Flights to Aulani with autistic child

Memorymakerfor4

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 15, 2018
We are considering a trip to Aulani next year. My son is nonverbal autistic and is a pretty happy kid but can be a little loud when he's excited. While I think he'd absolutely love the resort and island, I just can't decide how to get there from TX. Do we stay overnight in CA? What airline would be most understanding of a special needs child? Would a red eye be better? I feel so overwhelmed, sometimes I feel like it would be easier to not go.
 
hope you have a great trip!! We fly every year.. this year we went to Australia from the US . first off , when booking your ticket make sure to make notes on your ticket. there is a special needs space on your ticket.. if not call the airline and get it on your ticket.. 72 hrs before your flight call TSACARES, they will ask you a series of questions and your answers will be noted and they will have on file all your information about your son, and they will escort you through security check points and sometimes to the gate . You will still have to go through the check points etc, but having that escort makes life a lot easier. try and get a airline that lets you book your seat, if not when talking to the ticket agent ask them to give you a seat, because of the special needs they may no charge you to choose your seat . I know some airlines do, We never fly those airlines.. depending on your childs age , you may get on first.. when they call for early boarding get in line, if questioned tell them you are in need of extra time due to helping your son etc... hoping there aren't a lot of people at the gate asking questions ,if the gate staff are the , approach them and let them know your situation and you will be boarding early.. we always get to the airport much much earlier than needed... if there are any issues getting through security or the like , you will have time to sort it out ,having that time should help reduce some of the stress.. when we travel we try and travel as directly as possible.. its easier to stay on a plane for 6 hrs than to have 3 transfers. transitions are hard on my son. but once he is on the plane he knows when we get off , that's out destination . I don't know the hubs etc for TX to Hawaii so not sure what would be better , red eye etc V lay overs etc.. but I think that would depend on how well your son deals with transitions . if you are taking any medically necessary equipment you can down load Medical Equipment tags.. they are free on line.. and attach them to your bags, they wont charge for those bags.. you can take liquids through security if he needs them, if over a certain age ask your doctor for a letter , but they may not ask for it, as long as you tell them before you put them on the belt for xray and again explain its medically necessary .. also if your son still uses a stroller , gate check it, this means he will travel to the gate in the stroller and they will put it down as you get onto the plane and it will be brought back up to the door when you land.. search Youtub for videos on boarding a plane and let your son watch them .. make him a social story about your trip and how to board the plane etc. we have Road ID bracelets.. they are good for our kids.. as the bands are smooth.. you can have his name and dx and your contact details engraved onto it and they don't bother them too much.. if he has an ipad with augmented speech program, program some buttons directly related to flying . we usually take our sons food with us , because of lots of feeding issues. especially on the plane. again Hope you have a great trip.. you can contact me if you would like to ask more questions..
 
I think it would be helpful to know some additional information, such as...
  • Has your son flown before?
  • If yes, what has been his longest flight?
  • If yes, has he ever had to make a connection/switch flights? How did he do with that transition?
  • If he's never made a connection, what is your plan if he doesn't want to get back on a plane?
  • What leads him to become restless? Boredom? Being confined to a seat for an extended time? Tiredness?
  • How do you handle it now when he becomes restless?
  • What are his behaviors when he becomes restless and are they such that it could cause problems with other passengers/flight crew?
As for which airline would be "most understanding", it's not a matter of understanding so much as what they are allowed to permit with regard to behavior before it is seen as a potential risk to the flight or to passengers/flight crew. An individual flight attendant could be very understanding on a personal level, but if he becomes very loud and disruptive, it could very well become a problem.

If he's never flown before, I wouldn't even consider this trip, but that's just my personal opinion. Flying to Hawaii from just about anywhere other than the West Coast is a pretty long and tiring flight.

Best of luck to you whatever you decide!
 
I think it would be helpful to know some additional information, such as...
  • Has your son flown before?
  • If yes, what has been his longest flight?
  • If yes, has he ever had to make a connection/switch flights? How did he do with that transition?
  • If he's never made a connection, what is your plan if he doesn't want to get back on a plane?
  • What leads him to become restless? Boredom? Being confined to a seat for an extended time? Tiredness?
  • How do you handle it now when he becomes restless?
  • What are his behaviors when he becomes restless and are they such that it could cause problems with other passengers/flight crew?
As for which airline would be "most understanding", it's not a matter of understanding so much as what they are allowed to permit with regard to behavior before it is seen as a potential risk to the flight or to passengers/flight crew. An individual flight attendant could be very understanding on a personal level, but if he becomes very loud and disruptive, it could very well become a problem.

If he's never flown before, I wouldn't even consider this trip, but that's just my personal opinion. Flying to Hawaii from just about anywhere other than the West Coast is a pretty long and tiring flight.

Best of luck to you whatever you decide!

Yes, we fly about once a year. His longest flight has been 2 1/2 hours long and connections have not been a problem. I actually see them as a welcome break for everyone as he is a very active child and it's a chance to stretch his legs.

It's hard to describe how he becomes restless. It seems to just snowball from general excitement and before you know it, he's screamed. He stems vocally and while we are working on this in therapy, it can be quite startling sometimes. This is the part that worries me the most.

The airline question stems from me wondering if any airlines provide particular autism training to their employees. I'm not sure what that would entail, but was curious what others have encountered. Trust me, no one wants his behaviors to disrupt less than us!
 
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