TL;DR
- Emirates has run its first autism-focused Travel Rehearsal at Istanbul Airport, with 11 autistic participants and their guardians walking through the full airport experience.
- Istanbul joins 12+ cities where rehearsals have taken place, including Dubai, Barcelona, Brussels, Manchester, Paris and Venice.
- Over 30,000 Emirates cabin crew and ground staff have completed autism awareness training, making Emirates the world’s first Autism-Certified Airline.
- Families can now “test-drive” the airport experience before committing to a real flight.
- If you work with neurodiverse families, this gives you something specific and real to talk about.
For a lot of families with autistic or neurodiverse children, the airport is the hardest part of the holiday. Not the flight. Not the hotel. It’s the queues, the noise, and the unpredictable bits before you even board.
Emirates has been working on that. And this week, Istanbul became the latest city to host their Travel Rehearsal programme.
A Walk Through Before the Real Journey
Eleven autistic participants and their guardians walked through the full airport process at Istanbul Airport: arrivals, check-in, security, boarding, and a visit to the aircraft. The idea is beautifully simple. Walk through the journey once in a calm, supported setting, so the real trip feels familiar instead of frightening.
Istanbul joins Dubai, Barcelona, Brussels, Budapest, Manchester, Nice, Oslo, Paris and Venice on the rehearsal map. The list keeps growing, with cities from Brisbane to Montreal and Toronto included or committed.
A Little Context
Over 30,000 Emirates cabin crew and ground staff have completed autism and hidden-disability awareness training. That made Emirates the world’s first Autism-Certified Airline.
Parents, therapists and teachers who’ve attended describe the sessions as invaluable. They turn unknowns (security checks, queuing, boarding) into practised routines. And once a family has a positive trial day, they tend to book again and try longer itineraries too.
Where This Might Come In Handy
Families who previously avoided flying are starting to see air travel as possible. That first rehearsal often becomes the stepping stone to a first booking.
Parents are asking more detailed questions now: sensory triggers, lighting, noise levels, boarding order, and how crew handle unexpected moments. Emirates’ training covers all of this. You can offer concrete reassurance by pre-requesting seating, notifying special assistance teams, and explaining how staff will support the child.
Airport choice is also becoming a factor for some families. A European family might prefer connecting through an airport where they’ve already rehearsed the journey.
For Your Client Conversations
You don’t need clinical language. Simple questions work well:
“Has your child flown before? What parts were hardest?”
“Would a practice run through the airport with trained staff help your family feel more confident?”
There’s also a product angle here. You could suggest a short “rehearsal plus city break” trip, pairing a session with a couple of nights in Istanbul before committing to something longer.
The Practical Bit
Worth being clear with clients: Travel Rehearsal isn’t a standard bookable product. It’s typically offered on an invitation basis through accredited centres and local partners. Availability varies by city and date.
Standard special-assistance requests (seating, boarding preferences, meal considerations) can be locked into a booking right now. Being upfront about what can and can’t be confirmed helps protect trust.
For families who’ve been nervous about flying, the biggest barrier is often fear of the airport itself. This programme gives you something specific to point to, and it could be the conversation that helps a family take that first step.
