UK Autism Influencer Has ‘Meltdown’ Travelling Through Malta Airport After Told She Can’t Access Quiet Rooms
A young woman travelling through Malta International Airport has recounted an experience where she claims she wasn’t given access to autism-friendly facilities and was told to remain standing in a noisy area, eventually leading to her having a public meltdown.
@neurodivergent_lou, a 20-year-old who shares her experiences “documenting the journey to finding my place in a neuro-typical world” with her 112k followers on Instagram, recently travelled through MIA, but was left uncomfortable with the way her experience went.
“As an autistic passenger, I have just been told that I can’t sit down in a quiet part of the airport as I must remain standing due to ‘airport policy’,” Lou said in an Insta story shared Sunday evening.
Lou said she asked if she could access a quieter, more autism-friendly area.
“When I asked if I can go somewhere quiet as an autistic passenger (and showed proof of my autism) she said that I can’t as where they normally take the ‘autism passengers’ (her words) is being used for other passengers.”
“So now I’m standing in a loud part of the airport having a meltdown.”
“This is the reality of inaccessibility. Everywhere claims to be accessible until they actually have to be. My flight has been delayed, too.”
It is unclear who Lou spoke to exactly, but her experience was less than what she was expecting.
She posted a second story after her followers reached out to see how she’s doing.
“I am okay, I feel embarrassed about posting that but it’s important to show the reality of being autistic. I know for me, when people share their struggles it helps me realise that I am not alone, that this is a systematic issue. It’s okay to not be okay. Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbow.”
Other online personalities with autism chimed in, with one influencer, @healthyalie, said: “Ableism at its finest. At the risk of coming across as harsh, if you’re not autistic you should not give us unsolicited advice on what we should do, how we should react and how we should prepare.”
MIA has a dedicated section for autistic passengers, with a Visual Guide available with images and directions to get through the facilities, as well as access to Quiet Rooms that are offered free of charge, though they are subject to availability.
The airport urges travellers to inform then at 72 hours in advance before travelling to ensure they can make the necessary arrangements. Alternatively, individuals can wear a specific identifier to alert staff to their needs. Staff have also been trained in autism sensitivity.
A spokesperson from MIA told Lovin Malta that they’ve reached out to the individual in question to address the situation, and are in contact with them.
“MIA has been offering the Journey Facilitation Service for free since 2018. Through this service, which is delivered by specially trained MIA front liners, MIA offers escorting to passengers who are on the spectrum, fast tracking them through certain airport processes and accompanying them to a quiet area,” the spokesperson told Lovin Malta.
“The service must be booked 72 hours ahead of the journey through the airport website, in order for Malta International Airport to ensure that it has enough resources to accommodate every request,” he continued.
“While Malta International Airport strives to accommodate every request it receives, due to the limited size of the terminal building, access to a quiet space is subject to availability on the day, as stipulated on the website. We are in touch with the guest and she will be sharing more information as to what happened.”
What’s your experience when passing through MIA?
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