Barcelona – El Prat Airport

A deeply disappointing experience with accessibility and assistance services on departure - a stark contrast to the smooth and supportive arrival. From the outset, there was a clear lack of coordination and consistency among staff, with conflicting information given about where to go and how assistance would be provided. This set the tone for a stressful and uncertain journey. Despite having arranged support in advance, basic protocols were not followed. Communication barriers and a reluctance to engage with provided documentation added unnecessary delays and anxiety, particularly around agreed medical allowances with check-in baggage. Most concerning was the absence of appropriate assistance at key stages of the journey. This led to a rushed and undignified boarding process, where staff were not ready to board us first, highlighting a serious gap in both planning and staff awareness when supporting passengers with high mobility needs. Overall, the experience reflected poor organisation, inadequate training, and a lack of respect for passengers requiring accessibility support.

It was two years since we last flew into Barcelona Airport but when I heard from the airport that they were getting two Eagle Lifters we booked a holiday straight away. For two years in the hope the airport would get an Eagle I done a lot of research into accommodation and we knew where we were going to stay, (MICs Sant Jordi) but that is another review. The airport PRM team had never done a live lift before as I was the first WCHC that arrived since they had their training. I have my own Eagle sling so when the PRM team came in to take me out of my seat it was done in under a minute. The cabin crew on the Easyjet aircraft couldn't believe the speed it all happened. Not having your own sling is not an issue as a sling can be put on in 2/3 minutes. I can highly recommend the PRM team at Barcelona airport, who are a very friendly and respectful PRM team.

Despite the huge size of this airport, we found it surprisingly easy to find our way around. Signage is excellent, disabled access is evident, and crowds are well managed.