journey through the airport.
We work in partnership with organisations representing disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility to review and improve our service provision. We have worked with a number of disability organisations with particular focus on those representing hidden disabilities.
These included:
- Dementia Friends
- Action on Hearing Loss
- Guide Dogs for the Blind
Need help?
Check out our advice
What do I do if I need special assistance through security?
Please make sure you have pre-booked any form of special assistance through your airline before travelling through London Southend Airport. If you travel without pre-booked special assistance, there may be some delay to the support we can provide.
How do I request special assistance at the airport?
You must contact your airline or travel operator at least 48 hours before you fly to book assistance at the airport, as arriving at the airport without pre-booking may cause delay to the assistance that can be provided. However, if you arrive at the airport without booking special assistance, please use the intercom located at any of the pay machines in the airport car parks, or make your way to the ticket desk and use the intercom located there to contact the team.
If you need help getting from the car park, press the assistance button on the entrance barrier.
Please note that priority is given to passengers who have booked in advance.
Find out more about booking special assistance on our website.
Will I continue to get assistance on my flight?
Yes, any assistance booked will continue as you booked direct with the airline.
To get assistance on the aircraft you need to book through your airline, so they will be aware of your needs. Your assistance will continue for as long as you need it on your journey.
Are hearing loops available at London Southend Airport?
Absolutely. Hearing loops are situated at the ticket desk, check-in desks and boarding gates and all customer service touchpoints throughout the terminal. Visual information is provided throughout the terminal via Flight Information Display Screens.