Tigerair trains staff to better help hearing and sight-impaired travellers

Tigerair trains staff to better help hearing and sight-impaired travellers

The Singapore Association for the Deaf and Singapore Association for the Visually Handicapped is helping the company to launch a new training programme for its frontline staff and 465 cabin crew to ensure that the special needs of these travellers are met.


Get the full story from The Straits Times.

Here is the press release from Tiger Air in full:

For several hours this morning, Tigerair's trainers and senior cabin crew who were not on flight duty were huddled in the airline's training room together with members of the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) and The Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf) for a time of sharing and learning.

The event was part of Tigerair's effort to better understand the needs of persons with disabilities and explore ways to enhance the flight experience of this group of travellers.

Following meetings with the SAVH and SADeaf, Tigerair had extended an invitation for the two associations to conduct a training and familiarisation session for its cabin crew and trainers.

The airline also plans to embed key takeaways and learning points into its training material so that all present and future staff will be able to benefit from the knowledge acquired from this session.

Xavier Lim, Chief Corporate Services Officer of Tigerair said, "Our frontline staff is integral to our product delivery and brand, and we hope that sessions like this can help us connect with our customers including those with special needs, so that we can deliver a better experience for all."

Besides equipping cabin crew with the relevant knowledge and skills in rendering assistance to this group, the airline is also carrying out a review of its policies not just for the visually handicapped, but for the larger community of persons with disabilities.

Michael Tan, Executive Director of SAVH said, "It is heartening to see Tigerair taking proactive steps to enhance air travel experience for passengers with disabilities.

"Beyond this training session, we hope to keep communication channels open and continue to work with Tigerair on other initiatives that will be of mutual benefit."

Dr Low Wong Kein Christopher, President of SADeaf added, "Some persons with disabilities are a lot more independent than we think, while others may actually need more assistance than we realise.

"Through this session, we hope to impart to Tigerair's cabin crew, a basic knowledge of how best to support deaf people in order to make air travel a great experience for all of us."

For Stacey Wong, Customer Service Supervisor of Tigerair, today's session served to be a great eye-opener. "This insightful session is a good reminder for me not to be presumptuous but to exercise greater sensitivity when dealing with our customers."

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