The Virgin Blue Airlines Group welcomes all Guests, including unaccompanied minors, the elderly and those with disabilities and is committed to being your airline of choice.  From time to time Guests may require assistance when travelling. On this page we aim to explain the assistance that we can provide during flight and what our Guests need to be able to do to travel independently.

Any Guest who:

1. is able to understand and respond to briefings about emergency procedures; and
2. does not require personal assistance during flight beyond that described below,

may travel unaccompanied.

There are also some additional matters you may want to consider when deciding whether or not to travel without a carer or companion who can assist you.

We encourage you to take the time to read the detailed explanation below.

All Guests must be able to understand and respond to briefings about emergency procedures.

In applying this requirement, Virgin Blue acknowledges that there are many methods by which people can communicate. These include sign language, lip reading, Braille, using diagrams, communication boards and other electronic means.

You do not need to be able to speak English. You must, however, be able to understand the substance of an emergency briefing given to you by our Cabin Crew and give some form of acknowledgement that you have understood it. The acknowledgement can be in any form you choose – so long as it reasonably conveys to our Cabin Crew that you have understood the substance of the emergency briefing given to you.

If you cannot understand and respond to briefings about emergency procedures, you must travel with a carer or companion who can assist you. The carer or companion must be physically and mentally able to assist you to carry out this task.

While we can of course assist you to transfer from a wheelchair to an aircraft seat (and vice versa) while the aircraft is on the ground, our aircraft do not carry aisle wheelchairs during flight and our Cabin Crew are unable to lift you from your aircraft seat and carry you to the bathroom. We think our Cabin Crew are super people - the most willing, happy and helpful in the sky - but we have to concede that doesn’t extend to them having super human strength.

And because of the schedule of routine duties required of them during flight, our Cabin Crew are unable to assist you with the use of the bathroom facilities. So, if you think you will need to go to the bathroom during flight and will need to be carried there, or require assistance with using the bathroom facilities, we require you to make your own arrangements to cater for that (e.g. you may choose to travel with a catheter or with another person who can assist you). Of course, if you are blind or have low vision, our Cabin Crew can explain where you are seated in the cabin and where the bathrooms (and exit doors) are.

Similarly, while our fantastic Cabin Crew are well trained in a broad range of skills (including emergency first aid), they are unable to administer personal medication to our Guests.

Our Cabin Crew are happy to assist you locate food and drink items during flight and can also open the packaging for you if that helps. However, again, because of all of the other routine duties required of them during flight, they are unable to assist you with the process of eating or drinking. We do hope you understand.

In summary, while there are a range of things we can and will do to assist you during flight, there are some things we are unable to assist with, including:

1. Using the bathroom facilities, including lifting to/from the toilet;
2. Administering medication; and
3. Food and beverage consumption.

So, if you need to do any of these things during flight and cannot do so without assistance, we require you to travel with a carer or companion who is able to assist you.

It is important to note that we want to give you every opportunity to make your own choices. So, if you are taking medication and require assistance to administer it or would require lifting to get to/from the bathroom etc but feel that you will not need to do these things during your flight, then we are happy for you to fly alone. However, if there is no way for you to avoid doing these things during flight we do hope you will understand that you must travel with a carer or companion who is able to assist you.

We want to give you every opportunity to make your own choices and that is why this section explains the level of assistance that Virgin Blue can provide in an emergency. These questions are not intended to prevent you from travelling independently. They are intended to inform you about the limits on the assistance that can be provided in such circumstances and what it could mean for you. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide whether or not, being fully informed of the facts, you wish to travel independently. Please consider the information set out below:

Can you put on an aircraft seatbelt?

Putting on an aircraft seatbelt is similar to putting on a car seatbelt. However, in an aircraft there is no shoulder strap. We have lap restraint seatbelts only.

What you need to consider:
 
Your seat belt needs to be fastened during take off and landing, during turbulence and in other emergency situations.

While our Cabin Crew are happy to help with putting your seat belt on prior to departure and unlocking it after arrival, we cannot guarantee that they will be able to do this in an emergency. There are several reasons for this, such as, it may be unsafe for Cabin Crew to do so or because they may be performing other safety tasks.

Therefore, if your seat belt comes undone during flight it will be your responsibility to request assistance from Cabin Crew to do it up again. But again, we ask you to understand that there may be times when Cabin Crew members are unable to provide assistance to perform this task (i.e. during an emergency).

So for your safety, if you cannot put on your seatbelt, you may wish to travel with a carer or companion who can help you do this in an emergency.

Can you put on an aircraft oxygen mask?

Putting on an aircraft oxygen mask involves reaching for a mask that will be at about head height when seated. You then need to put it over your mouth and secure it by pulling the elastic straps. Although it can be done with one hand, that is difficult. We recommend that two hands be used to do it.

What you need to consider:

You may need to put on an oxygen mask during turbulence or in other emergency situations and we cannot guarantee that Cabin Crew will be able to help you do this in an emergency situation. Again, there are several reasons for this, such as, it may be unsafe for Cabin Crew to do so or because they may be performing other safety tasks.

So for your safety, if you cannot put on an oxygen mask yourself, you may wish to travel with a carer or companion who can help you do this in an emergency.

Can you put on an aircraft lifejacket?

• Reaching for the life jacket under your seat;
• Removing it from the plastic pouch;
• Unfolding it and placing it over your head;
• Passing the straps around your waist; and
• Clipping the ends together and pulling the toggles to inflate.

Although it can be done with one hand, we recommend that two hands be used to do it.

What you need to consider:
 
If you tell us in advance, we can put a life jacket in the seat pocket in front of you if you like.  Whatever the case, you may need to put it on in an emergency. We cannot guarantee that Cabin Crew will be able to help you do this in such a circumstance because of the reasons detailed above.
So for your safety, if you cannot put on a life jacket yourself, you may wish to travel with a carer or companion who can help you do this in an emergency.

If you provide us with incorrect or insufficient information, and under the guidelines set out above you are required to travel with a carer or companion (that is, you are unable to understand and respond to emergency briefings, or you require personal assistance beyond that described above) but do not arrive at the airport with a carer or companion, we respectfully reserve the right to decline your travel until you have someone available to accompany you. Of course, if this does occur, we may rebook you on a later flight at no charge.

For more information on our Independent Travel Criteria please contact our Guest Contact Centre.