ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Elevators without braille despite tactile footpaths leading to them and charging non-Swiss travelers for wheelchair help on trains leading to the airport are two of the criticisms made by Roberto Castiglioni, editor of web site Reduced Mobility Rights, in his new Kloten accessibility report on Zurich Airport.
Overall, his assessment is positive of the airport’s services to people with reduced mobility and other disabilities, but he has highlighted a number of areas for improvement. And he remains puzzled by the lower than usual rate of assistance required by passengers, compared to other European airports.
His detailed report should be useful for anyone with disabilities who is traveling to or through Zurich.
A cautionary note: Castiglioni, who travels frequently with a companion who has reduced mobility, complains that wheelchair access, while often good, is free of charge only to Swiss residents and citizens.
Here is what the CFF/SBB rail company has to say on its web pages: “A disabled passenger ID pass issued abroad does not entitle the holder to any reductions on fares in Switzerland. Disabled passengers entering the country from abroad are therefore advised to purchase discounted international tickets for the blind and partially sighted, or for wheelchair users, in their country of origin, thus benefiting from reductions based on their national disabled passenger’s ID card.”
Swiss residents who have complete disability insurance (AI) coverage and anyone who has a Disabled Passenger’s ID Card issued by the national rail company is entitled to have a travelling companion or guide dog, or both, accompany them free of charge.
Wheelchair assistance is free of charge for all airlines and airports, the Swiss Civil Aviation Office notes, under the European Union regulations adopted by Switzerland in 2009.
Information for Swiss airports: services for travelers with reduced mobility and disabilities – Basel, Geneva, Zurich