Paphos Life

Hi all
We have been coming to Paphos for many years now 2/3 times a year. We have recently taken on a new foster child who has global development delay, severe learning disabilities and traits of Autism.
My question is do they have a fast track to get us through security at Paphos airport as although he is very good he would get very stressed and scream and bite himself if he had to stand and queue.
At Manchester you can get a lanyard which lets security know to get you through as priority. He is not in a wheelchair and is generally a very happy child but queueing is a no no.
We would really love to bring him with us as we know once there he would just love sitting on the front and using all the buses (this is his passion).
Anyone had any experience of this and any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

They do have fast track. I would suggest you contact your airline for advice on how to go about it. The wheelchair assistance service is excellent & I'm sure they will be able to help you just as well.

I don't know about Paphos but Larnaca certainly did.

Yes they do have in Paphos as well.

Just book Special Assistance. Paphos deals with people in an excellent way; better than most others!

Have to agree the special assistance at Paphos is great, use it for my elderly mother / father in law regularly and always a good service, the special assistance counter is just to the right of the airport entrance doors although it's better to book through the airline before you travel.

Flew into Paphos yesterday and yes the service for wheelchairs was excellent, unlike Stansted where my wife was abandoned in her wheelchair as the airport assistant said it was time for her to leave off and just walked away.

wills1965

I would strongly urge you to request "special assistance" through the airline you are booked on or your travel agent if applicable. That way you will also get assistance on your outward journey to Cyprus but the airport at Paphos will be alerted to your needs and will meet you at the plane on landing. The service in Cyprus is excellent but somewhat lax the UK end although to be fair they do get you to the plane without the necessity of having to queue. There are special areas for disabled people to wait once you have checked in from whence one is taken to the boarding area having passed through the security check set aside for disabled people. The method of pre alerting is favourable for all the above reasons otherwise you could be messing around finding the assistance area etc. Hope you have a good journey without incident.

Rita

I think maybe the problem might be that the foster child is not physically disabled and therefore not requiring wheelchair assistance. Children or indeed anyone with needs that may not be readily discernible may find it difficult to obtain the assistance needed and I would agree that you need to speak to your airline and stress the difficulties that you might face.

Thank you for all the advice I will contact the airline before booking flights. We do not need a wheelchair as his physical mobility is fine he just struggles with queueing and crowds.

Can certainly vouch for the special assistance booked for my Mum with easyJet, which is done at the time of booking where you answer a couple of questions so they understand the needs of the passenger concerned. I assume is can also be added after booking as part of the 'Manage My Booking' function.

Ian

wills1965 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 05, 2017 2:40 am Thank you for all the advice I will contact the airline before booking flights. We do not need a wheelchair as his physical mobility is fine he just struggles with queueing and crowds.

Do you think he will be ok on the plane?
Would you deem that 'crowded'?

He will be fine as he will have a seat and window to look out of. He just can't take standing in queues with lots of people around him as it confuses him as sitting in his own seat reassures him of his own space.
He has 2 passions in life transport and watching the world go by hence we want to take him on his first flight. Last week we took him to Blackpool and went on 48 trams 12 buses and 3 motor boats he loved it but I am all trammed out at the moment LOL.

If you ask for Special Assistance, you will be granted it. They do not require any medical evidence of the request for assistance. I'm sure everything will go well.

Don't know about that Flossie just gone back to school today and breathe LOL. He was so excited as he has started high school and gets to go on a mini bus his face was a picture this morning he is so gorgeous we can't imagine life without him even though we just got rid of our 5 grown up children, must be mad.

Here here Flossie!!